Auburn Football: What to Watch for in Tigers' 2015 Spring Game
The "Guschamp" marriage will be in full effect on Saturday, when the world gets its first real glimpse of the new-look Auburn Tigers led by third-year head coach Gus Malzahn and first-year defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.
Is that the championship combination?
There's no question that the Tigers are loaded with talent, but that doesn't mean this spring has been a breeze. Malzahn has to replace his starting quarterback and the top rusher in the SEC, while Muschamp is in desperate search of a pass rush and defensive backs that won't get burned week after week.
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What should you watch for on Saturday on the Plains?
Focus on the Backup QBs
Malzahn, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and the rest of Auburn's offensive staff can sell the idea that there's a quarterback battle going on, but there's not. It's junior Jeremy Johnson's show.
The Montgomery, Alabama, native has been sharp in the limited time he's seen the field over the last two seasons, particularly in a 243-yard, two-touchdown performance against Arkansas in the season opener last year. What's his goal for the season? It's pretty lofty, according to James Crepea of the Montgomery Advertiser.
His experience, ability to kickstart the Tiger passing game and keep some of the same dual-threat elements that were present in previous seasons—particularly with fellow bruiser Cam Newton—will be too much for the staff to ignore.
But who will be the backup?
Sean White is a former Elite 11 MVP, and Tyler Queen enrolled early to try to earn backup snaps as a true freshman. White is the more likely to win the job, and his upside can't be ignored. But what, exactly, does he look like?
He's more known for his accuracy than his arm strength, and Auburn fans need to know what he's capable of and how the offense will change when he steps on the field.
In the Trenches
Auburn finished last season with only 21 sacks and was searching for a pass rush all year long—so much so that Brandon King, a hybrid safety/linebacker, moved down to defensive end in certain situations.
The reason?
Carl Lawson's absence due to an ACL injury had a lot to do with it. The rising redshirt sophomore was a beast as a freshman in 2013, notching 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and solidifying himself as a true every-down defensive end.
Who will help him out? Montravius Adams has the potential to be a force inside and could get some help from fellow defensive linemen Maurice Swain, Dontavius Russell and others who need to make an impact. Auburn hasn't finished in the top half of the SEC in total defense since 2007—which was Muschamp's last season as defensive coordinator during his second stint on the Plains (he was a graduate assistant under Terry Bowden from 1995-96).
"I'm very excited because people look at Auburn as an offensive team," Swain said, according to Charles Goldberg of AuburnTigers.com. "We want to change their mindset. Auburn started as a defensive team, ever since I've been a fan. We're just trying to get back to it."
That starts up front. With incoming freshman Byron Cowart looming, the Tigers participating in spring practice need to finish strong to leave a favorable impression for the new defensive staff during summer workouts.
Secondary Shuffle
Auburn tied with Ole Miss for the SEC lead last season with 22 interceptions, but the difference between the Tigers and Rebels was about as wide as the Grand Canyon. The Tigers got torched to the tune of 230.1 passing yards per game—due in part to the fact that the pass rush was virtually nonexistent.
The good news is that there's a quality corner in Jonathan Jones returning, but he could be limited for the spring game, according to Joel A. Erickson of AL.com. That could be a blessing in disguise.
Josh Holsey moved back over to corner from safety alongside Stephen Roberts and others, "Rudy" Ford is at safety alongside Georgia transfer Tray Matthews, Nick Ruffin is backing up the safeties and newcomer Tim Irvin is lining up at nickel.
How will the new-look secondary look and can they be more consistent?
Expect Auburn to air things out to give its quarterbacks some work, which means there will be plenty of chances for the corners and safeties to shine.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
Malzahn has produced 12 1,000-yard rushers in nine seasons as a college head or assistant coach and is charged with replacing the SEC's leading rusher from last year. Cameron Artis-Payne was phenomenal last year, posting 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Junior college transfer Jovon Robinson, true sophomore Roc Thomas and redshirt sophomore Peyton Barber are all vying for playing time this spring. Robinson is still adjusting to life at Auburn and what the staff is expecting of him from a pass-protection standpoint, Barber is more of the underdog and Thomas—"Mr. Football" in the state of Alabama in 2013—is trying to be more patient this year in Auburn's offense, which features plenty of pulling guards and tackles.
"Maybe my patience hitting holes," Thomas told Brandon Marcello of AL.com, when asked about a weakness. "I think I was a little bit too fast last year trying to hit the holes. I mean, I just really need to be patient."
Auburn doesn't need to find a true No. 1 running back right now. After all, it wasn't until October of 2013 when Tre Mason solidified himself as the top option and then ran all the way to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
The running backs do, however, need to show that they're capable of earning that trust of the staff, because at some point, Malzahn will settle on one so the Tigers can press tempo in drives without substituting running backs.
My gut is that Robinson will be the guy, and the staff will see that on Saturday.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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