Auburn's Kodi Burns a New Dimension For Defenses In The SEC

Watching the Auburn Offense develop under the tutelage of Gus Malzhan one particular wrinkle has caught my eye and imagination more than any other. The hand off pass is an absolutely tricky play to defend against.

Auburn's Cris Todd has shown to be a formidable team leader and more than adequate quarterback. There is another dimension though. Auburn plays two quarterbacks much of the time.

Kodi Burns is a wonderfully gifted athlete. He has proven he can adapt and play at wide receiver this season. He has also given the Auburn Offense another dimension on the field by doing this.

There is no doubt Kodi Burns could have been an excellent halfback but this was not the position where Auburn needed his help the most. Kodi Burns took the time and put out the effort to learn how to play receiver. This was a move that spoke well of this young man's character.

As we have watched the offense develop this season the one area that peaks the imagination the most is the pass off the reverse. We have watched it work to some extent on a few occasions.

This particular play gives Auburn a high percentage play that can be used to strike quickly from long distances and score. The likelihood of the defense being fooled and the play going for a touchdown is amplified by the motion of the reverse. Defensive players are faked out of position and the pass is dropped in to a wide open receiver. It is a thing of beauty.

There are other options for this play as well. I am sure we will see some of these as the season moves along. The other thing this ability does is force the defenders to take this play into consideration.

Watching the Tennessee game I saw this effect on more than one occasion. In these particular cases the shift caused by this threat led to some good run plays. This threat will be useful when the opponent pulls up on the line to stop the run. A hand off to Burns could lead to a short pass to a running back to get past the defensive players.

I think Kodi Burns will be one of the players to watch as Auburn moves into the heart of their schedule. He is a weapon largely underused to this point.