Auburn Offense: Week 2 Position Grades
Sep 6, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback
Nick Marshall(14) celebrates his touchdown with teammates during the third quarter against the San Jose State Spartans at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers defeated the Spartans 59-13. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
There is a lot to be excited about when you look at the Auburn Tigers offensive performance during the 59-13 blowout over San Jose State last Saturday. However, nothing is ever perfect, so we will take a closer look and grade the offense position-by-position.
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Offensive Line
There are two stats that are obvious when looking at the success of an offensive line as a unit: sacks allowed and rushing yards. Last week, the Auburn Tigers front five passed each of those tests with flying colors.
Auburn quarterbacks Nick Marshall and Jeremy Johnson combined to throw 23 passes against San Jose State, and neither was sacked over the course of the game. Also, on 58 carries divided among six players, the Tigers ran for 358 rushing yards and six touchdowns. That equates to a 7.2 yards per carry average.
Thus far in 2014, the Tigers haven’t suffered from the loss of Greg Robinson, who left for the NFL, or Alex Kozan, who was injured during the off-season. Talented sophomore tackle Shon Coleman has filled in very well in Robinson’s old left tackle spot while senior Chad Slade has been dependable at left guard in Kozan’s absence.
Avery Young has solidified the right guard position after moving inside from his projected spot at right tackle. The move was necessitated by Slade’s shift to the left side. Patrick Miller has settled in nicely at right tackle and Reese Dismukes is simply one of the best centers in the nation.
Through two games, the Tigers have rushed for 660 yards and allowed only one sack against Arkansas, so everything seems to be gelling nicely. They were certainly solid on Saturday.
Grade: A