Auburn Offense: Week 2 Position Grades

Sep 6, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Wide Receiver Ricardo Lewis (5) scores a touchdown on a four-yard pass from ini the first quarter against the San Jose State Spartans. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Receivers

Auburn did not need to throw the ball that often against San Jose State, especially in the second half. Sixteen of the 23 passes Auburn attempted against the Spartans came in the first 30 minutes of the game, and the receivers finished with 13 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown.

Live Feed

Betsided

D’haquille Williams led the way for the second week in a row. The junior newcomer had four catches for 60 yards, an average of 15 yards per catch and a long of 27. Williams was targeted seven times during the game, and the only incompletion that came his way occurred on a high throw from Nick Marshall late in the second quarter. The two were able to connect on the same slant route on the next play, which set up a Cameron Artis-Payne touchdown.

Combined with his nine catches against Arkansas the week before, Williams is tied for third in the SEC with 13 catches through the first two weeks of the 2014 season.

Melvin Ray, Quan Bray and Ricardo Louis each had two catches in the game. Ray’s receptions went for 30 yards, which was the second highest total of the day for Auburn. The 6-foot-3 junior started the game in place of Sammie Coates, but both of his catches occurred in the second half. Ray did drop one pass, though it was tipped and would have been a difficult catch.

Louis was responsible for the first Auburn touchdown of the game after he slipped into the flat and became the receiving end of a 4-yard TD toss from Marshall in the first quarter. Bray had only 15 receiving yards, but his 55-yard touchdown return was an important part of the game. Marcus Davis also caught a pass for seven yards.

Coates did not play against SJSU because of a minor knee injured that had been troubling him over the course of the week. Head coach Gus Malzahn addressed the injury Tuesday night on Tiger Talk.

“Sammie’s doing well,” Malzahn said. “We feel like he’ll come back 100 percent.”

At tight end, neither CJ Uzomah nor Brandon Fulse factored into the game statistically. However, both played an important part, as always, at a combination of positions. Fulse operated as the primary H-back and was often a lead blocker in the run game, while Uzomah saw time as an H-back, traditional tight end and even split out as a wide receiver.

Overall, the receivers were solid, though not overly spectacular, but it is hard to knock this group.

Grade: B