Auburn Offense: Week 2 Position Grades
Sep 6, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Cameron Artis-Payne (44) scores a touchdown past San Jose State Spartans cornerback
Jimmy Pruitt(8) during the second quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs
If you’re an Auburn fan, you’ve got to be happy with the performance of the running backs so far this season. After racking up big yardage in Week 1, the unit performed just as well on Saturday against San Jose State.
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Across 50 total Auburn carries, running backs accounted for 37 of them. Cameron Artis-Payne led the team with 16 rushing attempts for 112 yards and three touchdowns. The senior running back did nearly all of his damage in the first half against the Spartans and he carried the ball only once in the third quarter.
With his performance Saturday, Cameron Artis-Payne now leads the SEC with 289 yards rushing and four scores.
Corey Grant, who is listed as the co-starter, but has received far fewer touches than Artis-Payne, was again spectacular in terms of yards per attempt. On ten carries, the senior ran for 89 yards. True freshman Roc Thomas saw his first action and scored a touchdown on his first career carry. Thomas finished the day with 51 yards on nine carries – all of which came in the fourth quarter. Peyton Barber added two yards on two carries.
Overall, the performance was record setting. The Tigers have had a 100-yard rusher in each of the school’s last eight games, which has not been done before in Auburn history. Plus, the team had more than 200 rushing yards for the 13th consecutive game, which is the longest streak in the nation.
And, when rushing yards from Nick Marshall (103 yards on eleven carries) and Jeremy Johnson (one yard on two carries) are factored in, the Tigers gained 358 yards on the ground.
Grade: A