Auburn football: Ranking Tigers’ starting quarterbacks since Cam Newton left the Plains

1. Nick Marshall (2013-14)

By the numbers: Nick Marshall completed 320-of-522 passes for 4,508 yards, 34 TDs and 13 interceptions. He ran for 1,866 yards and 23 touchdowns.

FlyWarEagle analysis: What Marshall did at Auburn is amazing. Then consider that he played 11 games at cornerback for Georgia in 2011, spent a year in junior college playing quarterback and then came to Auburn as a dual-threat QB. Incredible. Malzahn’s first season as head coach in 2013 was magical and a lot of it had to with Marshall.

We caught our first glimpse of the type of gamer he was when he hit C.J. Uzomah for an 11-yard TD strike with 10 seconds left in Week 3 to beat Mississippi State, 24-20. He threw for 339 yards that game. He later had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games and ran for a career-high 214 in a rout of Tennessee.

But he saved his two biggest moments for Auburn’s two biggest rivals.

After the Tigers blew a 20-point lead to Georgia in the fourth quarter, his desperation heave was tipped by the Bulldogs and snared out of the air by Ricardo Louis for a 73-yard TD on fourth down with 25 seconds left. Two weeks later against No. 1 Alabama, he threw for 99 yards and two scores and ran for 89 and another in a come-from-behind victory that put Auburn in the SEC Championship Game.

Of course, Auburn beat Missouri in the title game and lost in the final minute to Florida State in the national championship game.

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Big things were expected the following season, but it started on the wrong foot with Marshall’s first half suspension in the opener against Arkansas. After starting 5-0, Auburn lost to Mississippi State when it turned the ball over on its first two offensive plays (both led to MSU TDs). Marshall was picked off twice in the game.

Three games later, two late fumbles (one an exchange between Marshall and Cameron Artis-Payne) and another when Marshall wasn’t ready for the snap, did in Auburn in a loss to Texas A&M. The second turnover came with Auburn seemingly driving for the game-winning score with 54 seconds remaining.

The magic of 2013 was not there.

Marshall threw for 2,532 yards in 2014, but his rushing total of 2013 (1,068) was more than 2014 (798).

Marshall is the closest thing to Newton that Auburn has seen since 2010. He was a threat to do something dynamic every snap and was one of the most enjoyable Tigers to watch over the last 25 seasons.