Auburn Football: Tigers won't miss a beat with Jeremy Johnson at QB

Don’t get me wrong, the “suspension” of Auburn University quarterback Nick Marshall is nothing to gloss over.

After all, he’s the most accomplished returning starter in the Southeastern Conference after having fronted a magical season that saw the Tigers win the SEC and come within an eyelash of procuring the BCS National Championship.

His ball-handling wizardry is unmatched in Auburn’s zone-read portion of its offense, and he steadily improved as a passer as the year waned on.

But as soon as head coach Gus Malzahn announced Marshall’s punishment, an indefinite suspension for the season-opener against the University of Arkansas, immediately I became excited at the thought of backup QB Jeremy Johnson taking snaps from center Reese Dismukes.

As a huge fan of Malzahn’s offense when all-world QB Cam Newton held the chair (and before that with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones of Arkansas fame), imagining a 6’5″,  230-pound rocket-armed cyborg bringing power back to Auburn’s scheme almost sends chills down my spine (or maybe it’s because my wife has the air conditioner set to freezing?!).

While Marshall’s discipline may not last longer than a few series, a few series is all I need to go to that nostalgic place we all seek. But more importantly, it will go a little ways in showing that Auburn has the best quarterback situation in the nation as it potentially has two elite starters on its roster.

Because Johnson is that dang talented.

Bringing Power Back

If you’re a fan of smash-mouth football, like your’s truly, you have taken notice of what Malzahn has been piloting in his multiple stints at Auburn — first serving as an offensive coordinator from 2009-11.

While earlier versions of his offense seemed more pass-oriented, most notably at the high school level and as an OC at Tulsa University, he’s adopted some unique old-school concepts and evolved them into the well-oiled, machine-like, attacking scheme we see these days.

While Malzahn has had some very talented running backs: Ben Tate, Mario Fanning, Onterio McCalebb, Cameron Artis-Payne, Tre Mason and Corey Grant come to mind, this is undoubtedly a QB-driven scheme.

As a proponent of the hurry-up, no-huddle offense, Malzahn puts a ton of responsibility on the QB often giving them a package of plays to call if they get certain looks. Marshall may be the best doing it as he has an uncanny feel for zone-read concepts.

At 6’1″, 210 pounds, Marshall is a fantastic athlete that excels in the perimeter-zone game. Make no mistake about it, if he can find a crease between the tackles, he can hit a home run with his reported 4.4 40-yard dash speed.

Johnson, on the other hand, is powerhouse in the form of Newton — although he has great speed as well — and having your QB provide power is a scary notion for any defense.

Here’s an example of what a between-the-tackles runner can do for you at the QB position. On this inside power, equipped with a pulling guard acting as a lead blocker, Newton sets up defenders masterfully with his ability to navigate in traffic.

Following your blocks is a lost art in football as so many runners are more apt to freelance and try to make plays on their own. Malzahn schemes up the blocking so all a QB has to do is read his keys.

Here the running back walls off the defender by pretty much setting a pick for Newton at the mesh point. Both the pulling guard and left tackle get to the second level to spring Newton; from there it’s all power and dexterity for the former Heisman Trophy winner.

Here we see Newton working the QB Draw. The thing people forget about Newton, more like overlooked, was that he was dangerous from within the pocket as well. While his athleticism received top billing, he was every bit the passer and could’ve fit in a complex, pro-style passing scheme like that of Georgia’s.

Newton’s statline: 2,854 yards passing (66.1 completion percentage), with 30 TDs opposed to just seven interception, was just foreshadowing how great he’d be as a passer in the pros.

Johnson may be Newton’s equal as far as passing prowess. He’s accurate (70.7 completion percentage on 41 throws for 422 yards) — when using proper mechanics — and he has the ability to throw from multiple arm slots. Even with very little college experience, he’s one of the best deep-ball throwers in the game.

These characteristics make Johnson a perfect fit for the QB Draw much like Newton as they have to respect their arms. Here Newton once again shows that it takes more than speed to be a great runner; he reads blocking well.

Johnson’s ability to assist Auburn’s great set of running backs in the between-the-tackles game will only be of benefit. It could make this offense even more frightening for defenses.

Drop-Back Passing Skills 

For Auburn’s offense to take the next step, it must improve in traditional passing concepts. Eventually there will be a defense that is able to slow down the Tigers’ run game, it will be the ability to switch its pitch that ensures Auburn repeats its success of last season.

It’s very evident that Malzahn considers Johnson a more effective passer by how he calls a different game when he’s under center; Johnson gets more of the bootlegs and play-action fakes.

Here we see Johnson’s prowess in the short-to-intermediate passing game. When you have one of the best run games in all of football at your disposal, it’s wise to turn virtually everything into some type of play action.

Johnson worked the sweep to Mason which froze the strong-side linebacker long enough for the S-receiver to uncover for the quick slant. Take note on how smooth Johnson’s over-the-top delivery is.

Johnson’s ability to throw on the run fits well with Malzahn’s philosophy. Here he is provided crossers on this play-action rollout. As he bides his time waiting for the H-back to clear, he’s able to lead him away from coverage and put the throw on the money without having to reset his feet.

As I mentioned before, a lot of Johnson’s misses come from within the pocket when he gets sloppy with his footwork — which is to be expected from young, inexperienced players.

Expect Johnson to get even more time this year as Malzahn continues his development behind the senior Marshall.

As it pertains to Arkansas, I expect the coach to ease Johnson into the game off the strength of the ground game before he opens up the floodgates to what now may be the most complete receiving corps in the SEC with Sammie Coates, Duke Williams, Ricardo Louis and Quan Bray all on the roster.

The Tigers are poised to make some serious noise again, and if something were to ever happen to Marshall they wouldn’t miss a beat with Johnson stepping in.

And we should see a clear example of that against Arkansas.