As long as Gus Malzahn is involved with Auburn’s offense in some capacity, you can expect the Tigers to have a 1,000-yard rusher. Last year was no exception as Peyton Barber led AU with 1,016 rushing yards.

Barber, who is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, isn’t the only running back who has decided to leave The Plains before finishing his college career. Roc Thomas, who rushed 43 times for 261 yards and a touchdown in 12 games last season, is transferring to FCS school Jacksonville State.

The good news for Auburn is that Jovon Robinson returns after rushing for 90 yards or more in five of his last six games last season. He should be the starter after spending most of 2015 as a backup.

The bad news is that with Barber and Thomas’ departures, the Tigers lack depth at running back. For starters, there is one running back in their 2016 recruiting class — Malik Miller, a 5-foot-11, 229-pound three-star prospect from Madison, Ala.

However, that lack of depth won’t prevent Auburn from continuing to emphasize its running game. In fact, if Malzahn kicks off the season with incoming recruit John Franklin III as his starting QB, the Tigers will rely even more on the run.

Rotation

With Barber and Thomas no longer in the mix, it looks like Auburn’s offense could become Robinson left, Robinson right and Robinson up the middle with him as the feature back. If they use that approach, the Tigers run the risk of overworking Robinson, who was limited to just eight games last season due to a lingering ankle injury.

Speaking of injuries, Kerryon Johnson is recovering from shoulder surgery that forced him to miss all of spring ball. Johnson, who at times served as Auburn’s Wildcat QB in 2015, was impressive during his freshman season last year when he tallied 753 total yards – 386 in kick returns, 208 rushing and 159 receiving.

Chasing 1,000

Auburn has had nine 1,000-yard rushers over the last decade, and we expect Robinson to be its next one this year.

Here are the Tigers who have reached that milestone since 2006:

2006-08: None
2009: Ben Tate, 1,362 yards
2010: Cam Newton, 1,473 yards; Michael Dyer, 1,093 yards
2011: Dyer, 1,242 yards
2012: Tre Mason, 1,002 yards
2013: Mason, 1,816 yards; Nick Marshall, 1,068 yards
2014: Cameron Artis-Payne, 1,608 yards
2015: Peyton Barber, 1,017 yards

Play-calling

Of Auburn’s 892 plays last season, 586 were runs, or 66 percent. And when evaluating the Tigers’ success running on first and second down, it’s understandable why the play-calling in 2015 was so imbalanced.

Overall, Auburn averaged 4.4 yards per carry, a number that increased to 4.6 on first down and 4.7 on second down, according to cfbstats.com. On top of that, of the Tigers’ running plays in 2015, 500 — or a whopping 85 percent — came on first and second down.

There were several reasons for that run/pass disparity. Between starters Jeremy Johnson and Sean White, Auburn’s quarterback play in 2015 was horrible at worst, and serviceable at best.

Plus, when Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee had Barber, Thomas and Robinson at their disposal last season, it made sense for them to turn to their running backs. Their signal-callers’ shakiness gave them little choice but to make the running game the focal point of the offense.

Regardless of the player Malzahn chooses to start this season, be it Johnson, White or Franklin, Auburn will remain a running team. Even though he is considered a dual-threat prospect, Franklin averaged 10.5 yards per carry in his one season at East Mississippi Community College, so he will have to prove that he can beat SEC defenses with his arm.

The fact that Auburn’s receiving corps will be led by unproven upperclassmen Marcus Davis and Tony Stevens might force the Tigers to focus even more on running. Expectations for incoming wideouts Kyle Davis and Nate Craig-Myers are high, but they should be tempered because of the clouded QB situation.

Greatest concern

Replacing Shon Coleman and Avery Young at left and right tackle, respectively, could be the biggest problem heading into the season, but that should be partially offset by the fact that most of last year’s starting offensive line returns.

What jumps out here is Auburn’s lack of bodies at the RB spot. Figure on Robinson getting at least 25 carries a game, which would give him about 300 touches for the season. Anything beyond that total could be problematic.

One stat that must improve

The Tigers were fifth in the SEC in rushing yards per game (196.3) and sixth in rushing TDs (28) last season, but they were tied for 10th in the conference in yards per attempt (4.35).

They were also third in the league with 586 carries, a number that could increase this year. A team that might run the ball at least 600 times has to find a way to average closer to 5 yards a carry, a figure that four SEC schools exceeded in 2015.

The possibility that Robinson will get more carries this year is definitely a positive, but Auburn is clearly not as deep at running back as it was at this time in 2015, and the unsettled quarterback situation could make the Tigers even more one-dimensional than they were a season ago.

Throw in a revamped offensive line and an inexperienced group of receivers, and Malzahn and Lashlee are left with a lot of work to do with little time to do it. Auburn’s Sept. 3 opener against Clemson is just 89 days away.