Auburn fans had to see their team get it done in a way in which they don’t often have to: with defense and throwing the ball.

The Auburn rushing attack, averaging well over 300 yards in its first two games, totaled just 128 yards on 45 carries on Thursday night against the Wildcats. Quarterback Nick Marshall completed 17-of-31 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

Coordinators Rhett Lashlee and Ellis Johnson were frustrated by aspects of both the offensive and defensive play. Head coach Gus Malzahn echoed those sentiments during his weekly radio show on Monday night.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to play better,” Malzahn said. “We didn’t play our best but we won. Now, I think that’s the bottom line. Our guys understand that, our coaches understand that. But when you don’t play your best and you can win against a top 20 team, I think that’s a positive thing.”

“We’re not sounding any big alarm or anything.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself, coach.

For the first time under Malzahn, Auburn struggled to run the ball. The Tigers averaged just 2.8 yards per carry on Thursday night, well under its season average of more than seven yards per rush prior to Thursday night. We finally saw glimpses of Nick Marshall’s improvement as a passer making throws on key downs in the second half to put Kansas State away.

The Tigers defense allowed just 40 yards on the ground and a modest 285 yards of total offense. Auburn created pressure up front and the secondary didn’t allow any big plays. It was the Tigers best performance on defense in three years and its best under Johnson. They forced three turnovers and held in the red zone on three separate occasions that led to three missed Wildcat field goals. A lot of guys are playing well on that side of the ball including Kris Frost, Cassanova McKinzy, Rudy Ford and Josh Holsey.

“I think we’ve definitely improved,” Malzahn said on Tuesday. “We’re very good right now stopping the run.”

This was exactly the type of win Auburn needed to solidify its championship aspirations. Football minds often use the cliche that what separates good teams from great teams is that great teams win when they’re not at their best.

Auburn did that. And Malzahn’s support in his team, particularly his quarterback has never wavered.

“The bottom line is our quarterback wins. He knows how to win,” Malzahn said. “If you compare him to all the other quarterbacks in the country, when the game is on the line, we have the best guy.”

Three games into the 2013 season, Auburn had just broken a 10-game SEC losing streak and was receiving no votes in either poll. Now, Auburn is a top five team and the complaints are that the Tigers haven’t gotten a single first place vote.

The expectations have changed on the Plains. And when the play on the field doesn’t live up to those expectations, it breeds worry and frustration.

“We know who we are and we know where we’ve got to get,” Malzahn said. “We have a lot of room for improvement, and that’s what we are focusing on. The expectations as far as execution this year as compared to last year are completely different.”

“We’re not too far away. I don’t want you to think we are trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s a matter of us getting better at what we do and trying to be perfect.”