Auburn’s 7-6 campaign last season wasn’t full of big statistics or highlight-reel plays. But Peyton Barber, Carlton Davis and Gus Malzahn earned most of the attention – and in the head coach’s case, not necessarily for the right reasons.

A year later, Barber is in the NFL, Davis is back trying to build on his outstanding freshman season and Malzahn is still in charge, with a contract extension to boot. However, he will be working with his third defensive coordinator in three years.

Which Tigers will lurk in the shadows doing the dirty work for the benefit of the team? We look at three such members of Auburn’s 2016 team, one on offense, one on defense and one among the assistant coaches.

Offense

Has there been a more patient player at Auburn the last three-plus years than Marcus Davis? Remember, this is a guy who was throwing TD passes as a dual-threat QB at American Heritage High School in the South Florida area.

With Malzahn making the decision to go with Nick Marshall as his starter in 2013, Auburn moved Davis to wideout entering his freshman season. In each of his three years on The Plains, Davis has been part of the passing game but constantly in a supporting role.

After making 23 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown as a freshman, Davis regressed as a sophomore with only 13 receptions for 92 yards and a TD.

In 2015, Davis rebounded to make 30 grabs for 181 yards and a score. After biding his time and paying his dues, he enters this season as the Tigers’ leading returning receiver and should be AU’s go-to guy in the passing game, regardless of the player Malzahn chooses to be his starting QB.

Defense

It might be a little unusual to call Auburn’s leading tackler the last two seasons an unsung hero, but that’s what Rudy Ford has been. Not only has Ford made 93 and 118 stops, respectively, over the last two years, he has become arguably the Tigers’ best defensive player.

Of course, Auburn would love to have someone other than a safety be its leading tackler because that usually means opponents are gashing their defense. But over the last two seasons, the Tigers’ defense has indeed been gashed, and at least Ford has shown he has the ability to make important tackles when necessary.

Entering his senior season, Ford is the leader of an Auburn secondary that is young but talented. The Tigers’ improved defensive line could reduce Ford’s opportunities to make tackles, but that’s a good thing.

It might give Ford the chance to be more of a ball hawk, which may lead to more interceptions. Ford has picked off a total of five passes over the last two seasons.

Coaching staff

Tim Horton enters his fourth season as the running backs coach at Auburn. In his first year on The Plains in 2013, he helped the Tigers lead the nation with 328.3 rushing yards per game, which propelled AU to an SEC championship and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game.

Horton has also helped Auburn extend its streak of seasons with at least one 1,000-yard rusher to seven, which is an SEC record. And under Horton’s watch, Tre Mason finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting after rushing for 1,816 yards and 23 TDs three seasons ago.

But Horton’s contributions to the Tigers go beyond what he has done with running backs. He is also a very good recruiter, as he is credited with bringing the following players to The Plains: Ford, Barber, Jovon Robinson, Kerryon Johnson, Tyler Queen and Tyler Carr, according to 247Sports.com.