Auburn’s starters looked impressive today in their annual A-Day game Saturday. The offense hasn’t looked this explosive since Nick Marshall and Tre Mason led the Tigers to a national championship against Florida State back in 2013. Here are five things that I liked from today’s game.

1. QB Jarrett Stidham’s command of the offense.

Earlier this week, I talked about the importance of Stidham taking command of the offense. Well, he delivered. Stidham looked excellent throwing the football. Overall, Stidham showed impressive mechanics, he threw the ball with velocity and placement and he made good decisions.

The offensive line did a really good job keeping Stidham clean throughout the game, and Stidham also showed the ability to stand tall in the pocket. The few times there was a breakdown with the line, Stidham showed poise using his legs to create positive yardage.

It was also nice to see Auburn’s offense consistently stretch the White Team’s defense vertically throughout the game. Sean White struggled in this area during the 2016 season, and that forced Auburn to rely too heavily on the run game.

2. RB Kerryon Johnson’s ability as a runner and receiver.

Johnson’s continued development has been nothing short of spectacular. He has been an effective running back through his first two years on campus, but there was something different about him in his limited playing time today.

Before an ankle injury ended his day early, Johnson had rushed for 47 yards on only seven carries — with one touchdown. He looked smooth eluding defenders while bouncing the ball outside on multiple occasions.

Last year’s leading rusher — Kamryn Pettway — didn’t play in the spring game. Still, if both players can maintain their health throughout the 2016 season, this Auburn run game will be a force. The only problem is maintaining their health may be easier said than done.

3. Byron Cowart’s transition to DT seems to be going smoothly.

Cowart was running with the White Team defense going against the starting offense, but he looked pretty comfortable today playing inside at defensive tackle. The main issue with him today was that he couldn’t finish at times.

He put himself in good position against the run and gave himself a chance to make several plays. He just didn’t always finish with a couple of missed tackles. On the other hand, he did a decent job putting pressure on the quarterback.

I also want to bring up some of the other pass rushers. There were a couple of edge defenders — particularly Buck LB Paul James III and DE Nick Coe — who showed flashes applying pressure. There defense still needs a lot of continued development in this area, but the have a few guys who can step up.

4. WR Nate Craig-Myers and Will Hastings being focal points of the passing offense.

From the looks of it, Stidham is going to absolutely love throwing to Craig-Myers. The sophomore receiver from Dade City, Fla., looked excellent tracking the football down field and bringing in tough catches. Like previously mentioned, Auburn’s offense really struggled pushing the ball downfield last season.

That should change with Craig-Myers emerging as the best deep threat receiver that Auburn has fielded since former WR Sammie Coates — who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Craig-Myers wasn’t the only wide receiver making plays today, however.

Will Hastings saw plenty of targets today, and he did a lot of good things as a result. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t some struggles as well. He had two fumbles and one drop — which is going to need to be something that he cleans up. Still, he was Stidham’s safety blanket for most of the day, and the connection looks strong.

5. Daniel Carlson is still the best kicker in the country.

Gus Malzahn and the rest of the team really lucked out when Carlson decided to return after briefly considering an early exit for the NFL. Last season, he finished 28-for-32 — good for an 87.5-percent — on top of having 57 of 72 kickoffs go for touchbacks — second best in the country.

People always underestimate the importance of having a solid, consistent kicker. Auburn doesn’t just have that; they have an elite player at the position. He did miss a field goal today, but he connected on four of them, including a 55-yarder.

He is going to play an important part in Auburn’s quest to compete for an SEC West title and playoff spot in 2017.