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Auburn Tigers

5 things I want to see Saturday during Auburn’s spring game

Clint Lamb

By Clint Lamb

Published:


Auburn’s 2016 saw a lot of ups and downs en route to a Sugar Bowl loss against the Oklahoma Sooners. Still, there are many analysts who are predicting Auburn to have a strong season in 2017.

Here are five things that I would like to see from Auburn on Saturday to build confidence in these analysts’ projections.

1. Jarrett Stidham take command of the offense

When the Tigers offense takes the field on Saturday, Stidham will be running with the first unit. That isn’t a surprising development considering that he was brought in to be “the guy,” but there should be plenty of chances for fans to get a preview of how he’ll fit into Auburn’s system.

Stidham’s natural ability is evident. He managed to throw for 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman for Baylor back in 2015. Still, he needs to show that there isn’t any rust from missing an entire season while enrolled at McLennan Community College as a student.

His skill set should fit into the offense nicely, but I wouldn’t expect him to be asked to do a whole lot. Gus Malzahn is known for being very vanilla on offense during spring games. Despite the addition of new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, I wouldn’t expect that to be any different this year.

The goal will be to see Stidham take control as a vocal leader both on and off the field, and to limit turnovers.

2. Someone to emerge as a pass-rushing threat along the defensive line

Auburn’s defense is losing its two best pass-rushers from last season. Carl Lawson led the team with 9.0 sacks while Montravius Adams contributed 4.5 sacks from his defensive tackle position.

Replacing their production is going to be crucial for Auburn to have any chance of competing for an SEC West title and potential playoff spot. The good news is that there are players who are starting to emerge.

Byron Cowart — who is a former 5-star and No. 3 overall player in the 2015 class according to 247Sports — was moved inside from defensive end to defensive tackle, and the results have been impressive.

“He gives us a pass rush in there, too, more than just pushing the pocket,” defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said when asked about Cowart. “He is a pass-rusher in there as a 3-technique because he has the skill set to do that.”

In addition to Cowart, it would be nice to see someone like junior Jeff Holland step up and make an impact getting after the quarterback from the Buck position.

3. Keeping the pocket as clean as possible for the quarterbacks

The No. 3 thing I’d like to see Saturday completely contradicts No. 2 on this list. It’ll be almost impossible for fans — and coaches for that matter — to walk away from the spring game completely satisfied with both the pass-rush and the offensive line.

What the coaching staff wants to see is competition, development and chemistry. The offensive line lost Robert Leff — who was a First Team All-SEC performer according to Pro Football Focus — at right tackle in addition starting left guard Alex Kozan.

Replacing those players will be important. Last season, the offensive line allowed 19 sacks in 13 games — tying them for 27th in the country for sacks allowed. The team is going to need to see some improvement in this area because both Stidham and Sean White have a history of injuries.

Senior offensive lineman Braden Smith — who started every game at right guard last season — has moved to right tackle to replace the departed Leff. It would be nice to eventually see 5-star tackle Calvin Ashley emerge as a starter, allowing Smith to move back to right guard, but the team won’t get a chance to see him until he enrolls in the summer.

4. The defense to create at least 1-2 turnovers

Auburn’s defense really struggled to create turnovers in 2016. The team finished tied for 88th — out of 128 teams — in turnovers created with 17 — 6 fumbles and 11 interceptions.

That needs to change if they want to become the defense that a lot of people expect them to be. Forcing turnovers has been an emphasis this spring, so it’ll be interesting to see how that shakes out in the spring game.

The bad news is that Joshua Holsey has graduated after leading the team in interceptions — with three — last season. The good news is that Auburn returns a majority of their production in the secondary while continuing to add depth and talent behind them. The safety position isn’t the deepest on the roster, but the top of the unit looks strong with the return of Tray Matthews, Stephen Roberts and Nick Ruffin.

Seeing the defense create some havoc on Saturday would be a good sign.

5. The team to come out with no major injuries.

The biggest goal for every team’s spring game is to get out of it without any major injuries. This group has a chance to make waves in the college football world in 2017, but they need to stay healthy in order to do that.

Depth is stronger at most positions then it has been in recent years, but the continued presence of that depth with be a major factor in allowing the Tigers to compete with the other teams in the SEC West.

Clint Lamb

Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.

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