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Auburn will ride Nick Marshall’s talents through UGA and beyond
By Murf Baldwin
Published:
After virtually running the table all the way to the BCS National Championship game last season, the now 7-2 Auburn Tigers are reeling after a disappointing razor-thin loss to the once-highly-thought-of Texas A&M Aggies — who were mired in a three-game slump prior to squeaking by the University of Louisiana Monroe.
While many consider it a back-breaking loss, the scheduling gods did Auburn a favor as it has still has two high-profile games left: Saturday against the University of Georgia and a tilt against its heated rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide, to close the season.
But regardless, Auburn has proved itself a viable power in the past two seasons after looking like college football’s version of The Walking Dead the season prior.
Most of the success should be chalked up to head coach Gus Malzahn and his high-octane basketball-on-grass-like offensive approach, which takes advantage of Auburn’s endless supply of skill position players by deploying them in a multitude of ways: receivers often run the ball, running backs are heavy in the at- or behind-the-line-of-scrimmage passing game and they all have ample opportunities to generate explosive plays.
But those things only take place with Auburn’s conduit-like approach to the QB position — which has seen senior Nick Marshall steadily improve without garnering the type of recognition he deserves.
While he’s been widely recognized for both his athletic prowess and his off-the-charts running ability, Marshall has repeatedly shown that he has plenty of tools in his toolbelt. But most importantly it’s his development as a passer that may still carry Auburn very far this season.
And make no mistake about it; if Auburn beats both Georgia and Alabama the College Football Playoff committee will have a lot to think about.
I’ve already opined that Auburn may boast having the most talented backfield and wide receiving corps (click here to view that article), which was before the injury to receiver Duke Williams, but it may very well have the best QB in the entire conference.
And now’s the perfect chance for him to prove it.
Play-Making Ability/Redzone
Any QB that plays in the Malzahn scheme will be organically compared to one of the greatest QBs to ever suit up in the Southeastern Conference, Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers). The 6’5″, 248-pound athletic marvel shouldered the load, at times, for one of the grittiest, successful offenses of all time.
His ability to manufacture chain-moving plays through power running was uncanny in itself. But that aspect may have only been superseded by his penchant for creating explosive plays with his underrated speed. And when you combined all of that with his rocket arm, you had the makings of a flat-out legend.
Marshall, for as different as his body type is, has a ton of the same qualities that made Newton special in this offense: He’s an explosive playmaker who makes you defend every quadrant on the field, and he has an NFL-caliber arm that can be used to cover the entire route tree.
While he doesn’t add much value to the between-the-tackles run game, his ability to hit edges may open up the offense even more. But it’s his open-field running prowess that separates him from just about everyone.
And while most of the college football landscape lauds him for his ability to break long runs, I’ve been extremely impressed by the type of redzone threat he’s become. In fact, he may be the premier redzone threat in the country.
Auburn’s frequent use of the zone-read option has left plenty of edge-players out in what I like to call “no man’s land.” When you have an extraordinary athlete, like Marshall, allowing him to navigate this play with an unblocked defender seems like a really good idea.
When you provide him with a ghost reverse, which freezes safeties and off-the-ball linebackers alike, and an option to release the ball for an inside run, he becomes virtually indefensible.
In the above sequence he separated the end from his own ankle with a quick jab step and weaved his way into the endzone. A lot of QBs can gain yards on the ground from disconnected runs, but they struggle on designed deployment.
Marshall is a terror in both departments.
Ball-Handling Wizardry
While many fans are going to scoff at this section due to the late turnover during the read-option mesh point between Marshall and running back Cameron Artis-Payne, in the loss to the Aggies, those that do are simply being prisoners of the moment.
Most of what Auburn does is based off some type of ball fake from Marshall. There are a ton of moving parts in the Malzahn scheme and it’s nothing to see Marshall performing a couple of fakes on one play.
You would think that Marshall would be responsible for a ton more turnovers as ball-handling is not as easy as he makes it look.
You can tell that Malzahn, and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, place emphasis on ball-handling as his fakes really do resemble whatever action he’s mimicking. Play-action fakes are an underrated aspect in the sport; Marshall is as good as anyone doing it.
Improved Accuracy/Deep-Ball Prowess
I watched Marshall closely last season as I’ve grown extremely intrigued by whatever Malzahn is doing. The latter’s time as co-offensive coordinator for the University of Arkansas, during the Darren McFadden-Felix Jones era, captured my eye as that was when the “Wildcat” formation was re-birthed in the modern form.
His time with Newton only cemented my belief in his talents.
I’m particularly impressed by Marshall’s improved accuracy in year two under the Malzahn-Lashlee scheme. When your scheme relies heavily on the short-to-intermediate passing game — hitches, slants and plenty of throws to the RBs — having an accurate QB is a necessity.
Marshall is completing 61 percent of his throws, up from the 59 percent in his first season under center, and his mechanics are looking very much improved as well. His ability was on full display in the fourth quarter against the Aggies.
Case in point: Marshall threw this slant-and-go route so perfect that the receiver walked under it for a touchdown.
Despite Williams’ injury, Auburn still has more than enough talent at the receiver position to take advantage of its superior run game.
The talented Sammie Coates may be the premier vertical threat in the conference — along with Alabama’s all-world receiver Amari Cooper, of course, and it seems as though every game the Marshall-Coates connection provides us with some type of spectacular highlight.
Here we see Marshall showing off the entire package: He extends the play off a roll out; he evades an edge-defender and darn near throws the cover off the ball — hitting Coates on a bomb for another over-the-shoulder grab.
It’s time Marshall gets some recognition for his complete makeup as a QB (especially when you factor in how difficult the Malzahn offense is); he’s no longer just a running threat as he’s shown the ability to win games with his arm. If Williams is gone for an extended amount of time, I have complete faith that Marshall can keep the offense rolling against UGA and Bama.
And although Auburn has two losses, if it were to beat Georgia and Alabama it will be hard for the playoff committee to deny it of a spot in the final four. Regardless of how it shakes out, Marshall has proved to be just what the doctor ordered for Malzahn.
And it’s even scarier that he may not be the most talented QB on his team (click here to read that story)…
Former linebacker/safety Murf Baldwin specializes in diving deep into the Xs and Os of the game with the goal of educating and entertaining while bringing fans closer to their team.