Auburn has had nine 1,000-yard rushers in the past 10 seasons.
Care to guess how many 1,000-yard receivers it has had in that span?
None. Florida and Georgia were the only other SEC teams that failed to produce a 1,000-yard receiver in that span.
Darvin Adams was a bubble screen shy in 2009, finishing with 997 yards. He and Sammie Coates (2013) were the only Tigers receivers to top 900 yards in the past decade.
Combined, they accounted for three of the 10 times an Auburn receiver caught 40 or more passes in a season in the past decade:
| Year | Player | Catches | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Darvin Adams | 60 | 997 |
| 2006 | Courtney Taylor | 54 | 704 |
| 2010 | Darvin Adams | 52 | 963 |
| 2007 | Rodgeriqus Smith | 52 | 705 |
| 2012 | Emory Blake | 50 | 789 |
| 2015 | Ricardo Louis | 46 | 716 |
| 2014 | D’haquille Williams | 45 | 730 |
| 2010 | Terrell Zachery | 43 | 605 |
| 2013 | Sammie Coates | 42 | 902 |
| 2009 | Mario Fannin | 42 | 413 |
All of which is to say — or remind? — that the state of Auburn’s receiving corps won’t carry the team’s fortunes in 2016.
That’s good given the fact the Tigers lost their top two receivers in Ricardo Louis (46 for 716 and 3 touchdowns) and Melvin Ray (20, 279, 2), not to mention D’haquille Williams.
Their absence means more opportunities for speedy Jason Smith and Marcus Davis (30, 181, 2), who had a highlight-worthy touchdown grab in the spring game.
Davis averaged just 6.0 yards per catch last season, so it was significant to see him stretch the field, then outjump two defenders for a 40-yard touchdown reception.
The most pleasant surprise in the spring game was the involvement of running back Roc Thomas, a capable catcher who averaged 18.2 yards per reception last year.
Problem was, he had just 11. He was much more involved on A-Day, lining up inthe slot and sharing the team-high with four receptions, one of which was a touchdown.
Roc Thomas showing the hands. Touchdown! #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/ICB1A2TnDz
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) April 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/theWoodWDE/status/718912682011815936
Auburn won’t try to repeatedly stretch the field with go routes, but Thomas and Davis have enough speed to turn simple throws into first downs — or more.
Last season Auburn beat writers already were wondering whether Thomas would be a better fit as a full-time slot receiver, where he could exploit mismatches against linebackers.
https://twitter.com/kkolumbo/status/720227850041827328
Auburn’s backfield certainly didn’t miss a beat without him Saturday.
Starter Jovon Robinson looked like another 1,000-yard rusher, and H-backs Chandler Cox and Kamryn Pettway continued their strong springs with big performances.
“I think that will give our offense a little more versatility next year if we let those two carry it with Jovon,” Malzahn told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Roc Thomas is a guy that played a little bit of slot receiver. You saw a little bit of that on the touchdown and then he’s also playing some running back.”
Maybe a helping hand (or two) from Auburn’s stacked running back stable is all it will take to get the receiving corps up to SEC standards.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
