Auburn football: From gunslinger to game manager, how will Jarrett Stidham respond?
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It was questioned when he came to Auburn: Would quarterback Jarrett Stidham fit the system? Slinging it all over the yard has never been head coach Gus Malzahn’s philosophy. It has never really been Auburn’s way of doing things, either. So how would the transfer from Baylor work in what the Tigers like to do – establish a run game and work the passing game off that?
Last year, the two met in the middle, it seemed, and that worked out well. Stidham threw for more than 3,000 yards, and the Tigers were a well-balanced, well-oiled machine offensively.
That doesn’t seem to be transitioning to the 2018 season, however. A banged-up offensive line and an injury to featured running back JaTarvious Whitlow could significantly change Stidham’s role in the offense moving forward.
Two more linemen went down in Saturday’s 24-13 victory over Southern Miss, and Malzahn wasn’t sure after the game about their status.
“It’s hard for me to say right now. They weren’t able to come back in and play,” Malzahn said in the postgame press conference.
Last season, while still trying to fit into a run-heavy offense, Stidham put up some gaudy numbers. His 3,158 passing yards were second in program history to Dameyune Craig, who threw for 3,277 yards in 1997.
In 2017, Stidham produced 10 games of 200-plus passing yards, twice throwing for more than 300 yards.
But in the first five games of this season, only twice has he thrown for more than 200 yards, although he did finish with 198 against LSU and threw only 11 passes against Alabama State. Still, Stidham is averaging 193 yards per game this season, down from the prolific 226 he averaged a year ago.
The falloff is in direct relation to Auburn’s inability to run the football. For the first time in the Malzahn era, his team has had back-to-back games in which it failed to rush for 100 yards. And that falls squarely on the shoulders of a juggled offensive line.
Another low for a Gus Malzahn offense: Tonight marked first time in his 14-year college career his offense finished with under 100 rushing yards in back-to-back games.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 30, 2018
“We’ve got to get better,” Malzahn said. “I know I sound like a broken record. To have a chance to be a good offense, we’re going to have to run the ball better.”
With the uncertainty of injuries to Whitlow and the offensive line, Stidham’s numbers can be expected to continue to diminish as his role is adjusted from gunslinger to game manager, at least until such time as the injuries heal and a run game can be reestablished.
Until then, not making mistakes will be Stidham’s top priority as the Tigers try not to beat themselves offensively while leaning heavily on their defense to hold opponents in check.
“We’ve just got to be more consistent,” Malzahn said. “That’s the thing that’s really frustrating for me. We pride ourselves on being consistent, and we’ve kind of been up and down.”
For the most part, Stidham’s numbers indicate that he can play that role. Overlooking what could have been a devastating strip sack in the fourth quarter on Saturday, Stidham has taken care of the football this season. In just one game (Week 3 vs. LSU) has Stidham thrown an interception. That’s a significant improvement over last season, when he offered up interceptions in five games.
So don’t look for Malzahn to take off the wraps on Stidham and employ the strong-armed thrower to go out and win games for Auburn. No, it’s probably going to be more the opposite, with Stidham playing it much closer to the vest, embracing the punt and letting a stellar defense win the battle of field position.
Stidham’s numbers will surely take a dive, but he just might be headed for a much bigger and more important role as the Tigers begin in earnest the run through the SEC gauntlet.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
