A Changing of the Guard at Receiver?

Exiting the 2015 season, Auburn had some decissions to make with their receiver corp. Ricardo Louis, the statistical leader with 46 catches for 716 yards and three touchdowns was leaving for the NFL. Additionally, there would be losses to graduation as Melvin Ray and his 20 catches for 279 yards and two touchdowns would move on. Talk from coaches about replacing the production seemed to focus on the veteran guys of the receiver corp, such as Jason Smith, Ryan and Marcus Davis, as well as Stanton Truitt, who was sidelined very early in the season.

Smith and Marcus Davis, in particular, had contributed 43 total catches, 381 yards and almost a quarter of all the touchdown catches for the year. In addition, Smith, Truitt and Ryan Davis had all been utilized in the run game and seemed poised to take over for the departing Louis, who had taken the vast majority of jet sweeps. Louis added 158 yards and a touchdown on the ground in 2015. 

Sure, there was some chatter about the freshmen. Talented redshirt Darius Slayton had a year in the system and Auburn would go on to sign one of the more talented receiver groups. 

Still, the talk out of spring and fall camp seemed to pencil in the vets, specifically Jason Smith, as future work horses for the Gus Malzahn Hurry Up No Huddle offense.

When the 2016 roster was released, there were surprises at any many positions, but none more so than at receiver. Tony Stevens, who currently leads the Tigers, was listed behind Darius Slayton while Jason Smith was listed as third on the depth chart behind Marcus Davis and freshman Nate Craig-Myers. 

Tony Stevens came to Auburn as a highly regarded high school recruit, but had only contributed 20 catches for under 300 yards and just two touchdowns. Stevens seemed to struggle on all facets of the game, from route running, to catching, to getting his feet in-bounds for catches. 

Smith just couldn’t get anything going. His two lone highlights being a called back touchdown in the first game of the season and a tipped pass touchdown against Alabama. 

Fast forward to today …

Stevens sits atop the statistics with 24 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns. Smith has all but disappeared, adding just one catch for 32 yards. The other veterans, Marcus and Ryan Davis and Stanton Truitt have combined for 41 catches, 203 yards, and a single touchdown. The veterans’ use on jeep sweeps, a staple of the HUNH offense, have all but disappeared. Truitt has moved almost exclusively to running back to shore up the lack of depth.

Since Auburn’s turnaround against LSU(discounting the game against the Warhawks), the production for the vets have dropped each and every week: 12-106-0 against LSU, 5-71-1 against Mississippi State, 4-60-1 against Arkansas, and finally 3-90-0 against Ole Miss. Of course, some of this can be attributed to both the focus on the pounding run game (thus using the vets more often in the run game) and Tony Stevens absence. 

Mostly, the drop in production can be contributed by the breakout performances by Auburn’s freshman phenom receivers. Starting at the LSU game, these young men have stepped up production each and every week. Against the LSU Tigers, they went 3-60-0, 4-58-0 against Mississippi State, 2-22 against the Hogs (while adding 3-94-1 on the ground). Against Ole Miss, they erupted. Adding in freshman Jalen Harris’ TD catch, the quorum of players went 10-114-1 against the Rebels. 

As can be seen, there is a direct correlation in protection between the veteran receivers and the young freshmen. The difference can be seen not only in their stats, but of the success of their quarterback, Sean White. The more the freshmen are targeted, the higher his QB rating. White has posted Adjusted Quarterback Ratings of 90, 98, and 95 in the last three weeks against SEC competition. 

Judging by the similarities in this offensive production and the 2013 season, success in this type of system means making the most of each opportunity. That means big plays.

Most everyone remembers Sammie Coates’ ridiculous 21 yards-per-catch in 2013. And most everyone remembers the 2015 season where Auburn could not stretch the field because of poor QB play as well as an inability to create separation and frequently dropping passes by the receivers.

A quick look at the stats reveals who is making the most of their catches. Players with three or more catches shows the freshmen lead the way. Auburn’s top three show that Kyle Davis averages a Sammie Coates-like 22 YPC, Craig-Myers at 19, and Slayton at 18.7. Truitt and Stevens round out the top five with 18 and 17 YPC, respectively. 

There is no denying the freshmen’s abilities. Not only were they highly touted in high school, but they passed the Track ‘Em Tigers eye test in scouting reports. They are quickly becoming every down threats and, by season’s end, may completely replace Auburn veterans. 

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