Stidham gives Auburn’s passing game a chance to take flight in 2017

Since Nick Marshall’s departure following the 2014 season, Auburn has finished with the No. 10 (2015) and No. 6 (2016) ranked offenses in the SEC — with an average of 405.5 yards per game.

Considering the Tigers finished with the second most yards per game in the SEC in both 2013 and 2014, that is a drastic decrease in offensive production.

One culprit is an anemic passing game. Auburn finished dead last in the SEC in passing yards per game (169.5) last season, and it wasn’t much better in 2015 — finishing 12th.

The run game has been successful — even finishing first in the SEC in yards per game in 2016 — but the offense has to find a balance if the Tigers want to take the next step.

Can Auburn’s passing game improve enough in 2017 to help them get over the hump in the SEC West?

Passing yards per game (SEC rank): 169.5 (14)
Passing TDs: 12 (T-11)
INTs: 6 (fewest)

Quarterback play

It’s possible that Auburn could have stumbled across their next transfer quarterback who can lead them to a national championship. Jarrett Stidham’s arrival on the Plains came with a lot of hype, and so far, he has exceeded expectations.

During Auburn’s annual A-Day game, Stidham showed off his arm talent — which includes a combination of strength and accuracy. He completed 16 of 20 passes for 267 yards.

The most impressive part of his game were the deep completions. Stidham had four completions go for 30-plus yards — with gains of 50, 46, 33 and 34 yards. The Tigers struggled to push the ball down the field in 2016, so it was nice to see improvement in that area.

Stidham looks like he’ll be the guy for the Tigers this season, but that hasn’t been confirmed by new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey or coach Gus Malzahn. Last year’s starter Sean White was nursing a shoulder injury during the spring, so the battle will continue — at least on paper — heading into fall camp.

White played in 11 games last year — throwing for 1,679 yards (63.9 completion percentage), 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He also added 163 yards rushing with 2 touchdowns.

While his play was adequate, his inability to stretch the defense hindered the offense from being as effective as it could have been. That weakness could end up paving the way for Stidham to take over the starting job in 2017.

Receivers, running backs, tight ends

Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Sony Michel might be the SEC’s most dynamic duo at running back, but a combination of Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson is a close second.

In fact, their 2,119 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns were second in the SEC — LSU’s Guice and Leonard Fournette had 2,239 yards and 23 touchdowns. Pettway was particularly impressive — rushing for 1,224 yards and 7 touchdowns in only 9 games played.

The 6-0, 240-pound converted fullback was well on his way to earning a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, but a leg injury derailed any chance he had of bringing home college football’s most prestigious individual award.

Looking at the receiving options, there are some positive and negatives. The team lost Tony Stevens — who led the team in receptions (31), receiving yards (487) and receiving touchdowns (3). That creates some cause for concern, but while the position isn’t the deepest on the roster, the unit still has talent.

Former 4-star receiver Kyle Davis — who caught 12 passes for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2016 — will need to emerge as a consistent threat for whoever ends up starting at quarterback.

In addition, guys such as Eli Stove, Darius Slayton, Will Hastings and Nate Craig-Myers — who hauled in four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in the spring game — will round out what figures to be an adequate group of pass-catchers.

The Tigers also return starting tight end Jalen Harris — who hasn’t been used much up to this point.

Play-calling

While Auburn had a successful running game, it was way too reliant on it last season. The Tigers’ offense ran the football 69.1 percent of the time.

That might be a surprisingly high number, but that isn’t even the most lopsided statistic. During their 8-5 season, the offense chose to run the ball on a whopping 81.1 percent of the snaps on first down.

There wasn’t any semblance of balance, and that showed when Auburn played teams that fielded high-powered offenses — Oklahoma and Alabama in particular.

Now that he is on the Plains, Lindsey will look to restore some of that balance. During the A-Day game, the Tigers passed 62.5 percent of the time on first down, and produced several big plays.

“We know we’re going to be pretty good running the football like we have traditionally and we got to get better at throwing the football and that’s really been a focus this spring,” Malzahn told reporters after the game. “We’re just really working on that balance.”

One stat that must improve

Auburn’s biggest weakness in 2016 was its inability to throw the ball deep. They were 12th in the SEC — and 97th nationally — in completed passes of 50-plus yards with only two.

The run game was successful, but it was difficult for the offense to compete in any sort of shootout with a clock-grinding mentality. That has to change if Auburn wants a chance to compete for a national championship — or even an SEC championship — this season.

Greatest concern

One thing to monitor is Auburn’s loss of two starters along the line — RT Robert Leff and LG Alex Kozan. The Tigers also are moving Braden Smith — who made 27 consecutive starts at right guard — to right tackle.

At 6-6, 303 pounds, Smith has the size and athleticism to succeed at right tackle, but that is just another adjustment that the line must make.

The interior will consist of center Austin Golson — a senior who has experience at tackle and center — and two guards who have combined for zero starts — Mike Horton and Marquel Harrell.

Perhaps the key to Auburn’s season is whether this revamped line can keep Stidham clean.

Better or worse in 2017?

Statistically or strategically, things couldn’t get a whole lot worse. With that said, the passing game can most certainly improve — substantially, in fact.

There has been a newfound hope for Auburn faithful since Stidham’s arrival, and it’s possible that he could finish this season as one of the SEC’s best passers.

The presence of a strong run game — on top of the addition of Chip Lindsey — will only help give Stidham a chance to be a successful quarterback early on. Auburn could be the only in the SEC West that can push Alabama for a spot in the SEC championship.

If that ends up being the case, Stidham will almost certainly play a huge role in that.

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.