Auburn Football 2015 – Better, worse or about the same?

Will Auburn’s offense be better, worse or about the same?

Better

To be fair, Auburn’s offense did well last year. Nick Marshall threw for over 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns, and Malzahn churned out another 1,000-yard rusher in Cameron Artis-Payne, who eclipsed 1,600 yards by the end of the season.

With several key players either graduating or leaving for the NFL Draft, it would be within reason to assume that the Tigers’ offense would take a bit of a dip this year, but there’s plenty of evidence to believe that the 2015 iteration of Gus Malzahn’s offense will be better.

Jeremy Johnson has been sitting for two years behind Marshall, learning the ins and outs of the quarterback position. He measures nearly the same size as Cam Newton, and possesses similar running ability. He won’t shake you out of your shoes as Marshall would, but he’ll bowl over every lanky cornerback that tries to arm-tackle him. He’s appeared in a few games over his two years, and he’s performed exceptionally well in those instances. Johnson went 28-37 with 436 yards and three scores last year, and he showed excellent grasp of the position during A-Day. He has above-average arm strength, incredible accuracy, and his football IQ is off the charts.

The running back position is yet to be solidified, but the three-horse race between Jovon Robinson, Roc Thomas, and Peyton Barber is a good one. Robinson is a 5-star JUCO transfer who originally signed with Auburn in 2012, but was forced to back out after it was revealed that a few of his high school grades were changed. Thomas is a sophomore who received a good amount of action behind Artis-Payne and Corey Grant in 2014, but he got benched for the season after fumbling on the opening play of the Iron Bowl. Barber’s been here for three years now, but he’s yet to see significant game action. Still, the coaches have done nothing but rave about Barber, and he flashed good potential during A-Day.

Duke Williams, who decided to return for his senior season, is the unquestioned No. 1 receiver. He possesses a prototypical NFL WR body, excellent route-running capabilities, and unreal catching ability. Mel Kiper’s got him pegged as the top-ranked receiver in the class of 2016, and he should have an excellent season behind the arm of Jeremy Johnson.

Will Auburn’s defense be better worse or about the same?

Defense: Much better

As good as the offense was in 2014, they essentially were playing against two defenses every game. The Tigers were 10^th in the SEC in team defense, and they were really forced to outscored the other team in order to have any chance to win. Ellis Johnson’s 4-2-5 system was full of holes, and Auburn’s personnel wasn’t really suited for it, but Will Muschamp was hired in the offseason, and his defensive prowess should bring about an impressive change.

Carl Lawson, the freshman phenom from 2013, missed the entire 2014 season with an ACL recovery, but his return will pay dividends to a pass rush that hardly ever put pressure on the quarterback. No. 1 recruit Byron Cowart will join the team in the fall, and the two-headed monster of Lawson and Cowart in Muschamp’s formidable defense is a scary thought.

The only negative to the defense right now is the lack of depth in the secondary. Auburn only has two safeties: Rudy Ford, and Tray Matthews, a Georgia transfer who was on the wrong end of the Miracle in Jordan-Hare in 2013. Auburn’s top corner, Jonathan Jones, missed the spring with a foot injury and subsequent surgery, and the Tigers can’t afford to have that flare up later. Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost return to anchor the middle of the defense, and the two seniors should lead a revitalized defense to a top-5 SEC finish.

You buying or selling this team in 2015? (How many games they winning this year?)

It’s difficult to accurately predict where this team’s going to end up. A disappointing finish to the 2014 season—where Auburn dropped four of its last five games—will no doubt leave a bad taste in the mouth of many. But with such a huge turnaround on defense, coupled with an NFL-caliber talent under center, the Tigers are primed to bounce back.

An easier schedule will aid Auburn, as they’ll get Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama at home, and the only true road games where they could slip up are in Baton Rouge and College Station. They’ve got to get past Louisville in Atlanta to open the season, but there’s enough evidence to believe that Malzahn will have his team ready.

I’ll peg the Tigers as an upper-tier team in the nation, and possibly sneaking into the Playoff if they can pull out a few wins at the end. Expect somewhere in the neighborhood of a 11-1 or 10-2 finish, with a trip to a New Year’s Six bowl to cap off Year 3 of Gus Malzahn’s tenure.

Sam Butler of College and Magnolia provided the information for our Auburn Football 2015 Spring recap. For more Auburn football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Sam on Twitter @_sam_butler.