Fans of the Auburn Tigers have high expectations for the 2017 season with their new quarterback in tow. After a few seasons of quarterback ineptitude, Jarrett Stidham breathed a breath of fresh air into the position when he announced his transfer last Spring. In Auburn’s opening game against Georgia Southern, Stidham didn’t look bad, but he looked nothing like the savior Malzahn and company need.
He managed just 185 yards on a 14-of-24 (58%) passing night, threw for two scores of 19 yards, but also had a ball picked off on an off-target throw in the middle of the field. Two drives after the interception, Stidham had the ball knocked loose on a blindside sack, leading to a scoop-and-score by the Eagles. On the ground, Stidham was essentially on non-factor outside of his 14-yard walk-in touchdown.
None of this means that Stidham is overrated, or that he does not have what it takes to lead a team. In fact, it is more likely than not that Malzahn and his new offensive coordinator, Chip Lindsey, kept a lot of plays in their pockets so as not to give Clemson’s outstanding defense a lot of tape to watch.
But, with that said, Stidham made a handful of technical mistakes. The Tigers’ offense was once again carried by the running game, even with last year’s star, Kamryn Pettway, on the sideline. Kam Martin and Kerryon Johnson had almost identical stat lines as both managed 136 yards and a touchdown. Johnson injured his hamstring during the game and is unlikely to play tonight, so the unexpected coming on of Martin was a pleasant surprise for the Tigers.
A backfield of Pettway and Martin will usually help to take the pressure off of Jarrett Stidham, but not against Clemson. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers have arguably the strongest defense in college football, and with a raucous home crowd behind them, will be incredibly difficult to run against.
If the game goes down to the wire as expected, and Clemson just barely slips by, Auburn’s season will be far from over. If the offensive struggles that plagued them last year show up again, however, they will lose big and drop like rocks in next week’s rankings. A big loss in Death Valley would send waves through the Plains and Malzahn’s seat would become hotter than ever. Few still believe in Gus Malzahn’s coaching abilities, and an ugly loss tonight would be impossible for he and his team to overcome.
