Tag: jarquez hunter

Auburn’s offensive keys against San Jose State

Auburn’s offense should be to much for the Spartans but here are five things they need to work on.

Auburn is set to have their second test of the season Saturday night against the San Jose State Spartans.

The Tiger’s offense had a good but far from perfect showing in Week 1 against Mercer and has several things they need to improve on this weekend. [autotag]Tank Bigbsy[/autotag] and [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] looked as good as advertised, combining for 184 yards and five touchdowns, but will be facing a tougher test this weekend.

The Spartans held Portland State to 17 points and just 3.57 yards per carry. They also limited any big runs, Portland State’s longest run was for 14 yards.

While the rushing attack looked to be in midseason form against Mercer, the same was not true for the passing offense. [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] and [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] and the receivers will have a great chance to work on protecting the football, creating explosive plays, and getting more experience before Auburn’s schedules gets significantly more challenging.

Here are five areas Auburn’s offense needs to work on in their game against the Spartans. The game is set to start at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday and will be on ESPNU.

Focus, discipline will be key for Auburn to create more turnovers

Bryan Harsin wants to see his secondary create more turnovers going forward. Safety Zion Puckett has the solution to the issue.

Auburn did many things well in last Saturday’s 42-16 win over Mercer.

On offense, Auburn racked up 497 total yards, had two quarterbacks reach the 100-yard passing mark, and running backs [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] and [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] combined to score five rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Auburn held Mercer to 271 total yards, and linebacker [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] had a breakout game by recording 15 tackles.

Bryan Harsin was pleased with his team’s overall effort last Saturday, but, as many coaches are, was not completely satisfied with every aspect of the game — specifically his team’s lack of creating turnovers in the game and leaving receivers open.

“If that ball is in the air, just speaking from an offensive coordinator standpoint, if they’re going to put the ball in the air, we should have a chance to go compete for the ball,” Harsin said during Monday’s press conference.  “That’s what I think you do at the back end when you have a good football team.”

Harsin went on to say that he has set a high standard for his secondary, but believes that his unit is good enough to make a play on the ball if given the opportunity.

Out of Mercer quarterback Fred Payton’s 36 attempted passes last Saturday, Auburn was only able to get a hand on five of them. What does the Auburn secondary need to do in order to disrupt their opponent’s passing game? Safety [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] says that focus is key.

“To get more turnovers, I believe that we need to read more of our keys, be more disciplined with our eyes, and basically focus on everything that we have to do each play,” Puckett said Monday afternoon. 

This week’s opponent, San Jose State, found success throwing the football in their season-opening win over Portland State last Saturday. Spartan quarterback Chevan Cordeiro threw for 239 yards and a touchdown.

Puckett says that with proper focus and discipline, Auburn’s secondary should improve in limiting San Jose State’s air attack.

“They are a pretty good team I feel like,” Puckett said. “We have to respect the run game and the pass game, but as long as we know our keys and do what we do and do the right techniques, I think that we will be pretty good.”

Auburn meets San Jose State for the third time in history on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPNU.

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Auburn football names its top players from Mercer victory

There were quite a few commendations to go around after Auburn’s dominant win.

It’s hard to pick standouts in a dominating victory like the Tigers’ 42-16 rout of the Mercer Bears, but there were a few standouts in Auburn’s home opener last Saturday.

The official Auburn Football Twitter account gave its picks, and it included five standout players from all over the ball — [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag], [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag]. All of them contributed in a big way, but each had their own unique performances that allowed the Tigers to coast past the Bears.

On the offensive side of the ball, Bigsby showed everyone why he’s considered one of the SEC’s best backs by busting off 147 yards and two touchdowns behind the efforts of Council. Meanwhile, Riley and Wooden wreaked havoc on the defense, with the former recording 15 total tackles and the latter recording three, both with a quarterback hurry each.

Finally, Hunter took back a single kickoff in the game and returned it 14 yards.

All of these Tigers will look to continue their production this weekend when Auburn takes on San Jose State back at Jordan-Hare stadium.

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Auburn beats Mercer 42-16 to open 2022 season

It took a little longer than it needed to, but Auburn beat Mercer for their first win of the season.

Auburn opened the season with a 42-16 win over the Mercer Bears Saturday to start the 2022 season. The Tigers had to wait for their first win as lighting forced an hour and 27-minute delay in the third quarter.

Auburn scored the first 28 points to seize control of the game and never looked back. [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] and [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] led the way offensively, combining for five rushing touchdowns and 181 yards. In total, nine Tigers rushed for 285 yards and five scores on 41 carries.

[autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] was Auburn’s starting quarterback but backup quarterback [autotag] Robby Ashford [/autotag] played early and showed that the battle for Auburn’s starting quarterback may not be over. He subbed in for Finley on the fourth play of the game and promptly ran for eight yards. He showed his big play potential to open Auburn’s second drive, taking the ball 49 yards around the left side to set up the Tiger’s second touchdown.

After Finley started the game 8-of-9 for 100 yards and one touchdown his night took a turn. He threw two interceptions in his final four passes and finished the night 9-of-14 with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Ashford took over from Finley after his second interception and attempted his first pass, a dropped screen pass. He didn’t let that deter him, completing his next two passes, a third-down conversion to [autotag]Tar’Varish Dawson Jr.[/autotag] and a beautiful 56-yard pass to [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag].

Ashford led the final three drives of the night, with the offense touchdowns on the first two and turning it over on downs on their final drive of the night. He finished the night 4-of-7 for 100 yards and rushing for 68 yards on six carries.

Ashford showed enough that the battle to be the starting quarterback is not over and will bleed into the rest of the season.

The defense showed why they project to be the strength of the team, holding Mercer’s offense to 16 points and 4.0 just yards per play a week after they scored 66 points.

[autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] showed why the coaching staff is so high on him. He led Auburn with 15 tackles and one quarterback hurry. [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] also showed why he is the new top corner, making three tackles and breaking up two passes.

Auburn will return to action Sat. 10 against San Jose State (1-0) in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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Carnell Williams is pleased with RB progression

Williams told the media Wednesday that his group’s hard work has him feeling optimistic about the season.

Auburn Football has plenty of positions to fill before hitting the field on September 3 to open the season against Mercer, especially at offensive line and at quarterback.

One unit on that side of the ball that appears to be solid through preseason practices is running back.

Auburn’s leading rusher from 2021, [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], is back and looks to have a monster campaign. His supporting cast member from a season ago, [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], is also expected to take a leap forward in development this season.

Bigsby and Hunter are expected to be the leaders in rushing this season, but the room as a whole seems to be trending upward in production says running backs coach [autotag]Carnell Williams[/autotag].

Williams spoke with the media following Wednesday’s practice, and said that he is proud of the way that his group has worked to prepare for the season.

“Trying to not give them too much praise, but those guys are bought in,” Williams said. “From winter conditioning to spring ball to summer and carrying over to camp, you have guys leading with Tank (Bigsby) and Jarquez (Hunter). Young guys are working, and they are bought in. I am just excited to see what comes about.”

The ace of the unit, Tank Bigsby, had a stellar season by rushing for 1,099 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. In an effort to improve his numbers, as well as make a name for himself in the race for the Heisman, he has improved his preparation off the field.

“The thing that is going to sustain you and help you reach your potential is the small things,” Williams said. “Sometimes, really, really talented players neglect those things. With Tank and with his maturity, he has gotten better on that. He thinks like a pro. He watches film. He studies. Then just serve, and just be there for your teammates.”

Bigsby has been named to three watchlists and has been named All-SEC preseason first team ahead of the 2022 season.

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Auburn’s running back room is one of the best in the country

Auburn will be leaning on this position during the season.

It is not a secret that Auburn’s coaching staff is looking to run the ball early and often this season.

Thankfully for them, they have [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], one of the best running backs in the nation, and a quality backup in [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag].

The duo, along with Damari Alson, Sean Jackson, and Jordan Ingram gives Auburn one of the best running back rooms in the country according to Athlon Sports.

While Bigsby and Hunter will get the majority of the carries, the Tigers are looking for a new third-down back after the departure of Sean Shivers, and one of the other three could easily step into that role.

Plus, you can never have too much depth at such a grueling position that will inevitably see someone get banged up and either miss a game or need a lighter workload to stay effective.

You can buy the Athlon Magazine here.

Here is a look at the 10 running back rooms Athlon singled out as the best in the country.

Auburn has ‘no doubts’ with Jarquez Hunter coming off the knee procedure

More good news on the injury front for the Tigers.

The offense had a solid one-two punch last season in the backfield. We knew about Tank Bigsby after his great freshman campaign, but his primary backup [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] was a bit of an unknown.

Hunter wasn’t as highly regarded coming out of high school. He signed with Auburn in the 2021 recruiting class, where he was ranked as a three-star prospect. The No. 711 overall prospect according to 247Sports composite ranking, played much bigger than what was expected in year one.

While rankings aren’t the gospel truth, they do give some idea of how these players are projected. The product of Philadelphia, Mississippi, was a two-sport star as he ran track as well. Going into year two of the Bryan Harsin era, Hunter is expected to continue what he started as a freshman.

Hunter finished out the year with 593 yards on 89 carries, which breaks down to 6.7 yards per attempt with three touchdowns. He also made an impact as a receiver out of the backfield with 12 receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown. Overall, every time Hunter touched the ball it went for 6.5 yards.

He wasn’t able to participate in the spring game due to a knee procedure in the offseason. Hunter is expected to be ready to roll when summer workouts begin.

“There’s no doubt with him,” Harsin said. “First of all, he’s a tough kid, phenomenally strong; that guy can push weight, so we’ll get him back really quickly. And he’s determined. I think the best thing we did was get that cleaned up. He probably could have played through it, but it was the best thing for him to make sure he’s all 100 percent ready to go in the summer.”

Bigsby, Hunter, and Jordon Ingram could be a triple-headed monster for this offense in the running game in 2022.

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Walk-on no more, RB Sean Jackson earns scholorship

Running back Sean Jackson has earned a scholarship.

[autotag]Sean Jackson[/autotag] is a walk-on no more for Auburn.

The redshirt freshman was awarded a scholarship after Auburn’s practice Friday, the team tweeted out.

The 5-foot-9, 230-pounder appeared in four games last season, rushing 10 times for 38 yards and a touchdown. With the departure of Shaun Shivers for Indiana and Jarquez Hunter sidelined with a knee injury, he has been serving as the team’s No. 2 running back behind Tank Bigsby.

Jackson was a star at Hewitt-Trussville before joining Auburn. He had 1,425 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior and had a scholarship offer from UAB.

With Jackson earning a scholarship, the Tigers now have three healthy running backs for spring practice in Bigsby, Jackson, and Jordon Ingram. They will add incoming freshman Damari Alson and a healthy Hunter in the fall to get to five scholarship running backs for the season.

Auburn running back sidelined for eight to ten weeks

Hunter should be ready to go by fall practice.

On Friday evening, Al.com’s Tom Green reported that [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] will be out for eight to ten weeks. He underwent a minor procedure to clear up some damage in his leg. Head Coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] announced that the procedure would cause Hunter to miss the rest of the spring.

Last season, Hunter looked very impressive. In his freshman campaign, he carried the ball 89 times for 593 yards and 3 Touchdowns. The Mississippi native split time with other running backs [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] and [autotag]Shaun Shivers[/autotag]. With Shivers transferring to Indiana, his role at running back should definitely increase.

Along with Hunter, receivers [autotag]J.J. Evans[/autotag] and [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] have also been sidelined with different injuries. Evans is expected to miss the rest of the spring after receiving a knee procedure recently. Johnson has a lingering hamstring injury, but he should be back sooner rather than later.

For the most part, Auburn will have the majority of its’ running back room returning for next season. The Tigers are bringing in true-freshman [autotag] Damari Alston[/autotag] and walk-on Justin Jones, who transferred from UAB in the offseason. Hunter should have a bigger role for the Tigers in 2022. I certainly think that Auburn has one of the more premier backfields in the SEC and the entire country as well. The combination of Hunter and Bigsby will play a huge role in how well the Tigers perform on offense this season.

With Hunter not sustaining a significant injury, he should be ready to go by the start of fall practice. It will be interesting to see how Auburn’s offense performs to start the season.

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Projecting the pre-spring two-deep offensive depth chart

Continuing our spring preview series, we project what the two-deep could look like on offense.

This might be one of the most difficult roster projections with the number of unknowns on the offensive side of the ball. We will give it our best shot nonetheless.

While the Auburn Tigers have given no indication as to who the offensive coordinator will be, it should be relatively similar to last year under Bryan Harsin.

The quarterback battle will be one of four huge position tussles to monitor. There is no Bo Nix for the first time in four years but TJ Finley returns after finishing out the season as the starter. Two more quarterbacks have transferred in with 2021 Texas A&M starter Zach Calzada and former Oregon Duck Robby Ashford.

Not only will it be interesting from the standpoint of having any of five quarterbacks make the start, but the team also lacks a quarterback coach for the time being. That could change at any moment but the sooner it happens, the sooner the quarterbacks can get to work.

Wide receiver is another position that can vary based on where the players will line up. Losing Kobe Hudson, Caylin Newton, Elijah Canion, and Ja’Varrius Johnson will put you at a disadvantage. The names at the top of the two-deep will likely stay the same, but their placement on the field could change.

The tight ends and the offensive line seem pretty straightforward at this moment. We broke down each position in our pre-spring two-deep depth chart.