aubiefifty 18,231 Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 247sports.com Freshman Tank Bigsby 'the best part of the night' for Auburn ByNathan King 3-4 minutes In his first game playing again in his home state — and in his first career start — one of Auburn’s most highly regarded true freshmen was one of, if not the only silver lining on offense for the Tigers. LaGrange, Georgia, product Tank Bigsby accounted for more than 45 percent of Auburn’s total yardage in an otherwise stagnant showing for the Tigers in a 27-6 loss Saturday night in Athens. He was good for 6.6 yards every time he touched the ball for an offense that severely lacked consistent playmaking and rhythm. “He's still learning but he's a true competitor,” Gus Malzahn said of Bigsby. “He's got some play-making ability. I think it was good the last two weeks that he's got some game experience that will help him moving forward.” Starting in place of junior Shaun Shivers, who was injured late against Kentucky last week and “didn’t practice much” ahead of the Georgia game, the 6-foot, 204-pound Bigsby — Malzahn's highest rated signee in the 2020 class — was the only Auburn running back to receive any carries, with eight rushes for 31 yards. Sophomore D.J. Williams appeared on only a handful of snaps, and freshman Mark-Antony Richards didn’t check into the game. While Bigsby was easily Auburn’s best option touting the rock, his prowess as a pass-catcher out of the backfield may have been even more impressive. Bigsby was targeted eight times by quarterback Bo Nix, catching seven balls for 68 yards. He was second on the team in both receptions and yards, behind only Anthony Schwartz (eight catches, 57 yards) and ahead of No. 1 receiver Seth Williams (three receptions for 34 yards). Auburn only had eight plays of 10 yards or more in its troubling offensive performance Saturday, and Bigsby accounted for half of them with receptions of 11, 12, 15 and 19 yards. On his first catch — juggling the ball for a reception over a Georgia linebacker Monty Rice on a wheel route — Bigsby had a path down the sideline to the end zone had he kept his balance. “That was the best part of the night, just watching [Bigsby] play,” Nix said. “That guy is a fighter. I’ve never really seen anything like it. He just competed his butt off.” New Auburn offensive coordinator Chad Morris has designs on making the Tigers’ tailbacks more involved in the passing game, and in only the second game of the year, Bigsby’s aptitude to contribute in that regard could solidify the freshman as a relied-upon weapon in the running-back rotation moving forward. “[Bigsby] was the spark there when we needed one,” Nix said. “He made some huge plays there over and over and over. He’s the one that really kept us rolling. Really pleased with what we saw out of him. Just have to get everybody playing like Tank.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In his first game playing again in his home state — and in his first career start — one of Auburn’s most highly regarded true freshmen was one of, if not the only silver lining on offense for the Tigers. LaGrange, Georgia, product Tank Bigsby accounted for more than 45 percent of Auburn’s total yardage in an otherwise stagnant showing for the Tigers in a 27-6 loss Saturday night in Athens. He was good for 6.6 yards every time he touched the ball for an offense that severely lacked consistent playmaking and rhythm. “He's still learning but he's a true competitor,” Gus Malzahn said of Bigsby. “He's got some play-making ability. I think it was good the last two weeks that he's got some game experience that will help him moving forward.” Starting in place of junior Shaun Shivers, who was injured late against Kentucky last week and “didn’t practice much” ahead of the Georgia game, the 6-foot, 204-pound Bigsby — Malzahn's highest rated signee in the 2020 class — was the only Auburn running back to receive any carries, with eight rushes for 31 yards. Sophomore D.J. Williams appeared on only a handful of snaps, and freshman Mark-Antony Richards didn’t check into the game. While Bigsby was easily Auburn’s best option touting the rock, his prowess as a pass-catcher out of the backfield may have been even more impressive. Bigsby was targeted eight times by quarterback Bo Nix, catching seven balls for 68 yards. He was second on the team in both receptions and yards, behind only Anthony Schwartz (eight catches, 57 yards) and ahead of No. 1 receiver Seth Williams (three receptions for 34 yards). Auburn only had eight plays of 10 yards or more in its troubling offensive performance Saturday, and Bigsby accounted for half of them with receptions of 11, 12, 15 and 19 yards. On his first catch — juggling the ball for a reception over a Georgia linebacker Monty Rice on a wheel route — Bigsby had a path down the sideline to the end zone had he kept his balance. “That was the best part of the night, just watching [Bigsby] play,” Nix said. “That guy is a fighter. I’ve never really seen anything like it. He just competed his butt off.” New Auburn offensive coordinator Chad Morris has designs on making the Tigers’ tailbacks more involved in the passing game, and in only the second game of the year, Bigsby’s aptitude to contribute in that regard could solidify the freshman as a relied-upon weapon in the running-back rotation moving forward. “[Bigsby] was the spark there when we needed one,” Nix said. “He made some huge plays there over and over and over. He’s the one that really kept us rolling. Really pleased with what we saw out of him. Just have to get everybody playing like Tank.”
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