who is gonna step up?

[aubiefifty 18,236]

Jason Caldwell's Monday Morning quarterback column

ByJason Caldwell

4-5 minutes

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2 Minute Drill: Dog day for Auburn vs. Georgia

 

Who’s It Going To Be?

Auburn is at the halfway point of the 2021 regular season and so far the Tigers have shown some good signs, but also plenty of things that need to be improved before Coach Bryan Harsin puts his stamp on his first football team on the Plains.

I fully expected Auburn’s wide receivers to be the weakest part of the 2021 season based on who was lost and the inexperience returning, but I believe there is some talent in the room. It’s just a matter of those guys finding a way on the field. Ja’Varrius Johnson was Auburn’s best wide receiver in the spring and in the preseason, but since an early ankle injury he’s become invisible for the Tigers in the passing game.

We’ve seen flashes of Kobe Hudson, ZeVian Capers and Elijah Canion the last two years, but not the consistency needed to become legitimate go-to players for the Tigers.

Now Auburn needs someone to take the next step and the coaches are waiting to see who it will be. The ball is in the court of the players at the moment. It’s a matter of finding someone who won’t be denied.

I think about a guy like Jerry Rice. He was determined to be the best and didn’t let anything stop him. He reportedly ran a 4.7 at the NFL Combine and was never the biggest or the fastest. All he did was run great routes and catch everything thrown his way. 

There are guys with the ability to turn into really good wide receivers for the Tigers, and do it this season, but it’s time for someone to step up. It’s not too late.

The same thing is true on defense. Who is going to step up and take over as the dominant player for this team. I think we’re seeing some inkling that it could be Eku Leota as a pass rusher for the Tigers. He’s delivering some wow plays for a defense that desperately needs them. The same is true of Jaylin Simpson at cornerback. He may be Auburn’s best cover guy at the moment and could be in line for much more playing time.

Life In The SEC

Auburn saw what life is like at the top of the Southeastern Conference on Saturday with the loss to Georgia, but around the league we continue to see how tough it is to run the gauntlet because of the depth and talent on the other teams. Alabama lost to Texas A&M one week after the Aggies fell at home to Mississippi State and were held to just 297 yards of total offense. Now Alabama has to travel up the road to Starkville to face those same Bulldogs following an off week.

Kentucky moved to 6-0 with a thrashing of LSU in Lexington and now has the biggest game for the program since Bear Bryant roamed the sidelines when they face Georgia in Athens with College Gameday in the house. Ole Miss and Arkansas played a game that reminds you of some of their overtime shootouts of the past, but this one was in regulation.

[AuCivilEng1 12,100]

1s - Capers, Canion, Hudson

2s - J Johnson, Dawson, Robertson

3s - Shed, M Johnson, Newton

Thats how I’d set it up, based on the eye test.

Its becoming increasingly more and more frustrating that Canion and Capers aren’t on the field more. Especially Canion. I just don’t get it.

 

[TigerPAC 1,021]

37 minutes ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

1s - Capers, Canion, Hudson

2s - J Johnson, Dawson, Robertson

3s - Shed, M Johnson, Newton

Thats how I’d set it up, based on the eye test.

Its becoming increasingly more and more frustrating that Canion and Capers aren’t on the field more. Especially Canion. I just don’t get it.

 

i have no idea on proper rotation, but---just asking not bashing---why the "especially Canion" comment?  was he a can't miss 5* WR or reported world beater in practice?

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, TigerPAC said:

i have no idea on proper rotation, but---just asking not bashing---why the "especially Canion" comment?  was he a can't miss 5* WR or reported world beater in practice?

A little too much is being made of Canion. He's a talented, tall, fast guy. So are a million other dudes in CFB. To answer your question, he is nowhere near the recruit that a Kyle Davis or Nate Craig-Myers were out of high school. He just happens to be on a team desperate for pass catchers so he's turning into a bit of a cult hero. I get the inclination to assume that he's better than what we've seen on the field but he probably isn't. 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Another way to look at the pass catchers is Shenker leading the team in catches. Yay. That means this staff knows how to use a tight end. But that also means our receivers, as a group, suck. 

It's not complicated. 

[cole256 17,085]

I tell you what, they have to really be doing a bad job. If there was ever a wide open lane screaming opportunity this is it. 

It means nothing but I was told by a former player last year and a current player now that canion was a monster. I'm not going to bother either now asking as they are both in seasons with a bunch of other stuff to deal with....I just can't imagine performing worse than what we see on field. 

It's literally the most mind boggling situation imo. 

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

Canion would have the best highlight catches over all our receivers besides maybe Shenker and he's barely touched the field. Some say he has had a hard time adjusting to the new staff requirements but I have no way of knowing that to be the case.

[Win4AU 4,182]

I think you’ve already seen Kobe, JSS, and Hunter on the offense step up.  
Defensively there’s no doubt about McClain.  Several other guys have tried to make an impact.  
I’d say every position group with the exception of WR is better than last year.  UGA game was a great example.  Score may not have reflected it but that game was a couple dropped passes and PI calls from being a 7-10 point ball game.  It’s gonna take 2-3 recruiting cycles and hopefully some coach stability to get this team in the top tier of the SEC.  

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, cole256 said:

It means nothing but I was told by a former player last year and a current player now that canion was a monster.

 

59 minutes ago, AU80cruiser said:

Some say he has had a hard time adjusting to the new staff requirements but I have no way of knowing that to be the case.

This would seem to make sense.

Frustrating no matter what.

[cole256 17,085]

18 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

 

This would seem to make sense.

Frustrating no matter what.

Man. That's an understatement.

[AuCivilEng1 12,100]

2 hours ago, TigerPAC said:

i have no idea on proper rotation, but---just asking not bashing---why the "especially Canion" comment?  was he a can't miss 5* WR or reported world beater in practice?

From what I’ve seen of Canion, he seems to have good hands and size. We need a guy who can go up and get hard to catch passes, and he seems like he’s that guy. 

[AuCivilEng1 12,100]

1 hour ago, cole256 said:

I tell you what, they have to really be doing a bad job. If there was ever a wide open lane screaming opportunity this is it. 

 

Exactly! With what we’ve seen on the field, there is no reason to not try Canion and Capers out. 

[aubaseball 2,819]

Maybe they can’t block? Maybe they don’t give the effort needed in practice to give themselves a chance for PT on Saturday?   It’s all speculation on my part, but there has to be a reason.   If it was all based on on the field performance of just catching the ball, Jackson would never see the field.