Auburn WRs becoming playmakers

By Robert Rousseau  |   Tuesday, September 09, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Auburn Tigers
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Near the 10-minute mark of the second quarter during Auburn's 27-13 victory over Southern Mississippi on Saturday, there was a four-play sequence that was noteworthy for the Tigers. Three of those four plays seemed to reinforce the stark changes that have occurred on the Tigers' offense and the dividends they may pay with the team's wide receivers.

First, quarterback Chris Todd connected with Mario Fannin -- who juked a defender and rumbled for a first down. Now, if that happened in isolation, it wouldn’t have been too noticeable. But if you’ve watched the Auburn offense over the past couple seasons, you know that yards after the catch haven’t been its strong suit.

Why? Because the Tigers have lacked offensive playmakers.

Another example came after a running play. Demonstrating strong athleticism, sophomore receiver Terrell Zachary caught a pass, spun out of trouble and scampered for his own first down.

The next play saw Montez Billings catch a pass and jump a defender on his way to a first down.

All three catch-and-run plays showed athleticism.

Though there wasn’t a hint of it in Auburn's Week 1 win over Louisiana-Monroe, the Tigers' WRs began looking the part this past Saturday. Further evidence: Todd threw for 249 yards, which is tough to do without your pass catchers racking up yards after the grab. If the Tigers can avoid turnovers and the defense keeps playing well, those wideouts will continue making a difference.



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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or...
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