We've been hoping to see an improved Sammie Coates in 2014. Only three games into the season, Auburn seems prepared to give D'haquille Williams the key to the city. Quan Bray is developing into a deadly return man and Melvin Ray continues to find his way onto the highlight reel.
But what about Ricardo Louis? You can't forget about number five.
The presence of Williams this season makes Auburn's receivers dangerous, and with the returning pass catchers showing more polish this year it's been easy for Louis to get overlooked on a deep, talented, and suddenly crowded depth chart. Although the miracle against Georgia hasn't faded from memory, Auburn fans are overlooking the progress and early-season contributions of their Miracle in Jordan-Hare hero.
In the win against Kansas State, the running backs struggled to find lanes and Auburn's offense did not find the end zone until Louis got open on the sideline, broke a tackle, and juke-stepped his way in for the score. Louis got the Tigers going just like he did against San Jose State.
"That was the setting off point for us, "Louis said." We needed something to spark us and get the defense going, get the offense going. That first touchdown really kind of helped us get a little boost."
Louis said he understood the importance of the passing game against the Wildcats.
"We knew that they came in trying to stop the run," Louis said. "Passing had to be the number one thing we had to do. We had to execute and make plays. We has some drops but we made up for it."
Louis has been executing at a high level lately, and with limited targets. Regardless, Louis always seems to make a play when the offense needs it the most.
Louis has caught six passes for 68-yards. When looking at the numbers his stats through the first three games don't jump off the page by any means, but steady improvement can be seen. Over the past two contests, Louis has found himself on the receiving end of a Nick Marshall scoring toss and has already tied his career-high for touchdown receptions.
Louis' biggest strength is his speed and ability to make defenders miss. Last year Gus Malzahn used a combination of sweeps, wide receiver screens, and end-arounds to get Louis in space, but as far as being a vertical threat, Marshall consistently missed Louis on deep passes down the field.
Although Marshall is still relatively streaky, an improved Marshall by any measure will also led to an improved Louis.
"I'm always alert, because the pocket might fail, the other receivers he's looking to might be covered," Louis said. "You never know with Nick. His eyes are all over the field."
Averaging 11.3 yards-per-catch, the Miami native is on pace to shatter all of his individual single-season records. If this pace continues, Louis can become the X-factor on a roster full of weapons heading into conference play.
Louis entered the season as a forgotten man, but his resurgence indicates that his presence will soon be felt.
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