Thousands of fans piled into Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday afternoon for Auburn’s annual A-Day spring game. Very few expected the kind of air attack from a Malzahn-coached team that has been focused on the run lately.
Behind new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, the Tigers ran a total of 98 plays for 663 yards. The new and improved Auburn offense showed a strong commitment to the pass-game. Of the 98 total plays, Lindsey called 44 passes that racked up 511 yards of the 663 from scrimmage.
Newcomers made debuts, returning starters played their last A-Day game and Chip Lindsey made a statement. But, who takes home the game ball? Here are my A-Day award winners:
Overall MVP: Jarrett Stidham
Don’t look now, but Jarrett Stidham could be the next all-time great Auburn quarterback.
The undisputed star of the offense was transfer quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The Baylor transfer was 16-of-20 in the passing game for 267 yards, all in the first half. Stidham showcased his deep-ball ability by completing passes of 33, 34, 46, and 50. He also showed why he was recruited as a dual-threat quarterback out of high school, rushing 5 times for a total of 17 yards, and one touchdown.
Breakout Performance: Nate Craig-Myers
Finally.
Craig-Myers was a highly touted recruit out of Florida that was expected to come in and immediately make an impact for the Tiger offense in his freshman year, but for whatever reason he wasn’t ever really given the chance. He took his chance on Saturday.
Craig-Myers was the best receiver on the field, as well as Stidham’s favorite target Saturday afternoon. The Dade City native led all receivers with 154 yards on five receptions. Craig-Myers emerged as the deep-ball threat that this offense has been searching for, hauling in receptions of 34, and, the longest of the day, 50 yards.
Newbie: Malik Willis
Nick Marshall 2.0?
Arguably the biggest surprise of the spring so far has been Malik Willis. The true freshman from Roswell has drawn comparisons to former Auburn standout Nick Marshall, and showed why with his strong outing on Saturday. Willis was given the nod to lead the second-team offense over redshirt freshman Woody Barrett, and he took advantage. He completed 11-of-18 passes for 157 yards, while also showing off his speed and agility that could be perfect match with this offensive system in the future.
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