For Auburn fans, 2014 as a whole could be seen as a disappointment. Going from being 13 seconds away from a national championship to an 8-4 record isn't exactly what fans hoped for.
There are several reasons why the football team didn't perform as expected, but there were also plenty of pleasant surprises.
In my opinion, one of the biggest disappointments on this team was the defensive line. Losing Carl Lawson and Dee Ford was a huge preseason blow, but this was a veteran group that simply didn't perform consistently throughout the season.
On the offense, running back Cameron Artis-Payne was the surprise of the year. Filling the shoes of Heisman finalist Tre Mason, Artis-Payne led the SEC in rushing while getting the bulk of the carries for the Tigers. Not so productive was senior running back Corey Grant, to no fault of his own. As the season went on, Grant saw less time on the field, and it felt as though the coaching staff was holstering a weapon.
Junior wide receiver Duke Williams was hyped by fans and coaches all summer, and he certainly lived up to expectations. All season long, Williams gave opposing secondary groups fits while making seemingly impossible catches game in and game out. Another surprise in this group of receivers was senior Quan Bray, who undoubtedly had his best season not only receiving wise, but returning kicks as well.
One receiver who may not have lived up to expectations was Sammie Coates. I hate to say that, because Coates just had the game of his life against the No. 1 team in the country at their house, but still, Coates didn't quite have the season people were expecting. He was plagued by an injury and had several drops.
David McKinney is a sports reporter for The Auburn Plainsman. He can be reached at sports@theplainsman.com.
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