There isn’t a superstar in Auburn’s receiving corps.
Unlike some other teams, Auburn doesn’t have one guy that’s going to command double-teams or force the high safety to shade over every play just because he’s on the field and the threat of him potentially getting the ball causes the defense to overthink everything.
Instead, the Tigers have a war chest full of capable receivers who can step up and contribute at any time should their number get called, and that’s perfect for what they need on offense.
“Obviously, anyone would love to have that one guy everybody knows,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. “Right now, there's nobody for the defense to key on, and it allows a quarterback and really everybody to run the reads and run the progresses. Wherever the read takes it, that guy's got to make the play.”
Take Darius Slayton, for instance. Slayton has been a starter, but he’s sixth in receptions with just nine catches on the year. He has 168 yards, though, and that includes a crucial 26-yard catch that came with Auburn backed up on its own goal line against Ole Miss.
Slayton hauled in a gorgeous catch in between coverage that he needed to use his entire 6-foot-2 frame to reel in, and it gave the Tigers some much-needed breathing room and allowed their punishing rushing attack some space to maneuver.
“It's hard to throw and catch a ball better than that in coverage,” Lashlee said. “He's just one of those guys. He's very dependable.
“He's been very steady for us. Again, it goes back to one game. I don't think he had any catches last week. This week, he had three or four. They were all impact catches. He's doing good.”
Eight different players recorded catches for Auburn against Ole Miss. Five players had a single reception, and nobody had more than five. Spreading the wealth is the name of Auburn’s game, and it’s fine with them, as long as the “W” keeps showing up in the win/loss column.
“As a receiver you want to catch the ball, but we’ve been winning games,” Slayton said. “If we’ve got to run the ball that many times to win the game, then that’s okay, that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Having so many players able to rotate in and not miss a beat comes in handy in ways other than pure strategy. When Tony Stevens, the senior who is leading Auburn in catches, couldn’t play against Ole Miss, there were plenty of receivers ready to step up.
Freshman Eli Stove led the team that game with five catches, and even tight end Jalen Harris, who hadn’t even had the ball thrown to him in his career to that point, hauled in a catch for a touchdown.
“At this point, they've all repped with Sean (White),” Lashlee said. “I think that's why we're getting better each week with the efficiency. He's more confident with where they're going to be and what they're going to do. He's giving them opportunities.”
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