While Auburn's season opener against Washington certainly felt like a home game with its predominately orange and blue crowd, the real home cookin' starts Saturday.
Tiger fans may be looking ahead to their SEC opener against LSU next week, but FCS Alabama State will bring its fair share of challenges. Auburn historically doesn't fare wall against FCS teams, playing in nail-biters in two of the past three seasons.
Will the Hornets stick around and frustrate Gus Malzahn and company? Or will Jarrett Stidham and the starters be cheering from the bench by the third quarter?
Here are my answers to your Week 2 Plainsman Mailbag questions. The link to submit for next week will go up Sunday.
From @GannonPadgett on Twitter:
"Obviously the rushing game was a disappointment, but did you think Whitlow's clutch runs at the end showed potential for him to be Auburn's 10th straight 1000-yard rusher?"
In terms of a disappointing rushing attack, this was my initial reaction as well. But when you go back and watch the film, which I would recommend every Auburn fan do with these quick and nifty YouTube videos, Auburn's backs were able to attack the holes as well as anybody in the country could against a proven Washington defense.
When you examine the backs carry-by-carry, I was most impressed with Kam Martin. You can tell he was trying to run between the tackles more than years past, but his signature speed on the edge didn't waver. He also received 27 touches for 112 total yards — a huge vote of confidence for a runner that just eclipsed 200 pounds in the offseason.
Honestly, when watching film, Martin had a lot more good runs than I remember. However, that doesn't take anything away from JaTarvious Whitlow's late-game heroics.
Auburn back JaTarvious Whitlow (28) scores the go-ahead touchdown against Washington on Sept. 1, 2018, in Atlanta.
That 10-yard touchdown was an absolute grown-man play. The freshman also showed great second effort on his first-down run out of the Wildcat, which put the nail in the Huskies' coffin.
But, overall, Martin's patience proved he's beyond Whitlow in terms of cerebral play. I'm certainly not ruling out Whitlow's ability to rush for 1K this year. But I see Martin holding onto the No. 1 back slot throughout SEC play as Batman, with Whitlow taking on the role of Robin.
This weekend, Martin and Whitlow's workload should decrease significantly. Expect Shaun Shivers, who looked ready for the challenge last week, and Asa Martin to lead the team in rushing against the Hornets.
From @JoshFisherPhoto on Twitter:
"What player do you think has the greatest potential for growth?"
I'm inclined to stick to the basics and respond with the freshman wide receivers.
Seth Williams looked as Duke Williams as advertised with a pair of catches for 18 and 19 yards. But after the opening drive of the second quarter, Jarrett Stidham elected to target his veteran receiving corps of Darius Slayton, Ryan Davis and Nate Craig-Myers.
Williams, along with fellow freshman wideouts Anthony Schwartz, Shedrick Jackson and Matthew Hill, should receive ample opportunities against Alabama State. I expect a touchdown or two from the group.
On Kevin Steele's side of the ball, look for backup Buck linebacker T.D. Moultry. In a great piece by Plainsman sports staffer Will Schuette on 247 Sports, Moultry's penalty-ridden performance against Washington is broken down. Starter Nick Coe proceeded to steal the show off the edge with two tackles for loss and crucial forced fumble backed up against his own goal-line.
Steele hinted late in fall camp that Moultry had a lot of ground to gain in order to be a consistent contributor alongside Coe and now-defensive end Big Kat Bryant. The second team defense should get its shot against Alabama State, and Moultry will be hungry for a bounce-back outing.
From @lilygjack in person:
"What can we expect from Anders Carlson's career after a big showing in the opener? Will he better as good or better than Daniel?"
If you asked Daniel this question, he would be quick to crown Anders the next great kicker on The Plains.
"(Anders) has got a huge leg," Daniel said at Peach Bowl practices. "And I think that's what people are going to be able to see. It's hard to remember when I was redshirting, but I think he's right there or even better than I was at that age. He's just got a very smooth swing and a big leg."
Anders made good on that potential in the 21-16 win over Washington, connecting on 3 of 5 kicks, including a 53-yarder. One of his misses, a 54-yard try, was just feet away from falling through the uprights.
Anders Carlson (26) goes for a kick during Auburn Football vs. Washington on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018 in Atlanta, GA.
For reference, Daniel didn't hit a 50-yarder until a 51-yard kick against Wisconsin in his freshman bowl game.
We all knew Malzahn didn't want the Tigers to miss a beat in terms of special teams production, and sending Anders out for multiple 50-yard kicks in his first college football game proves that Auburn believes he can be just as prolific as his older brother.
But Washington was just one game, and to be fair, Anders did miss a chip-shot 33-yard field goal in the first quarter.
I'm all aboard the Anders Carlson hype train. He has unlimited range, having nailed 60-plus-yard kicks in the offseason, according to Malzahn. We'll have to hope Auburn's offense stalls out in the right situation for him to test that from a meaningful snap.
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
