Auburn may be down its top tailback.
JaTarvious Whitlow, who leads the team with 326 rushing yards, left Auburn's last game against Southern Miss in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. If Whitlow is unable to play on Saturday against Mississippi State, then the other running backs Kam Martin, Asa Martin, Shaun Shivers, and Malik Miller, and possibly Harold Joiner, will all be on deck.
Kam Martin has been the No. 2 running back this season and has 253 rushing yards. He will be the clear leader if Whitlow is not able to play this weekend. After Whitlow was injured, Kam Martin lead the team with 24 carries totaling 90 yards.
Out of this running back group, Kam Martin has the most experience with 453 yards in 2017 and 320 yards in 2016.
Gus Malzahn is expecting Kam Martin to be the lead guy if Whitlow cannot play.
"Kam Martin will be the first guy out there because we have a lot of confidence in him," Malzahn said. "You saw him last week; he ran with a passion and with a will, especially when the game was on the line. He protected the football, and we were very impressed with his performance last week.”
Malik Miller is a redshirt sophomore whose most successful season with Auburn so far has been 2017, in which he had 34 carries for a total of 135 yards and one touchdown.
Miller was competing for the No. 2 spot during the spring when he suffered a knee injury during A-Day. So far this season, along with Asa Martin, Miller has been near the bottom of the depth chart at running back.
Miller has had some small successes this season with a rushing touchdown against Alabama State and a 30-yard reception against Southern Miss. He's primarily viewed as a pass protector.
“Malik has kind of worked as a third-down protector for us," Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. "Obviously when Boobee went down, Malik was the next guy, and he stepped in there and made some nice plays... he’s ready when his number is called, and I thought he rose to the challenge pretty well.”
Asa Martin and Shivers are the two true freshman running backs, and neither has gotten a ton of reps in-game as of late.
Asa Martin has two carries this season for 13 yards against Alabama State. He has been used in the passing game and has found some success on wheel routes. Even though the sample size is small, Asa Martin has had two receptions this season: one against LSU for 33 yards and the other for 3 yards against Southern Miss.
"I know Asa has gotten a couple here and there throwing the ball to him and we have some runs for Asa," Lindsey said. "I think just continue to practice well, that would be it.”
Shivers has been an enigma this season. He started off the season with one rushing attempt for 7 yards against Washington. Then, in his next game, Shivers exploded for 117 yards and a touchdown against Alabama State.
He followed up his big game with moderate success against LSU (seven carries and a touchdown). Lately, in the two most recent games, he has barely seen the field and has a combined four touches for 2 yards.
Shaun Shivers (25) taking it down the field during Auburn Football vs. LSU on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Auburn, Ala.
"Shaun Shivers is a guy that I think you could see get some more carries, too," Malzahn said prior to the Southern Miss game. "I think, if we get more volume of plays, you get more touches, and you get more carries and everything, but the last two weeks, our play count has been not what we want.”
Lastly, Harold Joiner, a highly touted freshman who has been buried deep in the tailback depth chart, will continue to receive looks from the offense in practice. The 6-foot-3 running back scored a touchdown out of the Wildcat formation against Alabama State in Week 2.
Harold Joiner (29) scores a touchdown during Auburn football vs Alabama State on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.
“Harold is a guy that is going to be an excellent football player if he’ll keep working and all that," Malzahn. "Right now, he’s not in the mix as far as the every-down running back deal, but he has a bright future.”
In addition to Whitlow, the statuses of starting tackles Jack Driscoll and Prince Tega Wanogho are still up in the air. Malzahn said Wednesday that all three practiced on Tuesday, but were limited.
Auburn and Miss State kick at 6:30 p.m. CST on Saturday. The Tigers will be searching for more run-game success after failing to reach 100 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2012.
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