When a team scores as many points as the Auburn Tigers do, stars are bound to break out on the national stage.
College football fans around the SEC are more than familiar with Auburn stars Nick Marshall and Sammie Coates, while JUCO transfer D’haquille Williams has certainly made his presence known this season.
A team’s stars may get all of the love and hype from the media, but it’s the performance of “glue” guys, the ones making plays under the radar, that ultimately decide how far a team will go.
The Tigers have a number of guys who fit this mold, but four in particular have raised their play this season:
Johnathan Ford
Raise your hand if you had this converted running back leading the Tigers in tackles at the halfway point of the season.
“Rudy” Ford escaped a crowded backfield into an inexperienced secondary, where the sophomore has taken to handing out big hits quickly.
Ford’s 41 total tackles are paced by his two interceptions, which is tied for second on the team.
The secondary was one of the biggest question marks for the Tigers coming into the season with the loss of Iron Bowl hero Chris Davis, Ryan Smith and Ryan White. But the performance of guys like Ford has, at least for the moment, quieted those concerns.
The Tigers are currently No. 39 nationally in total passing yards allowed, up from No. 100 where Auburn finished in 2013.
Daniel Carlson
Auburn fans have just been spoiled in recent seasons when it comes to kickers.
From John Vaughn to Wes Byrum to Cody Parkey, the Tigers churn out consistent kickers just like Gus Malzahn churns out 100-yard rushers.
This year has been no different, as true freshman Daniel Carlson has proven himself a triple-threat, handling kick off, placekicking and punting duties this season.
Carlson is a solid 10-for-13 on field goals this year and has so far been perfect on extra points.
One of Carlson’s most overlooked strengths, however, has to be his powerful kickoffs, which routinely fly out of the back of the end zone.
That may not sound like that big of a deal, but it’s a luxury many teams don’t enjoy. Carlson plays a defensive role in neutralizing an opponents’ kick return game, taking away their weapons before they ever get to use them.
Kris Frost
Frost appears to have settled in just fine after moving to weak-side linebacker in the offseason. Though he’s just the fifth-leading tackler on the team, Frost has stuffed the stat sheet in a variety of ways.
Frost may not lead the defense in many statistical categories, but he’s a close second in several. The junior linebacker is currently second on the team in tackles for loss, sacks, and quarterback hurries. Meanwhile, Frost’s two forced fumbled are a team high.
On a team struggling to generate a pass rush, finding such production from a weak-side linebacker is critical to future improvement the Tigers may make in harassing quarterbacks.
Cameron Artis-Payne
Ah, the oft-criticized Cameron Artis-Payne.
The guy has never seemed to get much love from Auburn fans, despite the fact that he’s currently the SEC’s third-leading rusher.
Artis-Payne has been a target of frustration as Auburn’s run game continues to (slightly) struggle, but the criticism is, at least in my opinion, a little unfair to the senior. At the end of the day, he’s still producing.
At 110 yards per game and 5.27 yards per carry, Artis-Payne’s rushing numbers are nothing if not steady. He also plays a crucial role in Auburn’s offense, carrying the load 20+ times a game and grinding out the tough yards between the tackles.
It may not always be pretty, but Artis-Payne’s running style wears defenses down, allowing the senior to produce big second-half efforts like we saw against Arkansas and LSU.
Artis-Payne may not be the most popular player on the Tigers, but he’s certain a productive one. You can bet Gus Malzahn and Rhett Lashlee appreciate that.
