Auburn offense looking for ways to go vertical in passing game

Auburn’s players have a message for fans wondering why the Tigers’ offense doesn’t go deep more often: You’re not alone.

Heading into Saturday’s Iron Bowl, AU ranks ninth in the Southeastern Conference in passing offense, 10th in total offense and ninth in scoring. Big plays haven’t come easily for the Tigers, especially in the passing game.

Quarterback Brandon Cox’s longest touchdown pass of the season was a 34-yarder against Ole Miss. And even that big play came on a short route, when wideout Rod Smith dodged a defender after the catch and outran the defense for the score.

Cox would like to go downfield more often. But he knows that’s not what Auburn’s system - or its personnel - is designed to do.

“It would be good to do it, but that’s not our offense,“ Cox said. “Our offense is running the ball and taking the short passes.“

Head coach Tommy Tuberville knows the lack of a downfield passing attack frustrates fans and players. He’d like to see his offense put more downfield pressure on defenses - but it’s easier said than done.

“It just hasn’t been there this year,“ Tuberville said. “We haven’t been able to get it done. We’ve worked on it, done it in practice.“

But in games, Auburn’s offense sticks to short passes. Against Georgia, the Tigers called one deep pass play, according to several players.

The fate of that play might explain why offensive coordinator Al Borges doesn’t call more.

On the play, a first-and-10 from Auburn’s 38-yard line in the second quarter, Borges called a “double go.“ Wideouts Rod Smith and Montez Billings raced upfield at the snap; Cox was supposed to wait for one or both to gain a step on his defender, then deliver the ball.

But before Cox could get rid of the pass, Georgia cornerback Asher Allen, who blitzed on the play, had hauled him down for a sack.

It was a microcosm of the problems besetting Auburn’s pass offense. Smith and Billings couldn’t shake free of coverage; Cox couldn’t get rid of the ball; Auburn’s pass protection couldn’t account for Allen’s blitz.

Worst of all, it resulted in second-and-long, a down-and-distance AU has seen far too often this season.

It’s an ugly cycle: Auburn’s lack of big-play ability means long second and third downs tie Borges’ hands as a play-caller. And if Auburn can’t avoid bad down-and-distances when big plays are called, there’s not much incentive to call them.

“The problem is, you get in situations where you don’t want to waste a down,“ said Tuberville. “For us, every down is so important.

“We try to get ourselves in second-and-6 and try not to be third-and-long too often.“

The most frustrating thing for Cox is that the offense is tantalizingly close to making those big plays pay off. There aren’t multiple breakdowns every play; all too often, just one player’s miscue short-circuits a play-call.

“We still have a lot of times where it’s just little mistakes,“ Cox said. “It’s not effort. It’s just execution.

“We’ll have one guy miss a block or drop a pass or make a bad throw - something that keeps us from making big plays. We need to have 11 guys playing together.“