Bryan Harsin explains why Matt Corral is 'Heisman frontrunner'

First-year Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin has faced a few SEC offenses, but he has not faced the top threats in the conference. That will change on Saturday. 

Auburn hosts Ole Miss this weekend, and they are bringing with them an offense posting 541.1 yards and 41.9 points per game. A lot of the Rebels success can be attributed to quarterback Matt Corral, and Harsin took a moment earlier this week to comment on the Heisman hopeful. 

“I think he’s a tough player,” Harsin said. “People say ‘football player.’ That stands out. He happens to play quarterback. This guy’s a football player.” 

According to Harsin, there really is not anything Corral can’t do.

“He throws the ball very well,” Harsin added. “He does a very good job on play action. He runs the ball hard, and he runs it physical at his position. He’s making good decisions, you can tell, with his stats: 15 touchdowns, one [interception]. I think he’s also their leading rusher as well.

“He does a lot of things for what they’re trying to accomplish on the offensive side. I think he’s got a good feel for what they’re doing. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, coach [Lane] Kiffin, those guys have done a very good job with him.”

In addition to the stats Harsin mentioned, Corral has 9 rushing touchdowns. Just three Power Five quarterbacks have more scores using their legs. Corral’s QBR of 87.1 is fourth in the nation.

As Kiffin has previously pointed out, Corral is posting high numbers without two of his top-three receivers. Both Jonathan Mingo and Braylon Sanders are currently out with injuries. Dontonio Drummond remains healthy and is Corral’s go-to wideout.

While Harsin does not know the nuances of Corral’s weekday preparation, whatever he is doing is paying off on Saturdays.

“Come gameday you can see there’s a consistency in his play, there’s a toughness in his play,” Harsin added. “There’s certainly decision making and actual plays being made from that position because of him, so very impressed. He’s one of the best in the country.”

The game between the Rebels and Tigers kicks off at 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN. Auburn is a 2.5-point favorite, and running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter will look to take advantage of Ole Miss’ horrible run defense. The Rebels are giving up 179.3 yards per game on the ground, which is second-worst in the SEC.