Carnell Williams unbothered by Auburn's offensive imbalance the last two games
AUBURN – In the last two games, the Auburn offense has totaled 101 rushes to only 35 passes, and interim head coach Carnell Williams is just fine with that.
“I kind of want to get back to Auburn, old school football,” Williams said during his press conference on Monday.
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With offensive line coach Will Friend taking over the offense, and receivers coach Ike Hilliard aiding in the efforts, the emphasis has been on making sure Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter are touching the football as often as possible.
The Tigers racked up 256 yards rushing in the loss to Mississippi State, and 270 yards rushing in the win over Texas A&M. Bigsby and Hunter both topped 100 yards rushing last Saturday, making it the first time an Auburn running back duo has accomplished that since Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb in 2009.
“Auburn, to me, is about work, hard work. It’s about toughness, perseverance. We want to be tough and physical,” said Williams. “One of the greatest things about football is when your opponent knows you are running, but you can still impose your will. It takes the fight out of a lot of teams.”
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That success has come with improved offensive line play that really started to show itself in the second half at Ole Miss. In three of the last four SEC games, Auburn has topped 250 yards rushing.
“Those guys up front are moving people, they’re fighting. They are together, straining out there. They’re getting a hat on a hat,” Williams said. “And the backs, they are running hard and breaking tackles. In this league, you have to do that. We’re in sync with each other and playing better. That’s a credit to those coaches.”
Williams isn’t completely ignoring the passing game woes. Robby Ashford only has 13 completions in the last two weeks, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. Williams said the coaches, including himself, Mike Hartline, Hillard and others, have to put the receivers and quarterback in better positions to execute, but also said “we have to make plays out there, too.”
But in the end, for a former All-American running back and top-five pick in the NFL Draft, a 3:1 ratio of run to pass is perfectly fine for right now.
“I’m OK with us running the rock and having success.”
