passing offense takes next step

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Statistically speaking: Auburn’s passing offense takes next step in win vs. Mississippi State

Today 11:17 AM

11-13 minutes

Auburn’s passing offense was middling for much of the first third of the season, as the Tigers ranked near the bottom nationally among FBS teams in both passing yards per game and passing efficiency through four games. That aspect of Auburn’s offense took the next step forward in Week 5, however, during the Tigers’ 56-23 dismantling of Mississippi State.

Behind the best performance of Bo Nix’s young career, Auburn made significant strides with its passing attack heading into next weekend’s top-10 showdown on the road against Florida. Nix, who enjoyed more success with the intermediate passing game and had improved accuracy on deep balls downfield, completed 16-of-21 passes for 335 yards and a pair of touchdowns to provide the Tigers’ passing offense a boost.

Auburn saw a significant hike in its passing efficiency, going from 120.47 to 140.33 -- and a corresponding rise from 101st nationally and 12th in the SEC to 64th nationally and 6th among SEC teams. The Tigers also saw their passing yards per game improve, going from 164 to 203.4, though the overall rankings don’t necessarily reflect the team’s improvement in that area; Auburn went from 14th in the SEC and 116th nationally to 13th in the league and 100th among FBS teams in that category.

Still, it was a marked improvement for Auburn, and a positive step in the evolution of the Tigers’ offense as Nix continues to develop as a true freshman quarterback.

Here’s a look at how Auburn stacks up statistically, both in the SEC and nationally, through five weeks of action:

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RUSHING OFFENSE

2013: 328.3 (1st, 1st)

2014: 255.5 (2nd, 13th)

2015: 196.4 (5th, 35th)

2016: 271.3 (1st, 6th)

2017: 218.3 (4th, 26th)

2018: 167.5 (10th, 68th)

After Oregon: 206.0 (4th, 43rd)

After Tulane: 189.0 (6th, 51st)

After Kent State: 281.7 (2nd, 11th)

After Texas A&M: 259.5 (1st, 16th)

2019: 251.0 (2nd, 14th)

Why: Auburn rushed for 217 yards against Mississippi State.

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PASSING OFFENSE

2013: 173.0 (11th, 106th)

2014: 229.5 (7th, 66th)

2015: 173.6 (12th, 110th)

2016: 169.5 (14th, 112th)

2017: 233.4 (5th, 65th)

2018: 222.5 (9th, 74th)

After Oregon: 177.0 (10th, 95th)

After Tulane: 192.0 (13th, 95th)

After Kent State: 183.3 (14th, 192nd)

After Texas A&M: 164.0 (14th, 116th)

2019: 203.4 (13th, 100th)

Why: Auburn had 361 passing yards against Mississippi State.

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PASS EFFICIENCY OFFENSE

2013: 149.63 (6th, 24th)

2014: 156.79 (1st, 8th)

2015: 124.47 (10th, 79th)

2016: 135.17 (6th, 54th)

2017: 153.59 (5th, 13th)

2018: 140.11 (8th, 51st)

After Oregon: 95.21 (10th, 108th)

After Tulane: 101.68 (14th, 118th)

After Kent State: 116.74 (14th, 109th)

After Texas A&M: 120.47 (12th, 101st)

2019: 140.33 (6th, 64th)

Why: Auburn completed 18-of-24 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

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TOTAL OFFENSE

2013: 501.3 (2nd, 11th)

2014: 485.0 (2nd, 16th)

2015: 370.0 (10th, 94th)

2016: 440.8 (6th, 43rd)

2017: 451.6 (3rd, 26th)

2018: 389.9 (11th, 78th)

After Oregon: 383.0 (10th, 80th)

After Tulane: 381.0 (11th, 83rd)

After Kent State: 465.0 (7th, 39th)

After Texas A&M: 316.8 (6th, 35th)

2019: 454.4 (5th, 36th)

Why: Auburn had 578 yards of offense against Mississippi State.

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SCORING OFFENSE

2013: 39.5 (2nd, 12th)

2014: 35.5 (4th, 35th)

2015: 27.5 (8th, 75th)

2016: 31.2 (6th, 49th)

2017: 33.9 (4th, 27th)

2018: 30.9 (8th, 47th)

After Oregon: 27.0 (9th, 80th)

After Tulane: 25.5 (10th, 79th)

After Kent State: 35.3 (7th, 42nd)

After Texas A&M: 33.5 (5th, 48th)

2019: 38.0 (5th, 24th)

Why: Auburn scored 56 points against Mississippi State.

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SACKS ALLOWED

2013: 18 sacks, 1.29 per game (3rd, 22nd)

2014: 15 sacks, 1.15 per game (3rd, 15th)

2015: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (4th, 33rd)

2016: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (3rd, 27th)

2017: 36 sacks, 2.57 per game (10th, 100th)

2018: 23 sacks, 1.77 per game (6th, 39th)

After Oregon: 1 sack, 1.0 per game (4th, 29th)

After Tulane: 1 sack, 0.50 per game (1st, 7th)

After Kent State: 3 sacks, 1.0 per game (2nd, 22nd)

After Texas A&M: 4 sacks, 1.0 per game (2nd, 16th)

2019: 6 sacks, 1.20 per game (2nd, 21st)

Why: Auburn gave up two sacks against Mississippi State.

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THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS

2013: 46.5 percent (4th, 24th)

2014: 52.5 percent (1st, 2nd)

2015: 41.3 percent (6th, 49th)

2016: 41.8 percent (4th, 53rd)

2017: 45.5 percent (3rd, 15th)

2018: 36.9 percent (11th, 90th)

After Oregon: 41.2 percent (6th, 71st)

After Tulane: 47.2 percent (6th, 41st)

After Kent State: 51.0 percent (2nd, 22nd)

After Texas A&M: 47.5 percent (3rd, 28th)

2019: 49.3 percent (4th, 21st)

Why: Auburn converted 6-of-10 third downs against Mississippi State.

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RED ZONE OFFENSE

2013: 88.5 percent (2nd, 21st)

2014: 87.9 percent (4th, 31st)

2015: 90.2 percent (2nd, 13th)

2016: 85.5 percent (5th, 52nd)

2017: 88.1 percent (6th, 36th)

2018: 81.1 percent (11th, 88th)

After Oregon: 60.0 percent (12th, 103rd)

After Tulane: 66.7 percent (11th, 107th)

After Kent State: 81.3 percent (10th, 81st)

After Texas A&M: 84.2 percent (9th, 66th)

2019: 87.5 percent (6th, 47th)

Why: Auburn was 5-for-5 in the red zone against Mississippi State, with five touchdowns.

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RUSHING DEFENSE

2013: 162.1 (10th, 62nd)

2014: 168.8 (10th, 67th)

2015: 182.7 (11th, 81st)

2016: 132.8 (3rd, 27th)

2017: 137.0 (5th, 35th)

2018: 135.9 (6th, 32nd)

After Oregon: 90.0 (5th, 42nd)

After Tulane: 105.0 (6th, 38th)

After Kent State: 100.7 (5th, 35th)

After Texas A&M: 89.5 (2nd, 20th)

2019: 95.2 (3rd, 20th)

Why: Auburn held Mississippi State to 118 yards rushing.

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PASSING DEFENSE

2013: 258.6 (13th, 100th)

2014: 230.1 (12th, 68th)

2015: 222.5 (11th, 63rd)

2016: 229.2 (9th, 67th)

2017: 182.4 (5th, 18th)

2018: 219.5 (7th, 58th)

After Oregon: 242.0 (12th, 85th)

After Tulane: 172.5 (3rd, 36th)

After Kent State: 191.3 (5th, 45th)

After Texas A&M: 227.3 (9th, 67th)

2019: 225.0 (9th, 72nd)

Why: Mississippi State had 216 passing yards against Auburn.

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PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE

2013: 126.88 (9th, 63rd)

2014: 124.19 (10th, 52nd)

2015: 116.99 (8th, 31st)

2016: 116.83 (4th, 22nd)

2017: 113.84 (4th, 19th)

2018: 118.12 (6th, 31st)

After Oregon: 139.54 (13th, 89th)

After Tulane: 96.17 (3rd, 17th)

After Kent State: 104.78 (6th, 19th)

After Texas A&M: 114.01 (6th, 31st)

2019: 118.46 (7th, 35th)

Why: Mississippi State completed 13-of-26 passes and threw two touchdowns.

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TOTAL DEFENSE

2013: 420.7 (12th, 86th)

2014: 398.8 (9th, 64th)

2015: 405.2 (13th, 71st)

2016: 361.9 (5th, 28th)

2017: 319.4 (5th, 14th)

2018: 355.4 (8th, 38th)

After Oregon: 332.0 (7th, 64th)

After Tulane: 277.5 (4th, 30th)

After Kent State: 292.0 (4th, 31st)

After Texas A&M: 316.8 (6th, 35th)

2019: 320.2 (6th, 33rd)

Why: Auburn allowed 334 yards of offense against Mississippi State.

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SCORING DEFENSE

2013: 24.7 (9th, 48th)

2014: 26.7 (10th, 62nd)

2015: 26.0 (11th, 54th)

2016: 17.1 (4th, 7th)

2017: 18.5 (3rd, 12th)

2018: 19.2 (4th, 14th)

After Oregon: 21.0 (8th, 56th)

After Tulane: 13.5 (4th, 24th)

After Kent State: 14.3 (5th, 22nd)

After Texas A&M: 15.8 (6th, 23rd)

2019: 17.2 (5th, 22nd)

Why: Auburn allowed 23 points against Mississippi State.

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SACKS

2013: 32 sacks, 2.29 per game (4th, 46th)

2014: 21 sacks, 1.62 per game (11th, 95th)

2015: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (13th, 104th)

2016: 25 sacks, 1.92 per game (8th, 75th)

2017: 37 sacks, 2.64 per game (5th, 25th)

2018: 38, 2.92 per game (3rd, 16th)

After Oregon: 3, 3.00 per game (4th, 29th)

After Tulane: 3, 1.50 per game (11th, 88th)

After Kent State: 8, 2.67 per game (4th, 41st)

After Texas A&M: 11, 2.75 per game (4th, 32nd)

2019: 13, 2.60 per game (6th, 39th)

Why: Auburn had two sacks against Mississippi State.

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THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE

2013: 33.0 percent (1st, 13th)

2014: 36.0 percent (4th, 29th)

2015: 44.9 percent (13th, 109th)

2016: 34.8 percent (4th, 25th)

2017: 32.9 percent (3rd, 20th)

2018: 34.7 percent (6th, 30th)

After Oregon: 28.6 percent (7th, 40th)

After Tulane: 20.7 percent (1st, 7th)

After Kent State: 31.9 (5th, 40th)

After Texas A&M: 32.8 percent (6th, 44th)

2019: 31.5 percent (5th, 20th)

Why: Mississippi State was 3-of-12 on third-down tries.

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RED ZONE DEFENSE

2013: 73.1 percent (2nd, 10th)

2014: 74.1 percent (4th, 13th)

2015: 75.5 percent (5th, 15th)

2016: 74.4 percent (3rd, 11th)

2017: 83.3 percent (6th, 64th)

2018: 82.9 percent (9th, 64th)

After Oregon: 60.0 percent (6th, 42nd)

After Tulane: 66.7 percent (4th, 25th)

After Kent State: 66.7 percent (5th, 16th)

After Texas A&M: 75.0 percent (8th, 36th)

2019: 75.0 percent (6th, 28th)

Why: Mississippi State was 3-of-4 in the red zone, with two touchdowns.

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NET PUNTING

2013: 40.54 (2nd, 9th)

2014: 37.44 (12th, 67th)

2015: 37.58 (7th, 54th)

2016: 39.90 (5th, 21st)

2017: 35.61 (14th, 115th)

2018: 41.91 (2nd, 5th)

After Oregon: 23.17 (14th, 120th)

After Tulane: 29.5 (14th, 127th)

After Kent State: 30.43 (14th, 127th)

After Texas A&M: 35.27 (13th, 114th)

2019: 35.61 (12th, 108th)

Why: Auburn averaged 43 yards of net punting against Mississippi State.

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KICK RETURNS

2013: 23.40 (5th, 27th)

2014: 20.03 (11th, 82nd)

2015: 27.94 (2nd, 4th)

2016: 19.04 (12th, 100th)

2017: 23.22 (3rd, 25th)

2018: 21.52 (6th, 48th)

After Oregon: 20.00 (8th, 60th)

After Tulane: 18.00 (10th, 88th)

After Kent State: 11.50 (13th, 123rd)

After Texas A&M: 15.40 (12th, 120th)

2019: 16.33 (11th, 11th)

Why: Auburn had one kick return totaling 21 yards against Mississippi State.

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KICK RETURN DEFENSE

2013: 25.79 (14th, 121st)

2014: 21.73 (9th, 84th)

2015: 21.17 (12th, 61st)

2016: 18.00 (1st, 13th)

2017: 27.20 (14th, 129th)

2018: 19.44 (3rd, 39th)

After Oregon: 28.50 (12th, 116th)

After Tulane: 28.50 (12th, 118th)

After Kent State: 21.33 (8th, 79th)

After Texas A&M: 21.00 (7th, 68th)

2019: 20.00 (6th, 53rd)

Why: Mississippi State had one kickoff return for 16 yards.

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PUNT RETURNS

2013: 11.78 (2nd, 22nd)

2014: 17.82 yards per return (1st, 4th)

2015: 11.93 yards per return (7th, 28th)

2016: 10.69 (5th, 24th)

2017: 8.52 (8th, 51st)

2018: 10.75 (6th, 39th)

After Oregon: 12.8 (7th, 26th)

After Tulane: 14.25 (5th, 24th)

After Kent State: 14.25 (7th, 25th)

After Texas A&M: 16.60 (5th, 19th)

2019: 15.38 (4th, 20th)

Why: Auburn had three punt returns totaling 34 yards.

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PUNT RETURN DEFENSE

2013: 7.0 (8th, 51st)

2014: 7.79 (10th, 72nd)

2015: 12.43 (11th, 110th)

2016: 3.17 (1st, 8th)

2017: 11.43 (14th, 108th)

2018: 3.36 (3rd, 9th)

After Oregon: 43.67 (14th, 127th)

After Tulane: 35.80 (14th, 130th)

After Kent State: 35.80 (14th, 130th)

After Texas A&M: 22.38 (14th, 127th)

2019: 22.38 (14th, 127th)

Why: Auburn did not allow a punt return against Mississippi State.

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TURNOVER MARGIN

2013: even, 0.0 per game (9th, 61st)

2014: plus-seven, 0.54 per game (4th, 27th)

2015: plus-two, 0.15 per game (8th, 51st)

2016: plus-three, plus-0.23 per game (6th, 42nd)

2017: minus-one, 0.07 per game (7th, 71st)

2018: plus-nine, 0.69 (3rd, 16th)

After Oregon: minus-one, -1.00 per game (10th, 77th)

After Tulane: minus-one, -0.50 per game (12th, 97th)

After Kent State: minus-one, -0.67 per game (13th, 95th)

After Texas A&M: minus-one, -0.25 per game (12th, 82nd)

2019: minus-two, -0.40 per game (12th, 90th)

Why: Auburn lost three fumbles and recovered two Mississippi State fumbles.

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PENALTY YARDS PER GAME

2013: 40.64 (7th 30th)

2014: 68.92 (14th, 112th)

2015: 46.38 (7th, 34th)

2016: 36.54 (1st, 6th)

2017: 38.36 (2nd, 13th)

2018: 56.69 (9th, 75th)

After Oregon: 60.00 (6th, 71st)

After Tulane: 55.5 (5th, 69th)

After Kent State: 56.67 (6th, 73rd)

After Texas A&M: 61.00 (9th, 83rd)

2019: 56.20 (7th, 69th)

Why: Auburn had five penalties for 37 yards against Mississippi State.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[sevenlee36 1,654]

How did he do going through progressions? That’s what separates a good QB and great QB.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

Not so sure he needed to. Seemed the first option was always open