Auburn’s offense erupted last Saturday night in a 51-14 steamrolling of Arkansas State.
The big question now is whether the Tigers can keep producing against a remaining schedule containing six ranked teams, including visits the next two weeks from No. 17 Texas A&M and No. 20 LSU.
Auburn opened its 2016 season against No. 2 Clemson and fell flat in a 19-13 loss, rushing 41 times for 87 yards and experimenting with Sean White, Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III taking turns at quarterback. The Tigers ditched that rotation against the outmanned Red Wolves and went with White, a 6-foot, 200-pound redshirt sophomore who engineered an attack that amassed 706 yards.
“We definitely showed great improvement from week one to two, and you’re supposed to do that,” Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said this week in a news conference. “You’ve always got to be pleased when you don’t punt, and I was pleased with the tempo. Getting to 85 plays is always a plus.”
The Tigers did lose an early turnover and lost a later possession on downs, but the 706 yards set a program record against a Bowl Subdivision opponent. Auburn racked up 712 yards in a 62-3 win over Western Carolina in 2013, when the Tigers went on to win the Southeastern Conference and play Florida State for the national championship.