DJ Durkin makes one thing clear about his game plan that’s vastly different than before after the loss to Vanderbilt
DJ Durkin and the Tigers made sure to get Cam Coleman going vs. Vanderbilt.
Before the Auburn Tigers fired Hugh Freeze, there were a ton of things you could point out with the offense that oftentimes made it go so stagnant in the second half. Under interim head coach DJ Durkin, it’s clear this offense is better, even though he’s not calling the plays — Derrick Nix is. They wanted to do something vastly different that Freeze and Jackson Arnold just didn’t do: Give the best player the ball as much as possible.
“That was a decision by us coaches to say: Cam [Coleman, WR] is one of the best players in the country, and we need to get him the ball more,” Durkin told reporters after the game when asked about Coleman’s big game.
Auburn Tigers needed to go to Coleman more, all year long
Now, the reason the offense has been so bad isn’t solely because they didn’t go to Coleman enough during the regular season. Before this game, Coleman’s season high in receptions in a game was seven. He was targeted that game eight times, and there’s not really another game he played this season that’s close outside of that one, where it was clear they wanted him to have the ball like they did against Vanderbilt.
Sure, some of you will get upset that we’re talking about the offense and Coleman’s day in the way we are because, well, your team lost. That’s completely understandable. But, we are way past being so upset about a loss this season, to where we let it take away our focus from the good things that happened.
Against Vanderbilt, it’s almost like the Tigers instantly remembered they have maybe the best receiver in the country behind Jeremiah Smith. He finished with 10 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown, his best game of the season. Not to mention, he had yet another insane catch that makes you wonder if the guy is even human or not, where he caught it one-handed in the end zone.
Coleman has just four touchdowns on the year now, which is just bad coaching that they can’t figure out better ways to get their best player the ball in the end zone. Luckily, not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things, they found out how on Saturday. The offense stepped up; this time, it was the defense.
Cam Coleman’s 2025 stats
- Receptions: 37
- Receiving Yards: 474
- Yards per Reception: 12.8
- Touchdowns: 4
- Games Played: 10
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Auburn Tigers interim HC DJ Durkin isn’t giving in to a question everyone already knows the answer to
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