‘Physical all day long’: Auburn’s receivers come up big in win over Georgia

Many plays stick out to the human eye that helped lead the Auburn Tigers to an upset win of the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday in Athens, the most notable being the game-winning field goal made by Alex McPherson.

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However, a lot of crucial plays led up to that moment, a number of which were made by the wide receivers.

Whether it be the 9-yard touchdown grab by Chas Nimrod that tied the game at 14, or the 7-yard falling catch that Nimrod also made in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers a first down deep in their own territory, there was no shortage of receptions that helped Auburn survive.

It was not all sunshine and roses though for the air attack that the Tigers had going. On the offense’s first drive of the game, already sitting down 7-0, two drops were part of a drive that resulted in a punt. Later at the end of the first quarter down 14-7, a perfect deep ball down the middle of the field went through the hands of Bryce Cain, one that would have potentially been a touchdown.

Nonetheless, Head Coach Alex Golesh was still pleased by the strides the group made.

“I think the thing, especially on the outside, those guys have played a ton of football with Key (Keshaun Singleton) and Chas (Nimrod) and you saw Jeremiah Koger had a big one that made a big difference, those guys have gotten more and more confident as it's gone,” Golesh said. “I was disappointed we had a drop at the beginning. Key had one, which was a tough catch, and then Chas had a routine one early, but at the same time, those guys continue to get pushed really, really hard.”

Out of the 16 receptions that were made for the game, 11 of those were by true receivers. It was more than just the receptions though that made a difference.

Many of the receivers played a part in making blocks and doing little things that make them more than just pass catchers. That in itself was what made guys like Offensive Coordinator Joel Gordon pleased.

“They played a big role in the game, as they always do,” Gordon said. “They were physical all day long. I think everybody knows, we've talked about it. We're going to run the football, and they're going to block and be physical. That's part of the expectation here in this program.”

As a whole though, there were four instances on a third or fourth down where a skill player made a reception to extend the drive, whether it resulted in points or not.

Those ultimately allowed the offense to keep things in fluid motion, which against the No. 1 team in the country was extremely important.

“I think there was a handful of really important first down, second down completions that got us into third and manageable,” Gordon said. “That allowed us to get fourth and short. In the big picture, there was better execution consistently across the board, which led to us being able to stay on schedule.”

The two receiving touchdowns stuck out in a big way, as they helped deliver Auburn from being 14-0 down to tied in what seemed like a blink of an eye.

“Obviously, the first touchdown catch, Keshaun makes a great play on the ball,” Gordon said. “It saves that one, and then Chas' catch was, man, what a grab. We needed both of them, obviously, to be in the situation we were at the end of the game.”

Golesh made sure to point out though that it was not just the veterans that were making important plays that went unthought of in the grand scheme.

In the outlook of where the receivers room is, Golesh said they are continuing to make strides with that portion of young guys, because as the season gets longer, their numbers will be called more and more.

“Christian (Neptune) did some really good things. Thought DeShawn Spencer came in, and he had a big catch off of a step up ball, and then Bryce Cain came in and we tried to do some different things with Bryce,” Golesh said. “I think we're continuing to push those young guys to get old really quickly, because guys like Brian Williams, who have played a little bit, DeShawn Spencer, who have played a little bit, we need them to come along too, because as it goes here, it's a long season.”

However, the head coach knows that when it all ties together, all the pieces of being in the receiving game have to tie together in order for things to be seamless.

It seemed to come to fruition on many instances in Athens, which was a testament to the guy coaching the receivers, former Tigers national champion Kodi Burns.

“The guy coaching them, he coaches them like defensive linemen in the sense of he's on their butts about as hard as he can,” Golesh said. “The challenge is can we continue to do all the things without the ball in our hands that will help our run game, that will help our touch game. Those things are continuing to be a challenge, but I thought those guys stepped up in a big way.”

The win showcased a lot of the positives happening in the Auburn wide receiver room, but heading into another tough contest against LSU back at home, there is a message that having a good performance does not mean settling, but instead continuing to learn and improve for what is ahead.

“Those guys know that there's more work to be done, so we're going to get back to it,” Gordon said. “Excited for those guys to be able to take some steps forward and show some improvements.”

Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.