Stidham's Arrival turns Auburn into Legit CFP Contender

quote:

---

Are you ready for the hype machine, Auburn?

Get ready, because despite the 35-19 loss to Oklahoma in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, it's coming.

---

quote:

---

Yes, we're doing this again. We are going down the road of expecting big things from an Auburn quarterback who hasn't logged a ton of playing time—just as we did two years ago when Jeremy Johnson was being discussed as a potential superstar.

---

quote:

---

Stidham already is a star, and he proved it in a pinch during the 2015 season at Baylor.

---

quote:

---

At 6'3", 210 pounds, he has the ability to see over the line of scrimmage, open up the middle of the field, the arm strength to be a big-time downfield threat and is fast enough to at least pose a threat in the zone read game—a staple of Auburn's offense.

---

quote:

---

That's important because, while Sean White was efficient for Auburn during a six-game winning streak in the middle of the season, he's not nearly the deep threat that Stidham is.

White's average of 8.3 yards per attempt is good, but he is 3.3 yards per attempt behind what Stidham posted in 2015. Plus, at 6'0", White wasn't able to do damage over the middle of the field like the taller Stidham can.

---

quote:

---

One look at Auburn's offensive production this season will make your head spin. A whopping 4,529 of Auburn's 5,730 yards of total offense in 2016 came from underclassmen who intend to return next season. That's correct—79 percent of Auburn's offense was from players who, for the most part, were unproven commodities at the college level and are coming back.

---