Auburn Briefing: The outside receivers have to be more efficient

Auburn's offense is starting to find some rhythm down the stretch and is a big reason why the Tigers are riding a three-game winning streak heading into a game with New Mexico State.

An area that is still lacking is AUburn involving the outside wide receivers. We've seen slot receivers like Jay Fair and Ja'Varrius Johnson step up from the slot. Tight end Rivaldo Fairweather has also been very productive.

Name	Targets	Catches	Receiving percentage
Jay Fair	41	30	73.2%
Rivaldo Fairweather	39	30	76.9%
Ja'Varrius Johnson	19	13	68.4%

When you shift the focus to Auburn's outside receivers, you see a lower reception percentage across the board.

Name	Targets	Catches	Reception Percentage
Shane Hooks	22	9	40.9%
Camden Brown	16	8	50%
Malcolm Johnson Jr.	11	5	45.5%
Omari Kelly	7	2	28.6%

Auburn's need to get the ball in the hands of the running backs, tight ends, and slot receivers has become more of the focus during this winning streak and it's working.

Worth following the involvement of the outside pass catchers in the receiving game this weekend against New Mexico State to see if they can find a way to be more efficient with getting the ball to those guys.

They said it

Hugh Freeze spoke to the media earlier this week and highlighted Johnson as an improved part of their wide receiver room.

"I think Var has constantly improved since he's come back from injury, I've said it since I got here that he and Jay Fair, those are two of the more talented guys that we've had," Freeze said. "we're still inconsistent in that room some, but we've improved, and Var is certainly apart of that."

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We discuss how Auburn will attack and be impacted by the transfer portal on the latest Locked On Auburn. You can watch it here or tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

Auburn basketball update

Bruce Pearl and the Auburn basketball team head to Brooklyn to play in the Legends Classic later this week. He spoke to the media earlier in the week.

"We're excited about Thursday/Friday, to go to Brooklyn and play in the Legends Classic," Pearl said. "I think they are going to do some fun things regarding our legends that we're going to get to see. Legends like Marquis Daniels and Charles Barkley a couple of our great former players as this Auburn basketball team tries to make history of its own."

Auburn and Notre Dame will tip off at 8 p.m. CT on Thursday and the broadcast can be found on ESPN2. Auburn will take on either Oklahoma State or St. Bonaventure on Friday. Tipoff will be at either 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. CT and the broadcast can be found on ESPN2 or ESPNU.

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2024 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations

2025 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations

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