With only two games remaining on Auburn’s schedule, interim head coach DJ Durkin will continue to lead the charge for both, while aiming to take the Tigers to a bowl game and avoid a fifth-straight losing season.
Last week’s 48-35 overtime loss to Vandebrilt was Durkin’s first in his new role, and he appointed offensive coordinator Derrick Nix as the Tigers’ sole play caller for the remainder of the season.
Auburn went on to put up a season-high 563 total yards – the most against an SEC foe since 2019 – on offense and 38 points – the most in an SEC game this season – against the Commodores.
Auburn’s offense finding its rhythm under Durkin and Nix
And a vital part of those results was none other than Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr.
The duo combined for 245 yards on 21 catches with a pair of touchdowns. With Singleton hauling in 11 catches and Coleman 10, it marked the first time in program history that two receivers notched double-digit receptions in a game.
“Tremendous. Those guys, Eric had 11 catches, Cam had 10. Those guys are two of the best football players in the country. That was our plan to get them the ball as much as possible,” Durkin said after the loss to Vanderbilt. Credit Derrick Nix. That guy is a tremendous football coach, tremendous person. He had his chance and did a great job with it. I’m very proud of him.”
Coleman and Singleton make history against Vanderbilt
Singleton finished with a season-high 102 receiving yards and his first 100-yard game at Auburn last Saturday. With two games remaining, he has a catch in every game of his collegiate career (34 straight). The streak is tied for the seventh-longest active streak in FBS and the third-longest among players in the SEC.
But it was Coleman who made a trio of highlight plays, one leading to an Auburn score in the second half. It was followed by a miraculous one-handed catch on a 2-point conversion, which led to the Tigers’ tying the game at 38 – the score that ultimately sent it to overtime.
“First, I give all glory to God,” Coleman said after the game. “Really, Ashton (Daniels) just told me to go get open, and he’s gonna throw it. That’s what I did.”
Durkin praises star receiver
“Cam is the ultimate team player. If he didn’t get one throw, he would block all night. He would run all night and would be the first one to congratulate the next guy. Cam is a team player. That’s a decision by us as coaches to say ‘Cam is one of the best players in the country and needs the ball.’ That’s what we did, and he did a great job with it. He showed it,” Durkin added on Coleman.
Tigers must lean on dynamic duo
Simply put, if the Tigers want to avoid a disastrous fifth-straight losing season and continue to put up offense numbers like they did last Saturday, Coleman and Singleton need to continue to be heavily involved in the offense. It’s what Hugh Freeze failed to do, and is ultimately why he was relieved of his duties midway through Year 3 of his tenure.
“I think just getting the ball to those guys. I said earlier in the week, it’s not what you do, but it’s how you do it and who is doing it,” Durkin said following the loss. “We figured we could fix those two things. That was our focus, mainly. Just how we’re doing things and who is doing it.”