Cobb emerges as Auburn’s lead back
Now three weeks removed from the departure of running back Damari Alston from the team, junior running back Jeremiah Cobb has solidified himself as the No. 1 option for Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and offensive coordinator/running backs coach Derrick Nix out of the backfield.
Second in the SEC in total rushing yards with 717, Cobb is coming off his second consecutive 100-yard outing after tumbling for 153 yards on 28 carries on Saturday against Arkansas, both of which were career highs.
His 153 yards rushing were the most by an SEC player in a league game this season, and the second most overall. His 28 carries were the most by an Auburn player since Kerryon Johnson carried it 30 times against Alabama in 2017.
“It’s fun to get rolling like that. I think every running back feels that when you get that opportunity. It’s awesome,” Cobb said, following the Tigers’ 33-24 win over Arkansas.
Production rises despite limited early workload
Cobb combined for just 12 carries in consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Texas A&M to begin conference play, and received just 12 carries in the Tigers’ loss to Georgia. Although he is second in the league in rushing, he has just 117 carries, a whopping 48 carries less than the league’s fourth leading rusher.
Cobb is averaging 6.1 yards per carry, which is third in the SEC.
“If you really look, we’ve run the ball well per average against most all the teams,” Freeze said. “We didn’t run it near enough against Texas A&M since we were behind the chains the whole night. If you look at the average per attempt, it’s been pretty good. Jeremiah’s a huge reason for that, along with the offensive line.”
Auburn adjusts practice plan to keep Cobb fresh
With Cobb receiving 19 and 28 carries over the last two weeks, respectively, Freeze and his offensive staff have made it a priority to lighten Cobb’s practice load to keep him fresh for Saturdays.
“We’re wearing him out right now with 28 carries; that’s a lot in today’s time. His body is not quite built like Jarquez (Hunter’s). We’ve got some difficult games coming, but he’s handled it well to this point. We’ve modified our practice with him; he’s not getting as many reps as he used to in practice,” Freeze said.
Running back room gets reinforcements
UConn transfer running back Durrell Robinson, who underwent a procedure for compartment syndrome after the Tigers’ Week 2 win over Ball State, is scheduled to return to action this week. Additionally, freshman Omar Mabson II, who has filled the void left behind by Robinson – and Alston – has performed well in limited action as the first guy off the bench for the Tigers.
Cobb still the key to Auburn’s offensive identity
Cobb, nonetheless, must receive his touches for Auburn’s offense to function at the level it wants to.
“We’ll get Durell quite a few (reps) this week, along with Omar and Jeremiah his share, but there’s no question he’s got to get his touches,” Freeze said.
Game Details
Auburn will kick off against Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium on SECN.