Auburn vs Kansas State Football

Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall throws behind the blocking of Auburn offensive linemen Avery Young (left) and Reese Dismukes against Kansas State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan., Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014. (Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)

(MARK ALMOND)

AUBURN, Alabama -- Nick Marshall's improvement as a passer is starting to show up when you break down his passing numbers.

Yes, the overall numbers don't show it (55.4 completion percentage), but AL.com research shows Marshall's improving accuracy down the field and a propensity for delivering game-changing plays through the air late in games.



The Auburn quarterback is also fighting through miscues by teammates. He had to shake off three drops by receivers and three tipped passes at the line of scrimmage against Kansas State last week, but finished 17-of-31 passing for 231 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.



A closer look at the numbers reveals how comfortable Marshall has become throwing to the sideline, checking down to his running backs and hitting his second and third reads.

RELATED: Game-by-game statistical and personnel analysis



More importantly, accuracy on deep routes seems to be improving, even if he was the victim of one drop and, perhaps, three if you count Sammie Coates' potential catch over his head down the field early in the game or D'haquille Williams' bobble in double coverage.



Marshall continues to show why he's also one of the best late-game quarterbacks in the country, providing the Tigers confidence when needing a big play and or first down.



"The bottom line is our quarterback wins, he knows how to win," Gus Malzahn said. "If you compare him to all the other quarterbacks around the country, when the game's on the line, we've got the best guy. He'll continue to work but we have a lot of confidence in him."



What did we notice while charting Marshall's passes in the 20-14 victory at Kansas State? A few observations, according to AL.com research:





Marshall rarely went to the left side of the field on plays, but when he did he was accurate. In fact, the two biggest plays of the night were down-the-field along the left sideline. He was a perfect 2-of-2 passing on routes of 15 yards or longer on his left, including

Marshall was 4-of-10 for 126 yards and one touchdown on throws of 15 yards or more, including at least one drop by a receiver.

Williams is Marshall's favorite target. He threw to the junior 12 times with one drop on what should have been a 66-yard touchdown and a bobble in double coverage.

Coates is not making the most of his opportunities, catching only two of the eight balls thrown his direction (though tipped passes at the line of scrimmage hurt, too). Coaches say he is still slowed by a knee injury he suffered in the season opener against Arkansas.

Ricardo Louis

Marshall was 10-of-14 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns when throwing to the sidelines, including an impressive 3-of-4 for 95 yards and one touchdown on throws of 15 yards or further down the field.

Marshall was 5-of-7 passing for 86 yards and one touchdown in the fourth quarter against Kansas State.

The senior converted three straight on third-and-long situations late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter during a crucial, clock-melting touchdown drive thanks to throws to three different receivers: Coates (12 yards), Louis (9 yards) and Williams (12 yards).

For the entire season, Marshall is 9-of-16 passing for 92 yards on third-and-7 or longer, with seven of those passes picking up first downs.

Nick Marshall's pass distribution chart (Kansas State)

Nick Marshall's pass distribution (Kansas State)

LEFT

< 0: 0/0

0-14: 2/3, 16 yards

15+: 2/2, 55 yards

Total: 4/5, 71 yards



MIDDLE

< 0: 1/1, 15 yards

0-14: 5/10, 47 yards, 1 INT

15+: 1/6, 15 yards

Total: 7/17, 87 yards, 1 INT



RIGHT

< 0: 1/1, 9

0-14: 4/6, 34 yards, 1 TD

15+: 1/2, 40 yards, 1 TD

Total: 6/9, 83 yards, 2 TD



OVERALL

< 0: 2/2, 24 yards

0-14: 11/19, 97 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

15+: 4/10, 126 yards, 1 TD