Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee was handing out grades Monday night during his weekly media availability.

The view from the couch and the stands on Saturday seemed pretty good, so you’d expect Lashlee’s grades to be pretty high. The stat sheet reiterated it. Auburn scored 45 points. Jeremy Johnson completed his first eight passes and threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in one half. Nick Marshall executed the zone read to near perfection and turned a tie game into a 24-point win. Cameron Artis-Payne’s 177 yards rushing and Duke Williams’ 154 yards receiving marked the first time Auburn had a 150-yard rusher and a 150-yard receiver in the same game in 13 years.

Despite the numbers, Lashlee’s view from the sideline wasn’t as pretty. He graded the offense somewhere in between the C+/B- range.

“Overall it was a solid effort. I thought we could have executed a lot better,” Lashlee said.

Lashlee specifically referenced the offense’s failure to convert two 3rd-and-1 situations on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter with Jeremy Johnson under center. Both were run plays to Cameron Artis-Payne where Arkansas blitzed and the Auburn blocker didn’t get there.

“He didn’t really have a chance,” said Lashlee of Artis-Payne’s attempts.

Johnson was 1-of-3 in third-and-short situations, but Auburn scored on their first three possessions of the game because of Johnson’s tremendous passing performance. When facing third-and-long on Auburn’s first three drives, Johnson delivered strikes to keep the drives going. He was 3-for-4 overall when facing third-and-long.

Auburn was 9-of-14 on third down for the game. Nick Marshall was 5-for-7. Of those seven, six of them were third-and-long situations. Marshall converted three of them on the ground and two of them through the air.

Lashlee wants improvements each week. Converting third-and-short will be a point of emphasis lead to Saturday’s San Jose State game.

THIRD-AND-SHORT

4th Possession (Johnson)

3rd and 1 – Failed to Convert 1-yard loss rush up the middle by Cameron Artis-Payne

5th Possession (Johnson)

3rd and 1 – Failed to Convert 1-yard loss rush up the middle by Cameron Artis-Payne*

6th Possession (Johnson)

3rd and 2 – 4-yard rush up the middle by Cameron Artis-Payne

7th Possession (Marshall)

3rd and 2 – 28-yard pass completion to Melvin Ray

THIRD-AND-LONG

1st Possession (Johnson)

3rd and 5 – 13-yard completion to Sammie Coates

3rd and 13 – 14-yard completion to Cameron Artis-Payne

3rd Possession (Johnson)

3rd and 6 – 18-yard touchdown pass to Duke Williams

6th Possession (Johnson)

3rd and 10 – Failed to Convert 4-yard completion to Duke Williams

7th Possession (Marshall)

3rd and 6th – 6-yard completion to Corey Grant

9th Possession (Marshall)

3rd and 15 – Failed to Convert pass incomplete to Sammie Coates

10th Possession (Marshall)

3rd and 6 – 11-yard rush to the right by Corey Grant

3rd and 9 – Failed to Convert sack for a 5-yard loss

11th Possession (Marshall)

3rd and 5 – 7-yard draw play by Corey Grant

12th Possession (Marshall)

3rd and 5 – 14-yard rush to the left by Peyton Barber