Nick Marshall is tired of hearing the criticism. He’s tired of hearing that he can’t throw the ball or that he’s not cut out to be a quarterback at the next level. Sure, he’s only completing 55 percent of his passes through the first three games, but when Auburn needs to make a big throw, Marshall is the man to do it.

He proved that last year against Mississippi State when he threw the game-winning touchdown to tight end C.J. Uzomah. He proved it against Alabama when he had the sense to throw it to a wide-open Sammie Coates just before crossing the line of scrimmage. And he proved it again Thursday night in Auburn’s 20-14 win at Kansas State.

On 3rd-and-9 with two minutes left and the Tigers clinging to a six-point lead, Gus Malzahn didn’t play it safe and hand the ball off. He trusted his quarterback to make a throw, and like he always does, Marshall delivered.

The Auburn quarterback pumped once and then connected with D'haquille Williams over the top for 39 yards and a first down.

"He has that knack for when the game is on the line," Malzahn said afterwards. "He did it all last year, and he did it tonight. He helped find a way to help our team win the game."

"I just think it’s something you expect," added offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. "He’s our leader. He’s our quarterback. You expect him to come through in those situations. It’s why he ended up winning the job last year. It’s something he’s got a knack for and he’s really good at. That’s why our guys believe him."

In what was a homecoming of sorts, Marshall finished 17 of 31 for 231 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against Kansas State, but he struggled early. After connecting on his first pass, he threw three straight incompletions, and at one point in the second quarter, he was 3 of 9 for 29 yards and an interception.

Marshall didn’t let it bother him, though. He kept slinging it, and on the touchdown drive that turned the game late in the third quarter, he converted three of four third downs with his arm.

"You know Nick is always level-headed, and he keeps his spirits up no matter what," Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne said. "Whether he completes three passes in a row or he gets ten drops in a row, he is our leader and we look to him."

The Tigers have now won 12 of the past 14 games with Marshall at quarterback (excluding the season opener when he only played a half), and he will have to continue to make throws like he did Thursday night when the Tigers get into the heart of their SEC schedule.

"We got some (tough road games) in the SEC, too, and we know how to respond from here on out," Marshall said.

After Thursday, nobody’s making the case for Marshall as the SEC’s best passer, but if you need a clutch throw late in the game, it’s hard to argue against the Auburn quarterback.