Roc Thomas

LSU safety Jalen Mills closes in on Auburn running back Roc Thomas in the fourth quarterat Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014. (Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)

-- Auburn is ready to release

Roc Thomas

.

The talented freshman running back sparked the Tigers' offense with 36 yards on his first three runs against Mississippi State two weeks ago, and has progressed enough as a pass blocker to potentially see more time on the field in the coming weeks.

"You're still going to be leery of young guys in our third down-type situations, but, at the same time, they get the reps that the older guys get," offensive coordinator

Rhett Lashlee

said. "They've got to be ready when that time comes. We feel like he's grasped the offense enough that we feel like he can go play."

Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC) is looking for a spark in its offense, which shows signs of being unstoppable, but also sputters at inopportune times.

after scoring touchdowns on 17 of 21 trips inside the 20-yard line heading into the game.

Mistakes were made, sure, and inconsistent blocking is a problem, but Thomas' performance of late provides a fresh approach -- if needed -- starting Saturday against South Carolina (4-3, 2-3) inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.

"We felt good about

Cameron Artis-Payne

, with the way he ran," coach

Gus Malzahn

said. "But we do have a strategic plan for the second half, and Roc will have a bigger role in the second half."

Artis-Payne is definitely reliable, and unlike many on this level, he protects the football. He has only one fumble on 126 carries this season.

"We always want to make sure they're going to hold onto the ball, and they're going to get better with reps," Lashlee said. "But you kind of get to this point halfway through the season that if they have a good grasp of your foundation, you kind of have to turn them loose."

There's also a need for more explosive plays, especially on first and second down. Artis-Payne is averaging 5.2 yards on first downs and 5.8 yards on second down; Thomas is picking up 5.4 and 6.7, respectively.

There's also the matter of finding a spot for senior

Corey Grant

, who has only five carries in the last two games after coaches often labeled him as the "1A" running back next to Artis-Payne early in the season.

"I feel like [Thomas] could be a really good complement to CAP and to Corey," Lashlee said. "Any time you can get someone who can come in fresh and spark things, it always helps the whole team and the offense as a whole. We're going to keep giving him opportunities."