Roc Thomas mixes agility, straight-line speed on A-Day

AUBURN – Roc Thomas saw an open lane and that's a scary thing for the defense whether it's friend or foe.

After losing his footing and nearly being stopped for a loss in the backfield, the Auburn running back regained his balance, cut back right, juked past a defender and hit the edge.

By the time the agile Thomas circumnavigated several Tigers second-team defenders, a convoy of Jeremy Johnson and D'haquille Williams were waiting to usher him to the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown to open A-Day.

"When I looked up I saw Jeremy coming around to block for me … and Duke blocking," Thomas said. "I saw a defender and I knew I could outrun him."

It was the first of two A-Day scores for Thomas, who had seven carries for 69 yards to lead all rushers, later adding a three-yard scamper for the second-string Team Tigers.

The coaching staff has been stressing for Thomas to be more of a North-South runner and not spend as much time going sideways, as he had a tendency to do as a true freshman last season. On A-Day he was able to show both his agility and straight-line speed on runs of 10, 12, five and three yards.

"Roc made a couple of spin moves and came out of some things, and that was really nice," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "I know (running backs coach Tim) Horton's been working real hard about (the backs) just making one cut and getting their pads low and get some extra yards. I think they've improved throughout the spring in that area."

On both the long scoring run and on a 12-yard reception, when he spun around defenders, Thomas wowed the 62,143 in attendance, reminding them of the abilities that made him Alabama Mr. Football in 2013.

"As long as he makes plays like that over this year … it's going to open the pass game more," Johnson said.

In a running back competition expected to last into the season, Thomas felt he played well, allowed plays to develop and left a lasting impression on the coaches as Auburn wraps up spring practice.

"I really wanted to come out and do my best and try to produce as much as I could," Thomas said. It was just trying to be patient more and just trying to do what they really wanted me to do."

Though spring games are certainly not a predictor of success in the fall, Thomas stole the show from his fellow backs as Jovon Robinson, who was aiming for a 100-yard outing, had six carries for just 19 yards and Peyton Barber had nine carries for 46 yards.

Robinson, the power runner of the three backs, didn't have a carry with the first-team after the opening drive, when he converted a pair of third downs to setup Thomas' long score.

A starter won't be named until well into fall camp and a true leader may not emerge until a few games into the season, but Thomas wants all of his counterparts to see the field a lot.

"I think it'll go down to the wire," he said. "I really think, and I really hope, that it'll be during the season that we're rotating three backs."