Auburn prepares to proceed without WR 'Duke' Williams

AUBURN -- In May it was a one-word answer as to whom Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson would look first in a critical third down situation.

Duke.

In the second week of August, the absence of D'haquille "Duke" Williams has turned that trivia question into a quandary steeped in mystery.

Since Williams' absence from the practice field Friday, Auburn has been continuing to revive a passing game without its leading receiver. Williams was again not on the field during Auburn's first scrimmage Monday.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn confirmed Saturday the basics of why the preseason All-Southeastern Conference wide receiver was noticeably absent from practice, but he refused to elaborate further when asked about the details of Williams' infraction.

"He had a discipline issue that we're taking care of, and when he takes care of that, he'll be back on the field," Malzahn said. "I'll make that decision. I will let you know when he'll back. Bottom line, nobody is bigger than the team around here, and that's between me and him."

Until Malzahn signals for Williams' return, the search to replace his production starts with an unproven set of receivers eager to make an impact.

The next returning receivers with the highest amount of catches are senior Ricardo Louis with 21 and junior Marcus Davis with 13. Neither Louis nor Davis has more than five starts in a season.

Louis, who at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds does resemble Williams in height and weight, is trying to establish himself as more than a possession threat in Malzahn's tempo offense.

"I'm a senior, I'm a leader and when things like that happen, somebody has to step up, and that's my responsibility," Louis said after the scrimmage Monday. "Nobody has to tell me that, 'Ricardo you have to step up.' "

Louis leads a group of senior receivers that includes Melvin Ray and has converted quarterback Jonathan Wallace to have a larger role.

"We talked about (Louis) raising his level and taking that next step and becoming a leader (and) he's done that," Malzahn said. "The good thing is we got a lot of receivers that we feel very good about."

Davis is another possible option for Johnson, as the 5-foot-9 junior speedster has the ability to get yards after the catch in the middle of the field. Davis has only 36 career catches, but the former high school quarterback is considered by the Tigers coaches for his ability to read coverages before he starts his routes.

"He's a guy that has done everything we've asked and really starting to be an impact player for us," Malzahn said. "He wasn't completely 100 percent last year. He's a guy that plays banged up, he's a tough guy and he's closer to 100 percent now. We're excited about him."

The reason for optimism might just be the increase in confidence with the passing game thanks to the skill set of starting quarterback Jeremy Johnson. Logic suggests if Johnson, a U.S. Army All-American selection out of high school in Montgomery, is as accurate as the preseason hype suggest he is, the definition of an open receiver changes from previous seasons of Auburn offenses.

"I've seen him make some throws that I've never seen any quarterback make, right on the money every time," Louis said. "He's consistent (and) that's what makes him better than most of the quarterbacks I've seen."

Johnson, who was seen paired with Williams in stretching over the first two days of preseason practices, attempted to downplay the loss of his leading returning receiver Monday. Johnson said he wasn't paying attention to Williams' "discipline issue" and isn't aware of what it involves specifically.

"That's not my responsibility," Johnson said. "I'm just leaving that to him and coach, but I feel really good about all the other receivers."

Regardless of when or if Williams returns to the field, the issue that will not be solved until Auburn takes the field in the Georgia Dome on Sept. 5 is whether this has become a distraction to the Tigers' national championship hopes.

"This hasn't been a distraction at all, not even a little bit," Johnson said. "Like I said, we feel really good about the rest of the receivers we got. We got four tremendous guys that are going to help us."

This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Auburn prepares to proceed without WR 'Duke' Williams ."