Auburn might be one of the only teams in the SEC that can stand up to the might of Alabama this fall.

A major reason for that is in the backfield, where the Tigers boast a pair of talented rushers in Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson. In the vein of an earlier post this week on Georgia running back duo Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, today we take a look at Auburn rushing records Pettway and Johnson hope to surpass this fall.

(Note: All numbers below come from Auburn’s official media almanac.)

Most rushes, single game

  • 1. 46 — Tre Mason vs. Missouri, 2013 (SEC Championship Game record)
  • T2. 41 — Michael Dyer vs. South Carolina, 2011
  • T2. 41 — Carnell Williams vs. Georgia, 2001
  • 4. 40 — Carnell Williams vs. Syracuse, 2002
  • 5. 39 — Kamryn Pettway vs. Mississippi State, 2016
  • T6. 38 — Stacy Danley vs. Georgia, 1988
  • T6. 38 — Bo Jackson vs. Ole Miss, 1985
  • T8. 37 — Peyton Barber vs. Arkansas, 2015
  • T8. 37 — Kenny Irons vs. Georgia, 2005
  • T8. 37 — Ronnie Brown vs. Penn State, 2003 Capital One Bowl
  • T8. 37 — Rudi Johnson vs. Alabama, 2000

Pettway’s chances of breaking Mason’s single-game record: Not great … but not outside the realm of possibility.

As you see above, Pettway has already made this list once in his dazzling workhorse performance against Mississippi State last season. Coach Gus Malzahn has never been afraid to keep going to a running back with a hot hand. Though 47-plus carries in a single game seems a bit extreme, don’t be surprised if Pettway logs one game with at least 40 carries this fall.

Johnson’s chances of breaking Mason’s single-game record: Highly unlikely.

The most carries Johnson has had in a single game came last season against Louisiana-Monroe, when he had 24. Even that is a bit on the high end for Johnson, who is better put to use in smaller doses. There could be a game where he gets to 25 carries this fall, but anything beyond that isn’t in the cards.

Most rushes, single season

  • 1. 324 — Rudi Johnson, 2000
  • 2. 317 — Tre Mason, 2013
  • 3. 303 — Cameron Artis-Payne, 2014
  • 4. 278 — Bo Jackson, 1985
  • 5. 264 — Cam Newton, 2010
  • 6. 263 — Ben Tate, 2009
  • 7. 261 — James Brooks, 1980
  • 8. 256 — Kenny Irons, 2005
  • 9. 253 — Joe Cribbs, 1978
  • 10. 242 — Michael Dyer, 2011

Pettway’s chances of breaking Johnson’s record: Not terrible.

What do you notice about that list above? If you answered, “Malzahn was around for five of those 10 seasons,” then pat yourself on the back. Malzahn was the head coach of the Tigers for the 2013 and 2014 campaigns and served as the offensive coordinator from 2009-11, which contains three of the players (Newton, Tate and Dyer) above.

Now back to Pettway.

He carried the ball 209 times last season, not playing in three games due to injury and not logging a carry in the opener against Clemson. (Go figure.) If you take the other nine games into account, he averaged 23.2 carries per contest. That would have put him at 279 carries last season if he had played in all 13 games. Barring injury, expect Pettway to have at least 275 carries this season — and possibly more if the Tigers make it into the College Football Playoff.

Johnson’s chances of breaking Johnson’s record: Nah.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Most rushes, career

  • 1. 741 — Carnell Williams, 2001-04
  • 2. 678 — Ben Tate, 2006-09
  • 3. 657 — Joe Cribbs, 1976-79
  • 4. 650 — Bo Jackson, 1982-85
  • 5. 621 — James Brooks, 1977-80
  • 6. 526 —Stacy Danley, 1987-90
  • 7. 516 — Tre Mason, 2011-13
  • 8. 488 — Stephen Davis, 1993-95
  • 9. 462 — Secdrick McIntyre, 1973-76
  • 10. 456 — Phil Gargis, 1974-76
  • Johnson: 234, 2015-present
  • Pettway: 209, 2014-present

How high can Pettway rise up the chart? Going by our prediction in the previous entry, 275 carries for Pettway this season would put him up to 484, ninth most all-time. After that, it’s up to Pettway. If he eschews the NFL at the end of this season for one final go-round in 2018, he might put himself in position to challenge Williams’ all-time record.

How high can Johnson rise up the chart? Unless Pettway gets hurt this season and Johnson takes on more carries than expected, he won’t break into the top 10 this season. But assuming Johnson is back in 2018, he’ll likely be able to place his name on this list.

Most rushing yards, single game

  • 1. 307 — Curtis Kuykendall vs. Miami, 1944
  • 2. 304 — Tre Mason vs. Missouri, 2013
  • 3. 290 — Bo Jackson vs. Southwestern Louisiana, 1985
  • 4. 256 — Bo Jackson vs. Alabama, 1983
  • 5. 250 — Joe Cribbs vs. Georgia, 1978
  • 6. 249 — Rudi Johnson vs. Louisiana Tech, 2000
  • 7. 246 — Stephen Davis vs. Arkansas, 1994
  • 8. 242 — Bo Jackson vs. Georgia Tech, 1985
  • 9. 240 — Bo Jackson vs. Ole Miss, 1985
  • 10. 236 — Kamryn Pettway vs. Ole Miss, 2016

Can Pettway or Johnson break Kuykendall’s record? Predicting anyone to rush for 300 or more yards in an FBS game is foolhardy. That being said, Pettway already has one of the 10 best rushing performances in Auburn history. Don’t be surprised if he comes close to a 250-yard game this fall. As for Johnson, his career-best game came last season against Louisiana-Monroe, when he ran for 146 yards. A 150-plus-yard game could be in the offing this fall.

Most rushing yards, single season

  • 1. 1,816 — Tre Mason, 2013
  • 2. 1,786 — Bo Jackson, 1985
  • 3. 1,608 — Cameron Artis-Payne, 2014
  • 4. 1,567 — Rudi Johnson, 2000
  • 5. 1,473 — Cam Newton, 2010
  • 6. 1,391 — Brent Fullwood, 1986
  • 7. 1,362 — Ben Tate, 2009
  • 8. 1,314 — James Brooks, 1980
  • 9. 1,307 — Carnell Williams, 2003
  • 10. 1,293 — Kenny Irons, 2005
  • 1,224 — Pettway, 2016

Can Pettway or Johnson break Mason’s record? Consider that Pettway’s mark above is the 13th-best single season in the Tigers’ annals. And he did it in just nine games. Taking his average of 122.4 yards per game and multiplying it by the four games where he didn’t record a carry gives him 490 additional yards. That comes to a total of 1,714 rushing yards. So yes, Mason’s mark might be attainable for Pettway provided Auburn plays enough games this fall. Johnson, on the other hand, should aim for his first 1,000-yard season. His best season thus far came last fall, when he ran for 895 yards.

Most rushing yards, career

  • 1. 4,303 — Bo Jackson, 1982-85
  • 2. 3,831 — Carnell Williams, 2001-04
  • 3. 3,523 — James Brooks, 1977-80
  • 4. 3,368 — Joe Cribbs, 1976-79
  • 5. 3,321 — Ben Tate, 2006-09
  • 6. 2,979 — Tre Mason, 2011-13
  • 7. 2,811 — Stephen Davis, 1993-95
  • 8. 2,789 — Brent Fullwood, 1983-86
  • 9. 2,707 — Ronnie Brown, 2000-04
  • 10. 2,586 — Onterio McCalebb, 2009-12
  • 1,224 —Pettway, 2014-present
  • 1,103 — Johnson, 2015-present

How high can Pettway and Johnson rise up the chart? If Pettway merely replicates what he did last season, that would put him at 2,448 yards, 11th best all-time. But we think he’ll be knocking on the door of 1,500 yards this season — if not more. That type of campaign would put him squarely in the top 10, and with a chance to break Jackson’s all-time record if he returns for his senior season in 2018. If Johnson runs for 1,000 yards this season, that would give him 2,103, 16th most in Auburn history. Much like Pettway, assuming Johnson is back in 2018, he’d then be able to make a run at the top 10.

Average yards per game, career (min. 18 games)

  • 1. 113.2 — Bo Jackson, 1982-85 (4,303 yards in 38 games)
  • 2. 95.0 — Kenny Irons, 2005-06 (2,186 yards in 23 games)
  • 3. 92.7 — James Brooks, 1977-80 (3,523 yards in 38 games)
  • 4. 91.2 — Carnell Williams, 2001-04 (3,831 in 42 games)
  • 5. 90.7 — Stephen Davis, 1993-95 (2,811 yards in 31 games)
  • 6. 89.9 — Curtis Kuykendall, 1944-45 (1,619 yards in 18 games)
  • 7. 88.6 — Joe Cribbs, 1976-79 (3,368 yards in 38 games)
  • 8. 82.1 — Cameron Artis-Payne, 2013-14 (2,218 yards in 27 games)
  • 9. 78.4 — Tre Mason, 2011-13 (2,979 yards in 38 games)
  • 10. 71.8 — Nick Marshall, 2013-14 (1,866 yards in 26 games)
  • Pettway: 53.2, 2014-present
  • Johnson: 44.1, 2015-present

Our analysis: Pettway is punished by the 2015 season, when he appeared in 12 games as an H-back but never carried the ball. If not for that, his average of 122.4 would rank first all-time. Regardless, let’s say he runs for 1,500 yards in 12 games this season. That would give him 2,724 yards in 35 appearances, good for an average of 77.8 per contest. That would land him on the list above. Barring a huge season in 2017 or 2018, Johnson likely won’t make this list.

Most rushing touchdowns, single season

  • 1. 23 — Tre Mason, 2013
  • 2. 20 — Cam Newton, 2010
  • T3. 17 — Bo Jackson, 1985
  • T3. 17 — Carnell Williams, 2003
  • 5. 16 — Joe Cribbs, 1978
  • T6. 14 — Stephen Davis, 1995
  • T6. 14 — Joe Cribbs, 1979
  • T8. 13 — Peyton Barber, 2015
  • T8. 13 — Cameron Artis-Payne, 2014
  • T8. 13 — Kenny Irons, 2005
  • T8. 13 — Ronnie Brown, 2002
  • T8. 13 — Rudi Johnson, 2000
  • T8. 13 — Stephen Davis, 1994

Our analysis: Pettway scored seven touchdowns in nine games carrying the ball last season. But we expect him to double that this fall, which would place him squarely among the top 10. Johnson scored 11 rushing touchdowns last season, and a similar effort doesn’t seem outrageous this fall.

Average yards per rush, career (min. 300 attempts)

  • 1. 7.15 — Brent Fullwood, 1983-86
  • 2. 6.62 — Bo Jackson, 1982-85
  • 3. 6.37 — Onterio McCalebb, 2009-12
  • 4. 6.14 — Lionel James, 1980-83
  • 5. 6.03 — Fob James, 1952-55
  • 6. 5.77 — Tre Mason, 2011-13
  • 7. 5.76 — Stephen Davis, 1993-95
  • 8. 5.74 — Nick Marshall, 2013-14
  • 9. 5.67 — James Brooks, 1977-80
  • 10. 5.63 — Cameron Artis-Payne, 2013-14
  • Pettway: 5.9 (on 209 attempts), 2014-present
  • Johnson: 4.7 (on 234 attempts), 2015-present

Our analysis: If Pettway had enough attempts to qualify, he’d already be in sixth place on this list. Another solid season and he might even rise into the top four. Johnson, on the other hand, will need a stellar campaign if he wants to crack the top 10.