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How dominant can Auburn’s ground game be with Pettway and Johnson healthy?
By Clint Lamb
Published:
Coming into this season, Auburn’s offense was expected to field a more balanced attack under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. That didn’t mean that the success that the Tigers had on the ground in 2016 would be forgotten, however.
Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson combined for 2,119 yards and 18 touchdowns last year. While the addition of former Baylor quarterback Jarrett Stidham was expected to reduce the rushing opportunities, the dynamic duo was primed for big things.
Injuries have slowed them down in 2017.
More balanced? Auburn is averaging 46.5 rushes per game in 2017, just three fewer than 2016.
In fact, it wasn’t until Week 5 against Mississippi State that Pettway and Johnson were able to take the field together. It was short-lived, however, as Pettway sat out yet again in Week 6 before returning to the lineup against LSU in Week 7.
Pettway has seen limited touches in order to help maintain his health, but last Saturday’s performance against Arkansas might have been a glimpse of what is to come.
The 6-0, 236-pound bowling ball rolled his way to 90 yards on only 11 carries (8.2 yards per carry) and three touchdowns.
While Johnson wasn’t as effective as he had been in recent weeks (only 63 yards on 21 carries), he still managed to rush for 13th touchdown since SEC play began five weeks ago.
The question now becomes how good can this Auburn offense be once both players have reached full health? The answer is simple: really good.
Now, the situation this season is much different from 2016. Pettway was clearly the lead back, averaging 20.9 carries per game for 122.4 yards in the 10 games that he played last season. For the most part, Johnson played second fiddle, but that should be the opposite this season.
Johnson is clearly the more complete player, and it can be argued that he is one of the most improved running backs in the SEC.
He’s more elusive than Pettway, but he has also shown a lot more power in his third season on The Plains. Here he is running through three Ole Miss defenders in Week 6:
Kerryon Johnson making Beast Mode proud
(Video via @skyeunderwood) #CollegeGameDay #OleMiss #Auburn pic.twitter.com/WbL8jxJvq0
— YourSports (@YourSports) October 7, 2017
Johnson has also shown that he can be the workhorse if need be. He’s had 20-plus carries in four consecutive games — averaging 25.8 per game — and he’s turned that into 539 yards and eight touchdowns.
In addition, the Madison, Ala., product was able to rack up 388 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 62 carries in the three games that Pettway missed — good for 20.7 carries, 129.3 yards and three touchdowns per contest.
Pettway, on the other hand, only averaged 3.6 yards per carry in the two games that Johnson missed in Weeks 2 and 3. He’s averaged 5.2 yards per carry in the three games that he has been in a reserve role behind Johnson.
At this point, keeping Pettway in that rotational role should help him preserve his health, and as long as he can stay healthy along with Johnson, this Auburn run game — which has already seen Johnson and Pettway combine for 1,028 yards and 20 touchdowns — could create some noise in the SEC West.
The Tigers still control their destiny, and it’s entirely possible, even likely, that the results of this season could fall on the shoulders of the thunder and lightning duo in the backfield.
Stock up
1. Kamryn Pettway, RB: We can’t leave Pettway off the stock up list following his Week 8 performance. He rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries (8.2 yards per carry).
Unless something drastic happens, the days of consistently seeing Pettway get 20-plus carries could be over, but that’s OK. He’s extremely effective in his current role.
2. Darius Slayton, WR: It’s not every day that you see an Auburn player average 36.5 yards per reception, but that’s what Slayton did against Arkansas. The sophomore finished the game with 146 yards and a touchdown on four catches.
Granted, 62 of those yards came on a trick play from fellow receiver Ryan Davis, but the 28 yards per catch that Slayton averaged on the other three receptions is still impressive, regardless.
3. Dontavius Russell, DT: Other defensive linemen such as Marlon Davidson, Derrick Brown and Jeff Holland get all the recognition, but Russell is a solid player in his own right.
No, he wasn’t one of the players to get in on the six sacks that Auburn had against the Razorbacks, but Russell did tie for the team lead in tackles (6) while also getting two QB hurries.
Stock down
1. Kyle Davis, WR: What in the world is going on in Auburn? Davis now makes the second player to be dismissed from the team this season — quarterback Sean White was dismissed earlier.
It’s unfortunate because Davis was easily the most talented receiver on the roster, but he just couldn’t stay healthy or out of trouble.
2. Jarrett Stidham, QB: Stidham’s final stat line didn’t look bad — 19-of-28 (67.9-percent) for 218 yards and one interception — but the Baylor transfer clearly wasn’t at his best against the Razorbacks.
He had multiple poor throws — including one where he stared down Will Hastings on an out-route before throwing a terrible ball that was intercepted by Arkansas cornerback Kevin Richardson — but the bottom line is that he’s still head and shoulders above what Auburn had last season with White.
Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
