Wesley's tale of the tape: Auburn vs. Ole Miss

Wesley Foster, sports writer for The Auburn Plainsman, analyzes the film from Auburn's victory over Ole Miss and offers his perspective on the 44-23 win. 

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The Auburn Tigers dominated Ole Miss 44-23, making it three consecutive games of scoring 40 or more points, an Auburn record. The offense played a great game and the play calling was excellent yet again. However, this game made something very clear: a large part of the offense’s resurgence is thanks to Kerryon Johnson and his stellar running.

Johnson is not a typical power back, but he can run over defenders if need be. He isn't slow, but he is never the fastest player on the field. Instead what makes Johnson so special is his incredible vision and one cut ability.

The play below is a standard power run to the right. The left guard pulls to serve as a lead blocker, and fullback Chandler Cox also seals the edge on the play. There is an added wrinkle of Eli Stove going in motion and faking the handoff as well, but Johnson is what turns this play from a potential loss to a large gain. The defense blows the play up, and pushes the line back. 

Had Johnson ran off tackle to the right, he would most likely have either been tackled for a loss, or held to a short gain. Instead, he sees that the movement of the whole line to the right and the pulling of the guard has created a hole on the left. Johnson has recognized that running the way he is supposed to will not work before he even has the ball. By the time he has the ball, Johnson has already decided that he is going to the left instead, and he hits the hole downhill, shrugging off multiple tackles and leading to a big gain. 

This next play is the same exact play as the previous one, but ran out of the shotgun and with the motion going the other way. The blocking scheme is the same. The key difference is that this time the blocking works as intended, and Johnson yet again sees this immediately. He sees that he will have the edge thanks to Cox’s block, and the first step he takes is straight towards the right. Johnson makes his way past the line so quickly that he gets ahead of the left guard who is supposed to act as the lead blocker. Johnson then makes one man miss and runs into the end zone with ease. 

The play below is Auburn's longest play of the season, a 75-yard catch-and-run by wide receiver Ryan Davis. There are two things that make this play work. The most obvious thing that takes this play from good to great is Davis’s speed and ability as a ball carrier. The other is the way the offensive line plays it. 

This is a screen through and through, and the center and left tackle act as the lead blockers on the play. However, if they were to immediately run to block there is a chance that the defenders read the play and stop Davis as soon as he catches the ball. To prevent this, the center and left tackle engage the defenders for the perfect amount of time. 

The defenders believe it is a pass all the way and commit fully to pass rushing. When the center and tackle disengage to go block for Davis, the defensive line is already taken out of the play. The center and tackle then both have crucial blocks that enable the whole play to succeed. 

The above play is another showcase of Johnson’s skillset. The offensive line does a great job of getting a push and opening a hole, but it is Johnson and his skill at reading the line and where the holes will be that makes him an elite back. He has read the line and made his decision on where the hole will be and where he is running right after taking the handoff. 

He takes two slightly slowed steps after receiving the ball, then sees the hole and commits to it, accelerating very quickly. The quick decision making allows him to hit the hole at near max speed, which leads to another touchdown for Johnson. 

Quarterback Jarrett Stidham completed one of his most impressive passes of the year in the first play of the second quarter. The pass below was in the back of the end zone to receiver Darius Slayton, who tip-toes the right sideline, right in front of Auburn legend Bo Jackson.

Stidham was given ample time in the face of a safety blitz, thanks to Johnson's timely blocking. The ball is placed in only a spot where only Slayton can haul it in, and Stidham never hesitated from the start of the play.

Johnson has had an incredible season, amassing over 500 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns, despite playing in only four games. Some have begun calling for Heisman consideration for Johnson, and if he keeps up this level of play, it is hard to see him not forcing his way into the conversation.

Johnson and the Tigers will look to stay hot as they travel to Baton Rouge next week to take on LSU, a team coming off an upset road victory over No. 21 Florida.