Shifting momentum

In September, the season looked lost in Death Valley.

After a November trip to Kyle Field, however, a flicker of life sparked in the Auburn Tigers.

Turmoil, chaos and tumult engulfed a team once destined to waltz into the SEC Championship, or so the national landscape predicted.

The starting quarterback, prematurely heralded as the fourth Heisman winner in Auburn history, was benched after having more interceptions thrown than games started.

The offense, which led the nation in rushing in 2013, wasn’t anywhere close to that type of production.

But on Saturday, in the heart of Texas, it turned.

Gus Malzahn was determined to get the ground attack turned around, and he did. The Tigers ran the ball 52 times for 311 yards, significantly higher than their 189 yards per game average.

Jovon Robinson, the JUCO transfer who had been struggling with a nagging ankle injury for the majority of the season, led all rushers for the second straight game, netting 159 yards on 27 carries.

Meanwhile, Will Muschamp’s defense finally looked like what it was expected to do. After being torched by Louisville dual-threat QB Lamar Jackson in the season opener, it held Texas A&M quarterback Kyler Murray to 37 yards on the ground, consistently corralling him on the edges and forcing him to play in the pocket.

It was the type of game where every area of the game seemed to click for Auburn, something Malzahn had repeatedly said the Tigers had yet to do in the weeks prior.

“Tonight was a true team win,” Malzahn said after the game. “I felt like we played good in all three phases, really for the first time all year … I’m excited for our players, and we played our best game tonight.”

Johnson emerged from the ashes to assume the mantle of starting quarterback once more, a job he almost regained for Ole Miss, but Sean White was able to play through a knee injury. White wasn’t able to go against Texas A&M, so Johnson had another chance to prove why he was so highly touted.

The coaching staff learned how to effectively utilize Johnson, and emphasized putting him in better situations. They didn’t get greedy by having Johnson throw deep into tight coverage, one of the areas he struggled with. Instead, Malzahn and Rhett Lashlee dialed up shorter, easier throws for Johnson where he wasn’t able to overthink his reads.

Despite his encouraging performance, Johnson knew there was another quarterback sitting on the sidelines.

But he wasn’t concerned about animosity between the two--in fact, he had nothing but love for the player he will be competing for a job with.

“I played this game for (White),” Johnson said. “He’s been a great player, great teammate. I really just played this game for him.”

Add in a revitalized stable of running backs--led by Robinson--and the Tigers are beginning to look like a team picking up steam as they head into the final three regular season games of the season.

Now with a suddenly limping Georgia team next on the docket, Auburn can reach six wins and gain bowl eligibility--attaining a goal that looked nearly unobtainable a mere month ago.