After Auburn’s 31-10 victory over Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and quarterback Jeremy Johnson met at midfield.
Malzahn, drenched from head to toe from his postgame Gatorade bath, embraced Johnson, whose face lit up with a big smile.
“(Johnson) handled himself like a champ,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “He got his opportunity. When he went into the game it gave us great momentum. … Just did a very good job. Very proud of him.”
Late in the third quarter, it didn’t appear the outcome would be as positive, as Auburn was deadlocked at 10 with Memphis. One of the biggest issues for Auburn was its quarterback play.
Sean White was announced as the Tigers’ starter about 30 minutes before kickoff, but he struggled to shake off the rust accumulated over the second half of his season, when he was hampered by an ankle injury.
White was 3 of 7 in the first half for 29 yards, and he tossed two interceptions, one of which was returned 53 yards for Memphis’ only touchdown of the game.
Enter Johnson, who appeared destined to spend the final game of his junior season on the bench.
Instead, he scored two touchdowns in his first three touches of the game, jump-starting the Auburn offense en route to the beat down of the Tigers from Tennessee.
Johnson entered with Auburn on the goal line and promptly fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jason Smith to give the Tigers a 17-10 lead.
“It hasn’t been a perfect season by any measure, but (Johnson) did awesome,” White said. “He was a huge spark to the team, and I’m just so happy for him. I was just really glad that we could work together to get the win.”
After the Auburn defense forced a three-and-out, Johnson began the next drive with a 17-yard run. Then White, who was 4 of 6 for 74 yards in the second half, retook the reins.
The redshirt freshman orchestrated a steady drive keyed by running back Jovon Robinson, and Johnson reentered and scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Auburn a two-score lead.
“He’s definitely a load to tackle. I think I taught him a couple of moves,” Robinson said with a laugh. “I’m glad for him though. He’s definitely deserving of what he did today.”
Johnson, much like the Auburn team, suffered a disappointing year in 2015.
Hailed as the next great Auburn quarterback before taking a snap as a starter, he struggled early in the year, tossing six interceptions in his first three games before yielding the job to White.
Despite the disappointing season overall, Johnson’s year had a happy ending, as he spent a special moment with his coach after Auburn’s first bowl win since 2011.
“Everything that this team has went through this year, just to see the smile on their faces,” Malzahn said, allowing a smile to creep across his face as he recalled the moment. “Just a real special feeling just to have those individual moments with them that only a player and a coach can understand.”
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