With his quarterback on the ground and a herd of defenders closing in behind the line of scrimmage on third down, Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson planted his left foot with authority. 360 degrees and a healthy dose of running later, Johnson changed the fortunes of the Tigers much-maligned offense.
His spin move resulted in a 47-yard touchdown, sparking a run of explosive plays for the Tigers in a 51-14 win over Arkansas State on Saturday night.
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn’s offense has struggled for much of the past year, and after a lackluster performance against Clemson, the pressure for the Tigers offense to perform was more intense than ever. Malzahn’s offense responded in a big way, rolling up 706 yards – just 6 yards short of the school record set in 2013 against Western Carolina.
“We came out and looked like an Auburn offense for the first time," Malzahn said. "We got to run the football. When we can run the football, it opens everything else up.”
One possession after Johnson’s tone-setting run, true freshman receiver Kyle Davis stole some of Johnson’s thunder, hauling in a 42-yard pass with one hand amid two defenders. The catch immediately conjured memories of the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr.’s famous catch against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.
"I didn't think he'd do it with one hand," White said with a chuckle. "He's been out a lot for the spring and the beginning of fall camp and he's really only been practicing a couple of weeks, and those couple of weeks, he just made wild plays all the time. I was shocked the way he did it, but I wasn't shocked that he came up with it."
A few plays later, Johnson scored his second touchdown from a yard out to give Auburn the lead for good, 14-7.
The second quarter was dominated by Auburn (1-1). Quarterback Sean White threw two scores in the frame: a 24-yard pass to Tony Stevens early in the quarter and a 29-yard strike to Will Hastings late in the half. For the game, White went 17-for-23 for 244 yards and 3 touchdowns, while adding 60 yards on the ground.
"(White's) a tough guy," Malzahn said. "He just plays ball and that’s the way he plays. His teammates like that about him.”
The second-quarter score that will be remembered the most, however, came in between those White passes. Up 21-7 midway through the quarter, kicker Daniel Carlson set up for a 37-yard field goal, but on this occasion, toe would never meet leather. Instead, holder Tyler Stovall flipped the ball over his head. Carlson caught it and ran 20 yards to give Auburn a 28-7 lead.
“We felt like if we got the right opportunity, if we got the right look, it would be there," Malzahn said. "Coach (Scott) Fountain and Coach (Herb) Hand are in charge of the field goals, and they came to me in the middle of the week and felt like we had a chance.”
The Red Wolves (0-2) had no answer for the Tigers’ rushing attack, which rolled up 462 yards – Auburn’s most in a game since the 2013 SEC Championship Game (545). Johnson rushed 18 times for 124 yards and two scores, while fellow sophomore Kamryn Pettway had 15 carries for 152 yards. After the game, Pettway referred to himself and Johnson as "a one-two punch."
It was the first 100-yard game for both Johnson and Pettway, marking the first time two Tigers have had their first 100-yard performances in the same game since 1982, when Lionel James and Bo Jackson both had over 118 yards.
Pettway’s 64-yard rush just before halftime set up a Carlson field goal, which gave Auburn a 38-7 halftime lead. At the break, Auburn had 452 yards of offense. For comparison's sake, the most yards Auburn gained in an entire game last season was 460 against Idaho.
Auburn's offense slowed down in the second half, as an 8-yard pass from White to Stevens late in the third quarter was the Tigers' lone touchdown. Danielson kicked two field goals in the second half and, between his touchdown run, extra points and field goals, scored 21 points on the night.
While Auburn’s offense encouraged fans by improving vastly upon their performance against Clemson, Auburn’s defense encouraged fans by continuing to do exactly what it did last week. The Tigers held Arkansas State to 326 total yards – including just 66 on the ground – and 14 first downs.
Arkansas State quarterback Chad Voytik, a transfer from Pittsburgh, was the lone bright spot for the Red Wolves. He went 15-for-21 for 215 yards and ran for two scores. However, Auburn's aggressive defense sacked him four times.
"It was good to go out there and ball out with my teammates," said defensive end Carl Lawson, who recorded his first sack of the season. "I'm glad we got a team win today. We need to keep improving, but I'm so happy we got a win for Auburn today."
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