Kerryon Johnson quest for 1000

[aubiefifty 17,487]

al.com

 

Auburn's offensive line will 'try to get' Kerryon Johnson to 1,000 yards in Sugar Bowl

Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Alex Kozan doesn't chase stats, but the fifth-year senior offensive lineman has some motivation to do it during the Sugar Bowl.

With Auburn on the precipice of having two 1,000-yard running backs for the first time since 1979, Kozan posed a question to reporters Saturday during Auburn's offensive media day: "How many yards does Kerryon (Johnson) need for 1,000?" he asked.

The group of media members assembled around Kozan's table inside the New Orleans Marriott were quick to respond: 138 yards.

"OK," Kozan said. "We'll try to get him there."

At the beginning of the season, Johnson said he wanted to be Auburn's next 1,000-yard running back. While, Kamryn Pettway beat him to the punch this season, rushing for 1,123 yards heading into Monday's Sugar Bowl matchup with Oklahoma, Johnson said Friday "it would mean the world" to reach that mark.

Johnson believes the goal is still within reach, and while the main objective this week is beating the Sooners and capping off a turnaround season with a win in a New Year's Six bowl game, Auburn's offensive line would like to get Johnson to the 1,000-yard plateau.

 

Kerryon Johnson believes his season goal is still within reach

Entering the season, Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson believed he could become the Tigers' latest 1,000-yard rusher.

 

It would be a point of pride not just for Johnson and the rest of the running backs, but for the Tigers' offensive line, which would get to boast the fact it paved the way for two 1,000-yard running backs for the first time since James Brooks and Joe Cribbs rushed for 1,208 and 1,120 yards respectively nearly 40 years ago.

"If you got two 1,000-yard rushers -- it's hard enough to get one, so if you get two against the defenses we have to play against, they deserve to take a lot of credit because we can't get anything without them," Johnson said. "That not only builds their confidence up, but it builds the resume for them, builds the resume for the offensive line coach. That's a great accomplishment. Our accomplishment is basically theirs, so it's great."

In order to achieve that feat, Johnson needs to finish the Sugar Bowl with his second-best game of the season. He has only eclipsed 138 yards once this year -- a career-best performance against ULM on Oct. 1 in which he had 146 yards and two touchdowns.

It's a lofty bar, but it's not completely out of the question. Auburn's offensive line wants to make it happen.

"We're a rushing attack," Kozan said. "That's why we're a top-10 rushing attack in the country. We definitely look to establish the run. They're not the best team in the country at stopping the run, so there's definitely an opportunity there."

Since Kozan has been at Auburn, he can only recall one instance in which he or his teammates have made a point to attain some statistical goal.

"There's only one time we've played for stats that I can think of, and that was in 2012," Kozan said. "We were trying to get Tre Mason 1,000 yards vs. Alabama in the second half after we were getting tattooed."

Auburn has come a long way since that 3-9 campaign, when working to get Mason -- who finished with 1,088 rushing yards -- to that mark was one of just a few highlights in an otherwise dismal season.

"That year was such an anomaly, I'd say," Kozan said. "It was kind of the perfect storm for failure."

Since then, Auburn has won an SEC championship, played for a national title, led the nation in rushing in 2013 (something Kozan still takes pride in) and is now prepping for a New Year's Six bowl against the Big 12 champion Sooners -- a win that can potentially give Auburn a top-10 finish at the end of the season.

Bottom line is the Tigers aren't at a point anymore where they need to chase stats to validate their season. That doesn't mean they don't want to accomplish it, though, for Johnson and for themselves.

"They're not going to talk about it," Johnson said. "They know in their brains that it's a huge accomplishment, but they're not prideful guys. They're not going to go out. Coach (Herb) Hand might use it here and there for a recruiting pitch, but they just come out here and get the work done. That's what their job is. That's what they do really well and that's what they've done this year.

"In their brains, they'll realize it, but it's not like they're going to boast about it. They're just all quiet guys about getting their work done."

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,841]

Even with the offensive line going to hell against Alabama and UGA, the fact that we got that close while also getting KP up there is quite impressive.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,841]

Even with the offensive line going to hell against Alabama and UGA, the fact that we got that close while also getting KP up there is quite impressive.

[kd4au 1,145]

I hope KJ gets his yards,it would be nice to have two 1000 yard rushers again at running back U.

[AuburnNTexas 7,236]

Would love to see KJ make it while KP has a big day also.

[Eagle-1 3,821]

Sounds good to me, especially if it translates to 13.8 first downs.