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Lindsey has plan for Pettway, Johnson


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Auburn's Lindsey has plan for Pettway, Johnson | Auburn Sports

Josh Vitale For The Decatur Daily

 
Chip Lindsey

Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey talks about his plan going forward for using running backs Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway. [TODD VAN EMST/AUBURN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS]

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

AUBURN — Chip Lindsey probably started thinking about how he might use Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson together before he even arrived in Auburn in January.

It’s not every season an offensive coordinator changes jobs and inherits two running backs who combined to total more than 2,100 rushing yards the year before.

Until Saturday, Lindsey hadn’t had the chance to put any of those plans into place on the field.

The Arkansas game marked the first time both Pettway and Johnson played a significant role in Auburn’s rushing attack. Johnson started, rushing 20 times for 63 yards and a touchdown in the first half as the Tigers took a 17-6 lead over the Razorbacks. Pettway served as the closer, rushing nine times for 86 yards and three scores in the third quarter to help turn the 11-point halftime lead into a 52-20 rout.

With Auburn off this week, Lindsey will have some extra time to figure out how he wants to deploy the two backs during a crucial November stretch that features games against Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama.

“I've got a good idea of how I want to use both of them when they're both good,” Lindsey said. “(Pettway) and Kerryon, I think, are two of the better backs in our league and maybe in the country, and when you have them both together, I think that's important. That can only help us as we make this stretch run for sure."

It also would be a rare occurrence: Since Pettway recorded the first carry of his career Sept. 10, 2016, against Arkansas State, he and Johnson have played in 14 and 17 of Auburn’s 20 games, respectively. Saturday was the first time this season and fourth time total that both had topped 50 rushing yards in the same game.

The first three times came in a three-week stretch early last season.

Last season, Johnson dealt with a sprained ankle that cost him one game and limited him for seven more. Pettway missed three games altogether due to a pair of quad injuries. This season, Johnson missed two games with a hamstring injury but has otherwise excelled, averaging more than 120 yards and two touchdowns per game.

On the season, Johnson has carried 137 times for 723 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Pettway (76 carries, 305 yards, six scores) has not been so fortunate in his junior season, one which he entered with goals of breaking Auburn’s single-season rushing record. He was suspended the first week and struggled through plantar fasciitis through in the second and third weeks with Johnson out, rushing 56 times but gaining only 202 yards.

In Auburn’s next four games going into the Arkansas game, the 6-foot, 235-pound bruiser played in only two games and rushed just nine times for 13 yards.

“You could tell he had some fresh legs,” Lindsey said. “He just moved around better. He wasn’t near as tight and stiff. I think he felt more like himself, to be honest with you. I’m sure the next day he was pretty sure because he hadn’t played that much in a while, but I like his progress, for sure.”

The question now is how exactly Auburn will use them both going forward. Against Arkansas, it was not so much a rotation as it was a split down the middle. Johnson carried 20 times in the first half and once in the second, and Pettway carried twice before halftime and nine times afterward.

It’s a problem the Tigers are likely more than happy to have this week.

“Sometimes it's the hot hand, sometimes it's how much they've rested," Lindsey said. "Just trying to put the best guys on the field to give us the best chance to win. We got a little glimpse of that the other night. Hopefully we'll finish the season that way."

If Johnson and Pettway are at full strength after the bye week, what role in the offense will that leave for reserve running backs Kam Martin, Devan Barrett and Malik Miller?

By the sound of it, not a big one.

“When it fits, yea, for sure,” Lindsey said when asked if the Tigers would use those players in the running game.

So far this season, it hasn’t seemed to fit much. Martin was given a big role in the opener with Pettway suspended and Johnson going down with injury, rushing 14 times for 136 yards and a touchdown. Since then, he’s carried just 19 times for 128 yards.

The sophomore caught one pass for 5 yards against Clemson and did not touch the ball on offense at all against Mercer, Mississippi State and LSU. He was “banged up” during the Week 4 game at Missouri, head coach Gus Malzahn said, but remained healthy enough to play on kick return.

“Him not getting the carries as much wasn't a sign of the coaches not having confidence in him. But he will definitely be a part moving forward, and he should be,” Malzahn said Sept. 26. Martin has rushed 10 times for 54 yards since, with most of that production coming late in a blowout of Ole Miss.

Barrett has gotten even less work. The true freshman was another player who Malzahn said could see an increased role, but he’s carried just 11 times for 61 yards to go along with six catches for 22 yards. Barrett hasn’t topped two carries in a game since the opener.

Miller leads that group with 28 carries, but nearly all of those have come with the second-team offense late in blowout victories against Missouri, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Arkansas. The redshirt freshman has 115 yards on the season.

“We are going to have some self-evaluations this week and really look at everything and get the best plan moving forward,” Malzahn said. “Not just the running back position, but really all positions and everything that goes with it.

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Great, he has a plan for playing both of them. However, he can’t seem to have a plan for the TE’s, Nate Craig Meyers, Kam Martin, or WR McLain!

Ok, thanks Gus, I mean Rhett, I mean Chip!

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2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:
decaturdaily.com
 

Auburn's Lindsey has plan for Pettway, Johnson | Auburn Sports

Josh Vitale For The Decatur Daily

 
Chip Lindsey

Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey talks about his plan going forward for using running backs Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway. [TODD VAN EMST/AUBURN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS]

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

AUBURN — Chip Lindsey probably started thinking about how he might use Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson together before he even arrived in Auburn in January.

It’s not every season an offensive coordinator changes jobs and inherits two running backs who combined to total more than 2,100 rushing yards the year before.

Until Saturday, Lindsey hadn’t had the chance to put any of those plans into place on the field.

The Arkansas game marked the first time both Pettway and Johnson played a significant role in Auburn’s rushing attack. Johnson started, rushing 20 times for 63 yards and a touchdown in the first half as the Tigers took a 17-6 lead over the Razorbacks. Pettway served as the closer, rushing nine times for 86 yards and three scores in the third quarter to help turn the 11-point halftime lead into a 52-20 rout.

With Auburn off this week, Lindsey will have some extra time to figure out how he wants to deploy the two backs during a crucial November stretch that features games against Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama.

“I've got a good idea of how I want to use both of them when they're both good,” Lindsey said. “(Pettway) and Kerryon, I think, are two of the better backs in our league and maybe in the country, and when you have them both together, I think that's important. That can only help us as we make this stretch run for sure."

It also would be a rare occurrence: Since Pettway recorded the first carry of his career Sept. 10, 2016, against Arkansas State, he and Johnson have played in 14 and 17 of Auburn’s 20 games, respectively. Saturday was the first time this season and fourth time total that both had topped 50 rushing yards in the same game.

The first three times came in a three-week stretch early last season.

Last season, Johnson dealt with a sprained ankle that cost him one game and limited him for seven more. Pettway missed three games altogether due to a pair of quad injuries. This season, Johnson missed two games with a hamstring injury but has otherwise excelled, averaging more than 120 yards and two touchdowns per game.

On the season, Johnson has carried 137 times for 723 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Pettway (76 carries, 305 yards, six scores) has not been so fortunate in his junior season, one which he entered with goals of breaking Auburn’s single-season rushing record. He was suspended the first week and struggled through plantar fasciitis through in the second and third weeks with Johnson out, rushing 56 times but gaining only 202 yards.

In Auburn’s next four games going into the Arkansas game, the 6-foot, 235-pound bruiser played in only two games and rushed just nine times for 13 yards.

“You could tell he had some fresh legs,” Lindsey said. “He just moved around better. He wasn’t near as tight and stiff. I think he felt more like himself, to be honest with you. I’m sure the next day he was pretty sure because he hadn’t played that much in a while, but I like his progress, for sure.”

The question now is how exactly Auburn will use them both going forward. Against Arkansas, it was not so much a rotation as it was a split down the middle. Johnson carried 20 times in the first half and once in the second, and Pettway carried twice before halftime and nine times afterward.

It’s a problem the Tigers are likely more than happy to have this week.

“Sometimes it's the hot hand, sometimes it's how much they've rested," Lindsey said. "Just trying to put the best guys on the field to give us the best chance to win. We got a little glimpse of that the other night. Hopefully we'll finish the season that way."

If Johnson and Pettway are at full strength after the bye week, what role in the offense will that leave for reserve running backs Kam Martin, Devan Barrett and Malik Miller?

By the sound of it, not a big one.

“When it fits, yea, for sure,” Lindsey said when asked if the Tigers would use those players in the running game.

So far this season, it hasn’t seemed to fit much. Martin was given a big role in the opener with Pettway suspended and Johnson going down with injury, rushing 14 times for 136 yards and a touchdown. Since then, he’s carried just 19 times for 128 yards.

The sophomore caught one pass for 5 yards against Clemson and did not touch the ball on offense at all against Mercer, Mississippi State and LSU. He was “banged up” during the Week 4 game at Missouri, head coach Gus Malzahn said, but remained healthy enough to play on kick return.

“Him not getting the carries as much wasn't a sign of the coaches not having confidence in him. But he will definitely be a part moving forward, and he should be,” Malzahn said Sept. 26. Martin has rushed 10 times for 54 yards since, with most of that production coming late in a blowout of Ole Miss.

Barrett has gotten even less work. The true freshman was another player who Malzahn said could see an increased role, but he’s carried just 11 times for 61 yards to go along with six catches for 22 yards. Barrett hasn’t topped two carries in a game since the opener.

Miller leads that group with 28 carries, but nearly all of those have come with the second-team offense late in blowout victories against Missouri, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Arkansas. The redshirt freshman has 115 yards on the season.

“We are going to have some self-evaluations this week and really look at everything and get the best plan moving forward,” Malzahn said. “Not just the running back position, but really all positions and everything that goes with it.

I'll believe the boldened statement when I see it.

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I can see Gus/Chip running one of them in the first half to get the defense tired and bringing the fresh legs in the second half to run on a tired defense (only if we don’t sit on a lead).

As for the other talent we have on our team, it’s a shame we haven’t seen them more while the two premier backs were hurt.  Alas, Gus has a plan and we will have to wait to see what happens against T A&M on the 4th.

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I'm still absolutely baffled about not using Kam Martin - unless he's a player that has been under "internal investigation" and Gus hasn't wanted to risk games by using him if something is uncovered.

But even that's a stretch. So I just don't know.

Edit: And I'm still waiting on a truly healthy Pettway to start punishing defenses. Last week was good for his confidence but Arky was worn out.

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1 hour ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

I hope its not running Pettway up the middle into 8 man fronts. 

I'm surprised you didn't say let's hope Gus doesn't screw it up. lol

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12 minutes ago, ellitor said:

I'm surprised you didn't say let's hope Gus doesn't screw it up. lol

That was implied....guess you missed it....:)

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4 minutes ago, AU64 said:

That was implied....guess you missed it....:)

WDE doesn't usually give implied shots though.

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3 hours ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

I hope its not running Pettway up the middle into 8 man fronts. 

It’ll not only be that, but he’ll figure out how to do it out of 14 different formations.

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8 hours ago, stoic-one said:

How about a wildcat zone read with KJ taking the snap and KP at RB?

No? Too much to ask for?

The wildcat implications with both rb's healthy are mind-blowing.

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First, we're gonna run it up the middle.  Then, we're gonna run up the middle.  After that, we are gonna throw a fly route 40 yards and complete it.  Next, we will hurry to the line and catching the defense completely off-guard we will....run it up the middle.  And just when they think they know what we're gonna do, that's when we hit them with the old RUN UP THE MIDDLE! 

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4 hours ago, OnthePlains said:

First, we're gonna run it up the middle.  Then, we're gonna run up the middle.  After that, we are gonna throw a fly route 40 yards and complete it.  Next, we will hurry to the line and catching the defense completely off-guard we will....run it up the middle.  And just when they think they know what we're gonna do, that's when we hit them with the old RUN UP THE MIDDLE! 

with one receiver running a route and multiple play action so that the QB has no other option to make a read......Gus is the best DC friend in big boy ball.

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The coaches definitely need a few special plays with Willis at QB. Preferably a few passes since we basically run it up the middle or he keeps it and runs when he has played. He would probably have some wide open receivers when he starts a RPO play given our prior tendencies with him. 

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7 hours ago, Gr82batigr said:

The coaches definitely need a few special plays with Willis at QB. Preferably a few passes since we basically run it up the middle or he keeps it and runs when he has played. He would probably have some wide open receivers when he starts a RPO play given our prior tendencies with him. 

why do we care so much if our backup QB throws a pass. Geez, the only way he sees the field is if we are way ahead or way behind, or JS is hurt. 2 of those 3 are not good ideas.

I saw where teams  with FR Qbs are not doing well, except for Fromm with GA, and Mond with TaM. And watching him tonight, TaM is not playing well. dropped passes ,and MSU is constantly putting pressure on Mond. 

Are you watching Coach Steele?

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On ‎10‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 11:07 AM, 3rdgeneration said:

I'd like to see a little wishbone action! ? Put them both in the field at the same time.  

LOL! The only wishbone (or option) that Gus knows is the one in a TURKEY!

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Why not give Devan Barrett a chance? I know it would break Gus's seniority rule but he's shown some flashes in VERY limited action. UGA somehow finds touches in big games for their stud freshman RB with two potential 1st rd RB's on the roster. Meanwhile, our 2 underclassmen RB's are going into the home stretch of the season with little game action.

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20 minutes ago, CR said:

Why not give Devan Barrett a chance? I know it would break Gus's seniority rule but he's shown some flashes in VERY limited action. UGA somehow finds touches in big games for their stud freshman RB with two potential 1st rd RB's on the roster. Meanwhile, our 2 underclassmen RB's are going into the home stretch of the season with little game action.

true, and please be a run other than the jet sweep. defenses should just automatically run to the sideline if his number is called. 

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