Sports: Rudi puts r-u-n back in Auburn

Rudi puts r-u-n back in Auburn

Rudi Johnson, a JUCO transfer, has the Tigers thinking run first, pass later.

By JOANNE KORTH

GAINESVILLE -- Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was looking for a way to express how sincerely the Tigers needed junior-college running back Rudi Johnson when he realized the ugly truth.

Numbers don't lie.

Tuberville sent Johnson the Tigers' weekly 1999 rushing statistics: 58 yards against Mississippi; 39 yards against Mississippi State; 1 yard against Florida. By the end of the season, Auburn ranked 112th out of 114 Division I-A schools with 748 yards.

Johnson came running.

"Anybody coming out of junior college wants to go somewhere where you can make an immediate impact," Johnson said. "Auburn's coaches told me I was going to play as soon as I got there."

Johnson has done more than just play. He has transformed one of the nation's worst running attacks and turned No. 19 Auburn into a SEC title contender as it plays No. 10 Florida today.

"There have been days when we've had Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine and the Sporting News here," Tuberville said. "Auburn used to be known for their running backs. Heck, we haven't had a 500-yard rusher in five years, much less a 1,000-yard rusher, and here's a guy who's getting close to 800 yards after six games."

Auburn, which produced Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson and Washington Redskins star Stephen Davis, has not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Davis ran for 1,068 in 1995. In six games, Johnson has 742 yards and eight touchdowns. His 123.7 average leads the SEC.

Johnson burst onto the national scene with 174 yards in Auburn's season-opening victory against Wyoming on ESPN. By the fourth quarter, all of Tiger Stadium was chanting, "Rudi! Rudi! Rudi!"

For an encore, Johnson ran for 165 yards against Ole Miss. And 139 against Louisiana State, 110 against Northern Illinois and 128 against Vanderbilt, becoming the first Auburn back with five consecutive 100-yard games since Brent Fullwood in 1986.

"He's got excellent hands and deceptive speed," Tuberville said. "Everybody says he doesn't look that fast, but in the games he's broken away in the open field, he's always been fast enough to outrun the people chasing him."

Johnson, 5-10, 228 pounds, rushed for 2,224 yards, averaging 7.3 per carry, as a sophomore at Butler County Junior College in Kansas. That's more than Auburn gained in the 1998 and '99 seasons -- combined.

In the 1999 JUCO championship, Johnson had 375 yards and scored seven touchdowns to beat Dixie College of Utah. Auburn's leading rusher last season, fullback Heath Evans, had 330 yards in 11 games.

"To tell you how far the running game's come, I'm getting all kinds of e-mails now from alumni and fans, "What's happening to our passing game?' " Tuberville said. "It's a whole different attitude from everybody."

At Thomas Dale High in Ettrick, Va., Johnson broke the single-season rushing record with more than 1,800 yards as a senior, scoring 25 touchdowns. But he let his grades slip and had to go junior college.

"I just had to go another way to get where I wanted to be," Johnson said.

He has been focused ever since.

"Junior college helped him grow up," Tuberville said. "He's more mature than he was coming out of high school and he's got his priorities together a lot better. He's done very well in school. He's been a pleasant surprise."

Johnson, 21, ran into his first Division I roadblock last week, when Mississippi State held him to 26 yards on 18 carries in the Tigers' 17-10 loss. Up next, Florida's defense could be the cure.

The Gators, ranked 10th in the SEC against the run, have allowed four 100-yard rushers this season: Tennessee's Travis Henry (175), Kentucky's Artone Pinner (125), and Mississippi State's Dicenzo Miller (172) and Dontae Walker (156). Tackling has been poor.

"Rudi's a big back," UF defensive coordinator Jon Hoke said. "We're going to have to gang tackle."

Johnson is tough to bring down, something for which his teammates can attest. Not only has he impacted Auburn's offense, he also has challenged the defense.

"He's brought an extra dimension to this team," Tuberville said. "Trying to tackle him has made us tougher. But he still has a long ways to go to be the best player he can be. We'll have to wait and see how he handles all of it."

The numbers will tell.