Guerry Clegg: Good day in tough season for Jeremy Johnson
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --Amid the celebration of Auburn's 31-10 victory over Memphis, moments after the presentation of the Birmingham Bowl trophy, Tigers coach Gus Malzahn sought out quarterback Jeremy Johnson for a quick bro-hug and a few smiles.
"How 'bout that? Wasn't that sweet?" Malzahn said.
"Yes sir, it was," Johnson said.
The festive nature of the moment and the noise forced them to keep words to a minimum.
Yeah, it was only the Birmingham Bowl, not a championship game or even a prestigious bowl game. The only tangible reward was the win prevented the Tigers from having a losing season. Their 7-6 finish is nothing to celebrate.
But that didn't matter Wednesday. And, given all that Malzahn and Johnson have gone through together this season, words were not really necessary.
"It was great, from a coach's standpoint, when you win a bowl," Malzahn said. "Everything that this team has gone through this year, and then to see a smile on their face, it's just a real special feeling, just to have those individual moments with them that only a player and a coach understand."
It was fitting that the Tigers' odd journey this season came to an end here at Legion Field. It was in this city, which once proudly boasted of being "The Football Capital of the South," where it unofficially began at SEC media days five months ago. The Tigers were picked by the media to win the SEC championship, and Johnson was named the second-team All-SEC quarterback.
By season's end, with Sean White having recovered from a knee injury, Johnson was happy just to play a role in Auburn's offensive game plan. White started, but Johnson went into the game when the Tigers got inside the Memphis 10-yard line. He made the most of his limited chances, throwing a touchdown pass, then running for one and being behind center on Javon Robinson's 4-yard touchdown plunge, one that more closely resembled a rugby scrum.
Johnson could have been bitter. And, truth be told, perhaps deep down he did resent being reduced to a bystander, especially after White threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for Memphis's only touchdown.
Look, the kid's human. And he's a competitor, so he shouldn't be overjoyed with watching a redshirt freshman take his job.
But through it all, Johnson remained upbeat and positive, and respected Malzahn's decision.
"We have a great relationship," Johnson said. "I've been knowing Coach Malzahn for a long time. He's a great person, a great coach. I have faith in him and trust him."
Malzahn brought Johnson to media days and embraced all the Heisman candidate talk even though Johnson had started only one SEC game before this season, and that was due to Nick Marshall's suspension for the 2014 opener against Arkansas. Johnson played well, but in retrospect such lofty expectations were not only unrealistic but unfair to him. It's not as if he anointed himself a Heisman candidate.
But Johnson did put enormous pressure on himself to live up to those expectations.
"I did that to myself," he said. "All the outside talk, that was not my expectations. I had my own expectations. Everybody thought highly of me. It was my first year starting. I felt like I was going to get better as the season went along, but I got pulled. All I could do was keep my head up and keep faith. I just leave everything in God's hands. I kept faith. Just a life learning situation. Things happen in life. I just felt like this defined my character and the person that I am. I'm very blessed. I love playing with these guys."
It's obvious his teammates respect him.
"Good teammate. GREAT teammate," said receiver Ricardo Louis. "It's been very tough. But you know, you've got to overcome adversity. Overcoming adversity determines what kind of person you are. That showed today."
"Man, he's a great kid," said tackle Shon Coleman. "You saw that today. That's something we already knew."
"He's definitely a load to stop," said running back Jovon Robinson. "I think I taught him a couple of moves. I'm glad for him, though. He's definitely deserving of what he did today."
The season began with media members asking Johnson about the Heisman. It ended with questions about whether he will return to Auburn for next season or transfer, which seemed to catch him off guard.
"Yeah, I'm coming back."
Johnson would have to sit out a season if he transferred unless he went to a Football Championship Series program or graduates before next season. He seemed genuinely oblivious to the fact that Auburn is expected to add two quarterbacks who may be better fits for the offense. Former Florida State quarterback John Franklin III has signed a letter-of-intent to play for Auburn next season and will be a junior in eligibility. Woody Barrett, a high school senior, has verbally committed.
"What quarterbacks?" Johnson said. "I'm not worrying about it. All I can do is work on myself. I'm a competitor and I'm going to compete. I have faith in myself to be the starting quarterback."
Johnson is ready for another opportunity.
-- Guerry Clegg is an independent correspondent. You can write to him at sports@ledger-enquirer.com
This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Guerry Clegg: Good day in tough season for Jeremy Johnson ."