Nov. 12, 2016
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
ATHENS, Ga. - Running back Kerryon Johnson wasn't looking for an out, though he could have talked about his own injury, or the one that sidelined SEC leading rusher Kamryn Pettway for the entire game, or the one that has slowed quarterback Sean White for two weeks, or the one that hurt running back Stanton Truitt after one carry Saturday.
But Johnson wasn't making excuses after Georgia beat Auburn 13-7 Saturday.
"This is the SEC. People are going to get hurt," Johnson said. "That's not an excuse for us not having a productive day. We just outplayed."
Georgia snapped Auburn's six-game winning streak before the Tigers play Alabama A&M next week, and play Alabama the week after that.
"We've got two more games," said coach Gus Malzahn. "Our guys will rebound."
Johnson, ever the team guy, gained 99 of Auburn's 127 rushing yards and scored the Tigers' touchdown on a 3-yard run. He said it wasn't enough.
"We pride ourselves in running the ball. I didn't make any plays. We have to come back next week," Johnson said.
Even if means playing with a hurt backfield.
"We're pretty beat up there," Malzahn said.
Pettway, who suffered a leg injury in late in last week's win over Vanderbilt, didn't dress out.
"He's week to week. We'll see," offered Malzahn.
Auburn led 7-0 aft halftime, but the Tigers ran only 22 plays and didn't have a first down in the second half in an offensive performance that left Malzahn disappointed, especially since he said his defense was "outstanding." Auburn's defense didn't allow a touchdown. Georgia's touchdown came on an interception.
White, who didn't play the week before until he was called on in the second half to beat Vanderbilt, fought through his lack of practice time and the injury that has slowed him the last two weeks. Alas, "it affected him," Malzahn said.
Malzahn said Auburn protected White in practice. And then, Saturday, "He got hit early. Tough guy."
Malzahn said he tried to get White through the injury by limiting him between games. "We were able to save his arm the best we could to get him to the game. He battled."
But White, the SEC's passing efficiency leader coming in, was 6-of-20 passing for 27 yards. Malzahn said all the good White did in the six-game winning streak counts, though.
"Sean has been our quarterback. He's done a good job to this point," he said. "Obviously, he's not 100 percent. He didn't practice again this past week throwing the football.
"It's who got us here and who we went with today."
Malzahn was asked if White's problem was pain or his strength throwing the football.
"It's probably all of the above," he said.
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine