April 8, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- The goal all spring has been to narrow the running back competition down to two or three before Auburn heads into the summer. After Saturday's spring game, that might be difficult to do. The only thing that's clear at this point is that the Tigers have plenty of depth at the position.
And that's not a bad problem to have.
"There's nothing better than competition," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said after the game. "It keeps everybody on that edge. My experience is when you have competition, the cream rises to the top. We got some pretty good information from those guys, and big picture right now, the thing I can tell you is we're going to have depth. And you cannot have enough depth in this league at the running back position."
The coaches opted to hold out Kam Martin, the team's leading returning rusher from a year ago, because of a minor hamstring issue. But that presented opportunities for the younger players to showcase their abilities in front of the fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Rising sophomore Malik Miller started with the first-team offense but only carried the ball three times. Redshirt freshman JaTarvious Whitlow -- who has turned heads throughout the spring -- showed flashes as he rushed for 96 yards on 14 carries. And true freshman Asa Martin, an early enrollee who arrived in January, had a solid day with 66 yards on 17 carries.
But the big star was the veteran of the group, rising senior C.J. Tolbert, who broke off a 79-yard run in the second quarter and finished with a game-high 137 yards on 16 carries. He also scored the only touchdown on the day for either side and earned offensive MVP honors.
"We've got five great running backs."
🗣@_cjtolbert on being @AuburnFootball A-Day offensive MVP (2 TDs, 140 yards, including 79-yard run).
"Blessed. Just thank God for the opportunity to be here." pic.twitter.com/P0GvpE1paA-- Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) April 8, 2018
"We're very proud of him," Malzahn said. "He's one of those guys that a lot of people don't talk about, but every time he gets in there, he produces. He made an explosive run down the right side. He protected the football, too. He made a very good run getting in the end zone. He made a guy miss. He's had a very good spring. And he's in the mix. There's no doubt about that."
"I love C.J," added quarterback Jarrett Stidham said. "First of all, he's a great guy. He runs hard. I really like watching C.J. play because he's usually always moving forward and not backward. He's just a downhill runner, very physical. I thought he played really well."
A breakout performance on A-Day doesn't necessarily mean that Tolbert is now the front-runner to win the job. Cameron Artis-Payne was named MVP of Auburn's spring game in 2013 after he rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown. However, he was third on the team in carries (91) that season and finished fourth in yards (610). It wasn't until the next year that the junior-college transfer broke through and led the SEC in rushing.
What we do know is that Auburn has multiple options in the backfield that are proving that they are capable of stepping up and replacing Kerryon Johnson. Just ask Tolbert.
"No. 1 through 5 -- Asa, Kam, Malik and Boobee (Whitlow) -- they're all guys that can step up and make plays at any given time," Tolbert said. "You see yourself on the sideline when somebody else is getting reps like `Dang, he just made a good run or he just made a good catch. I have to go out and try to beat that.'
"As a running back group, we encourage each other all the time. We love each other. We're a close-knit group. It sparks good competition every day."
"There's just a lot of competitiveness," quarterback Malik Willis said. "Everybody's stepping up trying to be the one. Everybody's working hard at practice, doing the right thing."
The five running backs -- six if you include converted wide receiver Devan Barrett -- will return to the field Tuesday for one last practice before the end of spring. Then it's four months until the beginning of fall camp and five months before the season opener. That's five months for the coaches to find a starting running back.
Though Saturday might not have helped narrow the competition, it was a good sign for the future.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf