AuburnFamilyNews.com: Kerryon Johnson back to '90-95 percent range' after hamstring injury

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Kerryon Johnson back to '90-95 percent range' after hamstring injury


Kerryon Johnson hasn't been full speed since the first half of Auburn's season opener, but the junior running back feels he is nearing 100 percent as the Tigers approach the midpoint of the season.

Johnson, who sustained a hamstring injury on a long run against Georgia Southern, has played through the lingering effects of the injury each of the last two weeks while being at about 80-85 percent healthy. That number figures to improve again when No. 12 Auburn (4-1, 2-0 SEC) hosts Ole Miss (2-2, 0-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday.

"I'm getting back to the 90-95 percent range," Johnson said Tuesday.

That's promising news for an Auburn backfield that is also dealing with injuries to Kamryn Pettway (left ankle) and Kam Martin (undisclosed). Johnson said that Tuesday's practice, typically the Tigers' toughest of the week, will be the "telling day" for him but added that he's feeling "really good" about where his hamstring is in the recovery process.

Since returning to the field after missing two games, Johnson has led Auburn's running backs each of the last two weeks. Although he didn't rack up the yardage against Missouri (48 yards) that he did against Mississippi State (116 yards), Johnson combined for eight rushing touchdowns the last two games.

It marked the first back-to-back multi-touchdown games of Johnson's career, and it elevated him to a five-way tie for second-most rushing scores in the nation this season with nine. Johnson is behind only Oregon running back Royce Freeman, who leads the FBS with 10 rushing touchdowns in five games; Johnson has only played in three.

In his effort to get back to full strength and be a productive weapon in the rushing game, Johnson has received treatment on his hamstring three times a day. He wakes up each morning and does treatment at 6:30 a.m. before class, then undergoes another round after class. Then comes practice in the afternoon, after which he does a third round of treatments, which entail a lot of ice, stretching and other exercises for his hamstring.

"Coach Malzahn definitely encourages treatment, to say the least," Johnson said. "...You just go whenever you can, basically. They make sure they get you over here and they make sure that you go. They definitely check up on it. They want you to be healthy, and that's on us. We're scholarship athletes here. We should be playing every Saturday, and treatment helps us do that."

That treatment has led to obvious improvements in Johnson's game since his return.

The increase in Johnson's production against Mississippi State, when he averaged 5.04 yards per carry, compared to Missouri, when he averaged 2.67 yards per rush, is an indication of Johnson's improving health. So, too, was his 59-yard run against the Bulldogs -- which marked his second longest of the season.

"Definitely (getting healthier)," Johnson said. "Even on the run last week where a guy caught up to me, I wouldn't have been able to run that far the week before. I know week by week it's just getting better, getting better, getting better. One of these weeks I'll be healthy, and you'll see what I can really do."

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.



from Auburn Sports Impact http://bit.ly/2fLbiXc

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