After Detroit defeated the New England Patriots 26-10 on Sunday night, Lions running back Kerryon Johnson tried to think what he was doing the previous time that the NFL team had a 100-yard rusher.
Johnson sparked Detroit's upset victory by running for 101 yards on 16 carries. The Lions hadn't had a 100-yard rusher since Reggie Bush ran for 117 yards on 20 carries in a 40-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 28, 2013, in Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day game.
"Well, I graduated high school in '15, so I was 15 years old, a sophomore in high school," Johnson said after the game. "I was probably winning state or something, I don't know. But it was a while, that's for sure."
Johnson actually was 16 years old and a junior when Bush had Detroit's last 100-yard game until Sunday night. But Johnson was right about winning the state championship.
The day after the Lions' win over Green Bay in 2013, Johnson and Madison Academy defeated Saks 31-21 in an AHSAA Class 3A semifinal game. Playing after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the final regular-season game and with a balky shoulder, Johnson scored a touchdown, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass off Saks quarterback Tremon Smith, who's now a cornerback with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The next week, the Mustangs defeated Leeds 31-14 in the Class 3A championship game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Trainers popped Johnson's left shoulder back into place twice in the game, but he still managed a 43-yard touchdown run.
The state championship was the middle of three in a row for Madison Academy, and Johnson earned All-State recognition in each season. In 2014, Johnson earned the 3A Back of the Year Award.
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From the Mustangs, Johnson went to Auburn, and he led the SEC in rushing with 1,391 yards last season. In April, the Lions selected him in the second round of the NFL Draft.
"I think Kerryon, a lot of what we saw coming out, a lot of what we liked from him, that definitely showed up," Lions coach Matt Patricia said after Sunday night's victory.
Johnson's 101 yards against the Patriots ended the fourth-longest streak without a 100-yard rusher in NFL history at 70 games. The Lions' streak was the longest since the Washington Redskins went 72 games from 1962 to 1967 without a 100-yard back. The record is 79 games by the Chicago Cardinals from 1937 to 1945.
"I've heard about it plenty since I've been here," Detroit offensive tackle Taylor Decker said. "And that was huge. We knew we have talented guys that can make plays if we do our jobs and block the guys first-level, get the linebackers and they can get out there and make the guys miss. So that's huge, and more than anything, I hope it's something we can build on. If you can establish a good run game, you know, we're going to be a hard offensive team to stop."
Johnson did in his third NFL game what 11 Detroit running backs hadn't been able to accomplish since Bush's 100-yard game. When the Ford Field videoboard flashed that Johnson had broken the 100-yard barrier on Sunday night, the crowd roared and Lions running backs LeGarrette Blount and Theo Riddick danced around Johnson on the sideline.
"It's rare to see other guys that excited," Johnson said. "They were more excited than I was. That just goes to show what we have in our running-back room and on this Detroit Lions team. We all want to see each other shine because we realize that helps us all win."
#VictoryVibe on #VictoryMonday pic.twitter.com/nFa1wuYsVB
-- Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 24, 2018
Johnson had 13 carries for 60 yards as Detroit lost its first two games 48-17 to the New York Jets and 30-27 to the San Francisco 49ers.
"As long as you're gaining yards, that's your comfort zone," Johnson said. "You get in a rhythm, you start running. You start running, you start gaining yards. You start gaining yards, and you just keep that up. The O-line starts to feel it. They start being physical and more physical, and it all comes together."
Since Detroit's Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders retired after the 1998 season, the Lions haven't finished in the top half of the NFL in rushing offense in any year. Detroit drafted 17 running backs looking for an answer after Sanders' retirement, and the Lions traded the 51st and 117th selections in this year's draft to the Patriots to move up eight spots in the second round to select Johnson at No. 43.
"I think our guys have been working really hard at the run game," Patricia said during his postgame press conference. "I know there's kind of a stigmatism with the run game around here and however long it's been since we've run the ball well, and I don't really think that's fair to these guys that are this year's team. They're trying to do a great job of running the ball this year."
The Lions visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday for their fourth game.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.
from Auburn Sports Impact http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/09/kerryon_johnson_puts_end_to_de.html
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