Arkansas coach knows all about 'Rudi'

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- When James Shibest was offensive coordinator at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, he coached Corey Dillon in 1994.
That's the same Corey Dillon who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals and rushed for an NFL-record 278 yards last Sunday.
But Shibest, Arkansas' special teams and tight ends coach, said Dillon isn't the best running back he's coached.
Shibest said that honor goes to Rudi Johnson, whom he coached at Butler County (Kan.) Community College and is now a junior at Auburn and averaging 140.5 rushing yards to lead the SEC.
"I've had a chance to be around some good tailbacks, but there's no doubt Rudi is the best," said Shibest, who will get to see Johnson again Saturday when the Razorbacks play at Auburn. "The thing about Rudi is, he's got great character and he's a great leader in addition to his running ability.
"Most tailbacks are ego guys, and should be, because they get the ball the most. ... But sometimes at the tailback position, their mentality is they try to get out of things.
"Rudi was never like that. Whatever we were doing at Butler, whether it was a drill in practice or off-season work, he always was the first one to jump in and lead the rest of the team."
Johnson, who helped Butler win back-to-back national junior college championships and, as a sophomore, rushed for 2,224 yards and 31 touchdowns, has brought the same attitude to Auburn.
"Rudi's a hard-nosed guy, and I think that's why he's a leader even though this is his first year on the team," Auburn senior linebacker Alex Lincoln said. "He's not afraid to get his hands dirty in practice, and when other guys see the way Rudi does it, they say, 'Here's a guy leading the SEC in rushing, and he's willing to get in there and get dirty, so we need to do that, too.'
"Rudi's not cocky at all. ... He's the kind of guy you root for and love to have on your team."
Johnson, 5-10 and 230 pounds, said he makes it a point never to let down in practice.
"I like to lead, and I want everybody on the team to know they can depend on me to get the job done when times are tough," Johnson said. "In order to be good in a game you've got to be good in practice, because you play like you practice.
"If you don't practice hard, you're not going to play hard. If you don't practice at all, then you might as well not even come to the game.
"I try to make myself better every day in practice."
Johnson had to practice hard at Butler just to make the team.
"People may find that hard to believe," Johnson said. "But it was very tough with that 10-man rule."
Kansas junior college rules limit teams to 12 out-of-state players each season, but when Johnson enrolled at Butler in the fall of 1998 after playing at Ettrick (Va.) Thomas Dale High School, the limit was 10.
"We had eight (out-of-state) sophomores coming back from the year before, so I was one of only two freshmen to make the team," Johnson said. "It was very competitive."
Johnson said he came into his freshman season overweight after a summer of lifting weights but not doing much running, and when he met with Shibest after a week of practice, he learned he was in danger of being cut.
"It's tough on a freshman coming in, because he's only got a couple of weeks to impress us, and at that time Rudi was a borderline guy as to whether he was going to make it," Shibest said. "When I told him that, he sat in my office and got very emotional.
"He cried because he wanted to make it so bad. I think that's why he's such a special player, because he cares so much."
Johnson started having better practices and made Butler's team with an impressive final scrimmage.
"The rest of it turned into history," Shibest said. "We wouldn't have won two national championships without him. He just brings so much energy to your team. ... I think a lot of that is he gets stronger as the game goes on."
Johnson has rushed 207 times for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns to help lead Auburn to a 6-2 record and No. 25 national ranking. He has been at his best in the fourth quarter.
Breaking down Johnson's production by quarter, he has his most rushing yards (317), highest yards-per-carry average (6.5) and most touchdowns (5) in the fourth quarter.
"The way Rudi plays in the fourth quarter has given our team a lot of confidence," Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He's really made the difference for us."
Johnson has five touchdown runs of 30 yards or more -- 78, 70, 56, 42 and 30 -- and four have come in the fourth quarter when he's worn down opposing defenses.
Johnson not only has broken a lot of tackles, but also has shown breakaway speed when needed.
"He probably runs a 4.6 [in the 40-yard dash], but I've never seen him caught from behind," Tuberville said. "A lot of guys can run 4.4s and 4.5s, but when you put pads on them, they slow down a little bit. If you timed Rudi, he'd be almost as fast in pads as if he didn't have them on."
Johnson said he's not sure how fast he is but that his main asset is quickness.
"For a running back, it's better to be quicker than faster," he said. "You've got to be quick in and out of the hole to make guys miss and read between blocks and get to a certain place at a certain time."
Auburn began recruiting Johnson last year after offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone went to Butler to scout quarterback Daniel Cobb, a former Georgia player who is now the Tigers' backup to Ben Leard.
Mazzone saw that Johnson could help cure Auburn's ailing running game -- the Tigers ranked 112th nationally in rushing offense in 1999, averaging 68 yards -- and Johnson saw the opportunity to be an impact player at an SEC school.
Auburn won a recruiting battle with Colorado and Michigan State to sign Johnson.
"The Auburn coaches told me I could play immediately, and that means a lot when you've only got two years of eligibility left," Johnson said. "They told me the tailback job was mine to lose."
Johnson hasn't done anything to lose the job in becoming the 13th Tiger to rush for 1,000 yards and first since Stephen Davis in 1995.
Auburn's season rushing record is 1,786 yards, set by Bo Jackson in 1985 when he won the Heisman Trophy. Johnson could have a shot to break the record if he stays healthy and the Tigers reach the SEC Championship Game.
Johnson is 662 yards shy of Jackson's record and would have to average 165.5 yards the last four games to match Jackson, whom he met last week at a practice.
"It was a great day in my life to meet Bo Jackson," Johnson said. "He's a special guy."
Johnson is quick to credit his teammates for his success and said he hasn't given much thought to Jackson's record, that his main focus is helping the Tigers try to win the SEC championship.
That doesn't surprise Shibest.
"Winning those national titles at Butler was important to Rudi," Shibest said. "It was serious for him to win."
Shibest and Johnson, who signed with Auburn before Shibest became an Arkansas assistant, formed a tight bond which has continued this year even though they're at SEC West rival schools. They usually talk once a week.
"But we probably won't talk this week," Johnson said, laughing. "Not until after the game."
Shibest said he knows Johnson helped him make the coaching move from Butler back to Arkansas, where he was star receiver from 1983-86.
"I owe him a lot," Shibest said "When you look at it, I may not be here if it wasn't for him."
Johnson said he's also indebted to Shibest for helping him go from Butler to Auburn.
"Coach Shibest helped me get to where I am today," Johnson said. "I'll never forget everything he did for me."

This article was published on Thursday, October 26, 2000

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