COLLEGE STATION, Texas | After a fake reverse handoff and a feigned QB power sweep to the left, Joey Gatewood lifted his head and looked to the end-zone. He saw tight end John Samuel Shenker with no one in the vicinity. The backup quarterback also could have hit receiver Sal Cannella wide-open in the middle of the end-zone.
For Gatewood, he felt no pressure about completing the pass to the wide-open target.
"Touchdown. Six points on the board. That's what's going through my head," Gatewood said.
The redshirt freshman accounted for his fourth score of the season in No. 8 Auburn's 28-20 victory over No. 17 Texas A&M on Saturday. And Gus Malzahn said he wasn't even able to utilize Gatewood to the full extend he'd like to in conference play.
"We had some more things for him we didn't get to, but he presents a completely different deal," Malzahn said of Gatewood. "The fact that he can throw the ball — now everybody says 'No, he can't' — he can throw it. He'll have a package each week. But he also is our No. 2 quarterback. He can run our entire offense, so it's good to have."
Gatewood concurred that his full potential with his arm has yet to be unleashed.
"Y'all haven't seen me throw yet," Gatewood said. "I feel like there's definitely an advantage to it."
Gatewood entered the conference opener on the heels of a 100-yard, two-touchdown day on the ground last week against Kent State. His legs have been his money makers through three games, so it was only natural that Texas A&M respected his prowess as a powerful runner when Auburn got into the red-zone.
"They can keep doing that," Gatewood said of Texas A&M leaving Shenker open because it sucked in to defend him running the ball. "Other teams can keep doing that."
Malzahn alluded to new roles and new packages for Gatewood as the season progresses. While Gatewood said he never had a touchdown count in mind when envisioning his role for season, he's been ecstatic with his involvement in the offense thus far.
"I feel like I'm always going to have the opportunity, and I'm going to be there to seize it," Gatewood said.
And Malzahn may have been even more jubilant following Gatewood's first career touchdown pass. As the offense jogged back to the sideline, the coach met Gatewood halfway and leaped to celebrate.
"You saw that?" Gatewood laughed as he raised one shoulder, imitating Malzahn's celebration. "I could tell he was excited, that he was excited for me. I was excited just to help this team out for another week."
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