The running back position lately has been under a lot of fire, but what does the position bring? For LSU, its stable of running backs bring consistency and reliability to its high-octane offense.
Nobody in that group does it better than junior transfer, Logan Diggs. Each week his performance has risen, and the more he plays, the more the offense relies on him. When he plays, the Tigers’ chances of winning instantly rises, and the math backs it up.
Analytics have slowly taken over college and professional football. The use of advanced stats have allowed teams to find ways to neutralize dominant players, or even in some cases develop a gaming-winning play.
Success rate is a stat used to determine how efficient a player is at gaining first-downs. Success is identified as 40% of yards on first down, 60% on second and 100% on third or fourth, then these are all divided by total attempts.
The same way statistics can be used to find a solution, they can also be used to show how effective a player is.
The Tigers have relied on Diggs for a reason. Against Missouri, his success rate was 60.9%. Just watching the game, fans clearly saw the impact he made, and statistically, he was a key piece to the offense. Nearly two-thirds of his attempts put LSU’s offense into great position.
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He improved his efficiency even more against Auburn. Eleven of his 18 carries were recorded as successful runs. Diggs exited the game with a 61.1% rushing success rate and over the past two weeks has averaged a 61.0% success rate.
Metrics do more than just show a player’s efficiency. They can also show how a team relies upon them.
There are a large number of drives that began with Diggs. This trend was noticed when calculating his success rate. Against Mizzou, 41.7% of LSU’s offensive drives started with him carrying the ball.
This number decreased against Auburn, but was still significant, with 36.4% of drives beginning with him. Over the past two weeks, 39.1% of offensive possessions for the Tigers have started with him.
Diggs’ was also heavily used on first downs. Against Mizzou, 58.3% of his carries were on first down and 72.2% against Auburn. LSU relies on him as an opener, running Diggs on 44.3% of all first downs over the past two weeks.
The Tigers have four running backs with the potential to go pro, a Heisman-worthy quarterback and a duo of All-American wide receivers. Instead, they use Diggs almost the majority of the time on all first downs , and it’s because of how efficient he is.
His efficiency isn’t just a number though. It clearly gives LSU a competitive edge. Against Mizzou, LSU opened five of its 12 drives with Diggs. Among those five drives, two were scoring drives. Against Auburn this number rose again. With four of 11 total drives starting with Diggs, three ending in a score. Over the past two weeks, 55.6% of drives beginning with him ended in a score.
His addition has improved the team significantly.
In six career games for the Tigers, Diggs has already produced three games with over 100 rushing yards and four with 100 from scrimmage. Although last game his numbers decreased, he still had 97 yards on only 18 carries and a score.
He has averaged 5.9 yards per carry and scores on 5% of those carries. These numbers are more efficient than some of the top running backs in the nation, such as Will Shipley. However, a running back does more than just run. In fact, their efficiency is determined more by how they perform as a blocker.
A running back’s job is to provide stability to an offense. Not fumbling, being a capable rusher and protecting the quarterback are all expected from a starting running back. Diggs is a great runner, but his best attribute is his pass protection. In fact, he might be the best blocking back in the nation.
Jayden Daniels is in the middle of a Heisman campaign, and Diggs is a major reason why.
With 7:57 left in the first quarter, The Tigers were facing a first-and- on Missouri’s 27-yard line. It opted to pass. Facing a blitz, whenever the defense aggressively rushes the quarterback, Diggs stepped up into pass protection.
The ball was snapped and both Missouri linebackers rushed. One went around the line, the other went through. The play was blown up and the drive was over.
Except it wasn’t.
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Diggs stood up the interior rushing linebacker, stopping him in his tracks and completely removing him from the play. This resulted in Daniels rushing for 19 yards.
In the same drive, Diggs scored the Tigers’ first touchdown. One that probably should’ve belonged to Daniels, but was called back due to questionable officiating. Though Diggs was responsible for six points, his most important play in that drive was his crucial block on first down. He has been a cornerstone for this LSU offense and plays like that show why.
As the season has progressed, so has Diggs’ ability as a back. The last five opponents facing LSU have been SEC teams; in the first four games, Diggs’ yards from scrimmage had increased. The offense has been more stable as he’s been more available.
Diggs has yet to fumble this season and since his debut, the Tigers have only thrown two picks. In both situations, Diggs wasn’t in protection. The first was against Arkansas with Daniels working out of an empty set, when the quarterback is alone in the backfield. The second was last week, with Josh Williams in a block and release; where he checks for potential rushers and if there are none, leaks out for a check down.
Diggs gives the offense stability. His ball security, ability as a blocker and efficiency as a rusher allows the offense to partially flow through him. He matches Daniels well and allows the Tigers to play at whatever tempo they’d like.
