In the corporate world, businesses often elect or appoint a committee consisting of a group of persons to perform a service or function.
In the college football world, coach Les Miles and associates have appointed sophomore running backs Keiland Williams and Charles Scott, freshman Richard Murphy and senior Jacob Hester to the ground game committee.
“We’ll let them compete and battle and try to find a place for as many players as possible that can help us win throughout the course of the season,” offensive cordinator Gary Crowton said.
The departure of backfield staples Justin Vincent and Alley Broussard has opened a vacancy in the Tigers starting tailback spot.
Rather than having one player carry the load, LSU decided to use running-back-by-committee approach in 2007.
“It’s kind of whoever has the hot hand and whoever is doing well at that time,” Williams said.
Toward the end of the 2006 season, Williams had that “hot hand.” He emerged as the Tigers starting tailback, playing in six of LSU’s final seven games and rushing for 405 yards and seven touchdowns in that span.
Williams, who has been getting the majority of the reps in fall practice, said the running-back-by-committee philosophy has made everyone work harder in the offseason knowing their number could be called at any moment.
“It just lets you know you just have to go out there and work hard every day,” Williams said. “You can’t slack. You can’t take any carry for granted. You just have to go out there and just give 110 percent on every run.”
Scott said the approach works because all four players are unique.
“I think that’s what makes the group so good – we can all bring something different to the table,” Scott said. “We can all benefit the team in different ways.
“I would say I’m more of a down-hill, between-the-tackles runner. So is Keilan … Richard’s more of a scat-back – he can do more of the screens, and Hester, he can sort of do it all.”
Scott carried the ball 46 times for 277 yards and five scores in six games in his freshman campaign this past season.
Murphy, a redshirt freshman, said each back has his own plays in the LSU playbook.
“We definitely got different running styles,” Murphy said. “Certain plays [Crowton] probably has for each running back. He’s gonna put the person who can do that play in [the game].”
Murphy, the only sub-200 pound running back in the quartet, showed flashes of brilliance in the LSU spring game, leading all rushers with 85 yards on 11 carries, including an 18-yard score.
Crowton, coming from the pass-happy Pacific-10 Conference, said in a league as physically demanding as the Southeastern Conference, using several running backs is not just an option but a necessity.
“Health is an issue, and that’s why you sometimes use more than one back,” Crowton said. “Sometimes those backs get beat up a lot because they take a lot of punishment. We want them to be healthy so they can use their talent.”
Crowton’s offensive system calls for running backs to catch a lot of passes out of the backfield.
Hester, who has shown he can catch the ball out of the backfield, returns as the Tigers leading back after rushing for 440 yards and six touchdowns in 2006. He also returns as the top receiving threat out of the backfield after his 35-reception, three-touchdown performance a year ago. The lone senior is listed as a fullback, but he will also figure into the committee.
“You’re gonna want the football, but you got to earn it,” Hester said. “Whoever’s hot at that time is going to get it and we know that.”
Hesterd said there are enough carries to keep all four running backs happy.
“It’s not everyday you get to have a fresh running back in there pretty much every down ;” he said “That’s a weapon to have. Three of us have played a lot of SEC football, and that will do nothing but help us.”
Hester said the running backs will always be competing with one another, but all that really matters is winning.
“You want to get the ball, but we’re best friends on and off the field so we don’t really care,” Hester said. “As long as the running backs are doing good, we don’t care who it is.”
—–Contact Keith Claverie at kclaverie@lsureveille.com