The prototypical running back relies on speed and agility to elude defenders.But don’t tell that to LSU junior running back Stevan Ridley.Ridley used his bruising style of running Saturday to bolster the White team to a 24-9 victory against the Purple team in the annual National L Club Spring Game.The Natchez, Miss., native ran for 104 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown in the game.Ridley’s best drive came on the first possession of the game when he rushed for 70 yards on seven carries and the touchdown.”I like the way we run the football — we’re physical,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “I thought Stevan Ridley started the day off with a nice drive in the early going, and I felt like we executed extremely well there.”Ridley passed off most of the credit to his teammates.”I can’t ask for anything more from my offensive line and fullback Dominique Allen,” Ridley said. “They’re working hard for us up from with the blocking.”Miles said Ridley is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was last season.”The thing that Stevan has done is, he’s really studied what makes him better,” Miles said. “He’s making cleaner cuts. He’s always been tough, and he’s always been a north-south runner. He’s just seeing it better.”The Tigers’ two leading rushers, Ridley and freshman running back Michael Ford, rushed for a combined 244 yards on the day. Their performance was pleasing to Ridley, but he is not ready to rest on his laurels just yet.”We did pretty well on the ground, so I’m satisfied,” Ridley said. “But we still have to work.”Junior quarterback Jarrett Lee said Ridley is a physical back who would just as soon run through a defender than run around him.”He’ll hit the hole, and he’ll hit you. So you better watch out when he’s coming through,” Lee said.Ridley said he tries to limit his lateral movements and keep moving constantly upfield.”If I’m going to make a move, I need to make a move and be confident in my decision,” Ridley said. “I’m weighing in at 235 [pounds] right now, so I have to use my size to my advantage.”Lee credited Ridley’s work ethic to the success he’s had in the spring.”Stevan’s been here three years,” Lee said. “I came in here with Stevan and just like Michael [Ford], he works hard. He’s a great athlete, and even just watching film during spring, he just wants to get better.”Ridley, who rushed for 180 yards on 45 carries in 2009, was the focus of the White team’s offense in the first half, especially the first quarter, where he tallied 11 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. But Miles admitted the offense displayed Saturday was not what the Tigers will show on the field in the fall.”We put a premium on running the football,” Miles said. “I felt like we improved there. We played a vanilla style of offense and a vanilla style of defense. So when you divide teams up, I don’t know exactly how good or how bad we played.”But for now, Ridley is enjoying the spotlight as the Tigers’ feature running back.”I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Ridley said. “I’ve been playing ball since pee-wee football, and now every kid wants to play at the college level. And this is a lifetime opportunity, and I’m just trying to make the most of it, and I want this team to be able to depend on me in the fall.”
 
 
 
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