Having a dominant rushing attack can go a long way in helping a team succeed in the Southeastern Conference. The past five national champions, all hailing from the SEC, have averaged more than 200 rushing yards per game. With this current crop of explosive runners, LSU has the potential to top a rushing attack that finished 22nd in the nation last year. Junior running back Alfred Blue leads the group after wrestling the starting job away from junior Spencer Ware during an impressive fall camp. During fall camp, Blue added an extra five pounds of muscle to his 215-pound frame, giving him extra protection against the pounding that comes with being a starting running back in the SEC. “I really focused myself to the weight room and the conditioning program to get my body ready to compete,” Blue said. “No speed loss from last year though.” Though Blue averaged only six attempts per game in 2011, he made the most of his opportunities and averaged 6.9 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns despite only receiving 78 carries. By ascending to the top of the depth chart, Blue’s anemic workload will see an uptick this year – which could curtail his effectiveness – but Blue remains confident of his abilities. “I feel my high average was a product of me elevating myself to the situation,” Blue said. “It’s going to be hard keeping the average up with the extra carries, but I feel like I can do it.” Against North Texas, Blue backed up those claims rushing the ball 16 times for 123 yards, good for a robust 7.7 average. Blue isn’t the only horse LSU brings to the race though, and his running mate, sophomore Kenny Hilliard, is coming off an impressive freshman campaign. Hilliard is a bigger back – coming in at 6 feet and a stout 231 pounds – and excels in short-yardage situations. Hilliard converted eight of his 18 red zone attempts into touchdowns last year. The balance of carries between the two was shown in the North Texas game. Blue received 16 carries to Hilliard’s 13, while both hit the century mark and ripped off runs longer than 30 yards. “It’ll be like last year, whoever has the hot hand will get the ball and we have confidence in each other to do well.” Hilliard said. The primary back-ups to Blue and Hilliard come in the form of last year’s starters, Ware and junior Michael Ford. Ford was mainly used as a change of pace in last year’s offense. Ford never received more than 15 carries in a single game. His main trait is his speed – showcased by his 5.9 yards per carry average last year – good enough for second on the team. Ford did the majority of his damage last year in the third quarter – after Ware had come in and wore down the defense – when he averaged 7.1 yards per carry and had three rushes of 20 or more yards. Last season, Ware was named the starter going into the season opener versus Oregon. During the first four games of the season, Ware rushed well, averaging 4.1 yards per carry on 77 attempts, and also chipping in with three touchdowns. Ware faded down the stretch, though, as the competition stiffened, averaging only 3.4 yards per carry versus ranked opponents and just 2.2 yards per carry in the SEC and BCS Championship Games.
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