LSU football coach Les Miles was in a quandary nine months ago when former running backs Charles Scott and Keiland Williams used up their eligibility.
With two of his workhorse backs gone, uncertainty rang across Baton Rouge as to who would become the next Clydesdale.
Miles had a seasoned veteran in senior Richard Murphy and a plethora of young backs in redshirt freshman Michael Ford and true freshmen Alfred Blue and Spencer Ware.
But Murphy was still recovering from a season-ending ACL injury from the previous year, and Miles wasn’t about to entrust the job to a freshman.
So he turned to junior running backStevan Ridley, a country boy from Natchez, Miss., who has patiently waited three years for his turn.
“During the summer, [coach Miles] told us we needed a running back to step up and become a leader on this team and run the football,” Ridley said.
Ridley eventually beat out Murphy for the starting job during fall camp and has been the catalyst for a somewhat anemic LSU offense so far.
In six games, Ridley has rushed 125 times for 640 yards and four touchdowns, ranking him second in the Southeastern Conference and No. 14 nationally in rushing yards and No. 4 in the country in rushing attempts.
“He has really committed to this team,” Miles said. “He’s always been a leader, but with his play and how he comes to work, there is a marked change in how he has approached it, and it’s made a difference.”
Ridley, a bruising runner who weighs in at 223 pounds, punished Florida defenders last week with 28 carries and is currently on pace for 250 rushing attempts.
That number may not jump out on paper, but to put it in perspective, the last LSU player to break that mark was Dalton Hilliard in 1984 (254 rushes).
What’s more of a testament to Miles’ trust in Ridley is that there has never been a true feature back during Miles’ tenure.
Miles has always been known to use a running back by committee method, or best described by Murphy as whoever is “hot.”
But midway through the season, Ridley accounts for 51.2 percent of LSU’s 244 rushing attempts.
The closest things to featured backs were Scott in 2008 (43.8 percent), Jacob Hester in 2007 (36.8 percent) and Joseph Addai in 2005 (36.7 percent). The other two lead backs with Miles at the helm were Scott in 2009 (26.7 percent) and Hester in 2006 (20.9 percent).
[Ridley is] hot right now,” Murphy said. “If the guy’s hot, let him keep running.”
Despite the hot start, there has been speculation that players like Murphy, Ford, Blue and sophomore wide receiver Russell Shepard could continue to spell carries from Ridley. But Ridley said he hasn’t heard of any changes yet.
“Coach Miles has kind of said … I’m going to get 20, 20-plus carries a game,” Ridley said.
Ridley doesn’t have the speed of Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson or the quickness of legendary Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, but where he lacks in those areas he makes up for with brute strength.
The former fullback turned tailback rarely gets stopped at the point of attack and relies heavily on yards after contact. Of his 125 carries, 71 have gone for at least 3 yards.
“It’s like he’s made of metal,” said senior left tackle Joseph Barksdale. “He can really run over people.”
Ridley’s rise to fame began last year when he scored from 8 yards out against Alabama after Scott broke his clavicle.
He spent most of his first two seasons as a special teams player and was originally recruited as a fullback out of Natchez, Miss., from  Trinity Episcopal High School.
The talent was always there, but Ridley began to struggle soon after he switched to running back.
“He’s grown as a runner since he first got here,” Murphy said. “At first he was being impatient and bouncing outside every time.”
Ridley has since developed more patience and used his vision to allow the offensive line to create holes for him. During almost every media session, Ridley credits a revamped line for his success. But sometimes blocks are missed, and a running back needs to create his own opportunities.
“To be as successful as he has been so far this season, you have to have some of that ability to react,” said junior center T-Bob Hebert. “The holes aren’t always going to be where you planned on them, and Ridley’s been really talented on where to go to find the successful play.”
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Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]