Aeris Williams is the workhorse, the feature running back whose talent demands 20 carries a game, but behind him is a group of equally talented backs who are figuring things out more and more with each snap. One of those running backs is Nick Gibson.
Gibson, a sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, is one of three back-up running backs who relieves Williams. On Saturday, in Mississippi State University’s game against Texas A&M University, Gibson did not just maintain the status quo, but excelled when he ran the ball.
He carried the ball four times for 43 yards, bringing him to a total of 228 yards on 35 carries for an average of 6.5 yards a carry.
The biggest play of the season came in the third quarter when A&M had scored and regained some momentum. Gibson and the MSU offense quickly struck back as they drove down the field, and Gibson scored on a 14-yard run, the first touchdown of his career.
Gibson said after the game, his phone was blowing up, but the play did not register to him until he was talking to his family afterward.
“It really did not hit me until I was in the car with my parents,” Gibson said. “Actually scoring, it did not hit me because when I get out there again I am trying to score another one. It was amazing to get my first career touchdown.”
The importance of the ability Gibson holds along with his fellow backups, Kylin Hill and Dontavian Lee, being able to come in and spell Williams, without any drop off, cannot be overstated by the players and coaches.
Williams is the feature back, he ran the ball 22 times against Texas A&M–a heavy load. It is important for MSU to have depth at this position to remain multi-dimensional when Williams takes a break.
If there was a huge drop off between Williams and the backups, opposing defenses would key in on quarterback Nick Fitzgerald whenever the backup running backs stepped in the game.
On the flip side, they have to be complete running backs. If they can run, but miss blocks or cannot catch out of the backfield, then opposing defenses know MSU is not throwing the ball when they come into the game.
Head coach Dan Mullen said with time, the running backs have begun to realize it is about more than just running the football and the more they play the more they realize their mistakes.
“It is not ‘hey did you see my great run,’ it is ‘hey okay I understand coach, I missed this protection, I missed this block, I should have been in this location here’,” Mullen said. “They start having the accountability to make sure they understand the complete part of the game.”
Early in the season, fans questioned why Hill or Gibson were not getting more snaps after they would run the ball well. The reason was the inability to do other things out of the backfield, like blocking or catching the football. However, now half-way into the season, they understand blocking schemes better and are beginning to be able to spell Williams more.
Fitzgerald said the experience is the difference between Williams and the others, but they are all able to do what is asked of them.
“All of them are very good running backs. They can all score,” Fitzgerald said. “They can all run it. They can all block. It is little different with Aeris [Williams] than Nick Gibson, because I have to tell Nick Gibson sometimes what to do. Aeris, he will tell me what to do sometimes. It is just a difference of experience.”
With the ability to spell Williams more, they get more snaps and MSU fans see more plays like Gibson’s touchdown run on Saturday.
The group of running backs and MSU football are set for another early kickoff on Nov. 4 against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the SEC Network will broadcast the game.