Under second year head football coach Dan Mullen, Mississippi State will look to four different guys to handle the rushing duties this fall. Gone is Anthony Dixon, who re-wrote the record books in his time on campus, and in comes a handful of backs ready to take his place.
With new faces comes inexperience, which is the main problem for this group of running backs. Junior Robert Elliott is the only back who has played a down in a Mississippi State uniform, seeing action in all 12 games last year. Elliott was a top-ranked running back coming out of Okolona High School, but fumble problems and injuries have limited his action on the field.
Joining Elliott in the running back battle will be junior college transfer Vick Ballard, redshirt freshman LaDarius Perkins and true freshman Nick Griffin. Mullen expects a tight competition for playing time, saying it is going to be a “brawl” to get carries. However, Mullen is excited about having different styles of running backs to work with.
“We’re excited, all of them bring a little something different to the table,” Mullen said. “Two guys can run the same play, and it’s gonna come out a little different because of the style of back that they are.”
Earlier this month, redshirt freshman Montrell Conner left the team and transferred to Copiah-Lincoln Community College, sighting personal issues as the reason for the change of scenery. While Conner was expected to contribute this fall, Mullen said his departure does not leave the team short-handed at running back because he was expecting to rotate backs in his second season, anyway.
The unexpected departure of Conner has opened the door for Griffin, a true freshman from New Augusta, Miss. According to Mullen, the 5’11, 195-pound back will play if he is ready when the season starts.
“If he’s ready, we’ll play him.” Mullen said. “He’s a talented player. Like all our freshmen, if we feel they’re ready to go in the game and contribute, they’re gonna play.”
The style of play that MSU fans are used to seeing is the big, bruising running back, a la Dixon. Ballard is a back that will use a similar style to get the ball down the field. The first-team junior college all-American racked up 1,728 yards rushing last fall at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC.
Ballard enrolled at MSU in January and was able to participate in spring practice, something he says helped him prepare for the adjustment to SEC football. Ballard was the leading rusher in the spring game, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The 5’10, 210-pound back describes himself as an old fashioned back, but his style should work well in Mullen’s spread offense.
“I’m kind of old fashioned,” Ballard said. “I’m not very flashy. I just like to get the job done and keep the chains moving.”
Elliott will run with a similar style to Ballard’s, and as the oldest member of the unit, is expected to be the leader of the group. In his sophomore season, Elliott ran for 221 yards on 44 carries as a backup. His 2008 season was cut short by a knee injury in the fifth game of the year against LSU. Mullen said recently the Elliott has the potential to be “an every single down back.”
Elliott was ranked the eight best running back in the nation by scout.com coming out of high school in 2007, and this could be the year that his potential turns into production. While Elliott would like to have a breakout year, he is focused on doing whatever he can to help the team.
“I feel like this could be a breakout year, but really I’m just playing my role and trying to help the team the best way I can,” Elliott said.
The biggest wild card of the running back group is also the smallest of the group. Redshirt freshman LaDarious Perkins is the speedster of the group and comes in at 5’10, 190-pounds. He is an elusive runner with big play potential, which makes him a valuable part of the spread offense. Perkins is expected to be a situational back, but Mullen said he has been doing all of the little things that will get him more playing time.
“He does a great job in pass protection and in run blocking,” Mullen said. “He’s doing what he’s supposed to do, and when he gets in the open field he’s pretty exciting.”
As the first few games of the season progress, the running back situation will become clearer for Mullen and his staff. Mullen has said all spring and summer that there will be lots of rotation at the running back spot, so Bulldog fans can expect all of these guys to get their chances come game time.