Counting down from five to one, I give my version of the top five running back units for the 2008 college football season.
5. Boise State Broncos
As one of the heroes of one of the greatest games ever played (scoring the game-winning two-point conversion against Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl), Ian Johnson should be a household name.
He ran for 1,713 yards at 6.2 per carry with 25 touchdowns, and finished eighth in the Heisman voting. Last fall, he was hampered by injuries and missed two full games but still ran for over 1,000 yards and 16 scores.
He is the top returning rusher in the country with career numbers of 3,417 rushing yards, 45 rushing TDs and 46 total TDs.
Jeremy Avery and D.J. Harper both return after starting games while Johnson was sidelined. Avery ran for 672 yards and led the team with a 6.5-yard average. Harper teamed with Avery for 14 rushing touchdowns on the year.
4. Wisconsin Badgers
Only two Badgers (Ron Dayne and Anthony Davis) had ever rushed for 1,000 yards in each of their first two seasons until last fall, when P.J. Hill joined them. Hill's 1,212 rushing yards in 2007 are the third-most ever by a Badger sophomore, and he missed two games and parts of two others with injuries.
He already ranks ninth in school history with 2,805 career rushing yards. He passed the century mark in 14 games, averaged 5.1 yards per carry, ran for 29 TDs, and added two scores on pass receptions.
His top backup, Zach Brown, came on strong late in the 2007 season as a true freshman, with 490 yards on the ground in the final five games.
Yet a third back with big-play potential in Madison is junior Lance Smith-Williams, who averaged six yards on 71 attempts in eight appearances last fall.
3. Oklahoma Sooners
Despite the departure of 1,000-yard rusher Allen Patrick, the Oklahoma running game shouldn't miss a beat. DeMarco Murray was the real game-breaker, running for 764 yards and 13 touchdowns and averaging 29.3 yards (the second highest in school history) per return.
Murray's 15 total touchdowns tied the school freshman record set by Adrian Peterson.
Chris Brown, who logged two starts as a freshman in 2006 when Peterson and Patrick were injured, boasts two-year rushing numbers of 954 yards and 13 TDs.
Mossis Madu averaged 5.8 yards per carry with two touchdowns on 40 carries as a 2007 freshman, and Parade All-American Jermie Calhoun, considered the top high school player coming out of Texas this year, adds even more depth.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
Knowshon Moreno ran for more yards last year than any freshman in Georgia history not named Herschel Walker. Despite starting only six games while sharing the job with Thomas Brown, Moreno carried the ball 248 times for 1,334 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 5.3 per carry.
In one five-game mid-season stretch, he ran for 766 yards and nine scores. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Conference, and scored twice in Georgia's 41-10 Sugar Bowl rout of Hawaii.
Caleb King, the top high school recruit from the state of Georgia in 2006, reshirted last fall, as Moreno did in 2006. With Brown's departure, King should team with Moreno in a devastating one-two punch.
Fullback Brannan Southerland, a three-year starter, made the most of his 17 carries last fall, scoring on five of them.
1. Clemson Tigers
In James Davis and C.J. Spiller, Clemson welcomes back thousands of rushing yards, and in addition, Spiller (the Lightning to Davis' Thunder) is a multiple threat.
Over the last two years, the two have combined for 3,957 yards, 5.7 per carry, and 40 touchdowns on the ground. Davis ran for a team-high 879 yards and nine scores as a 2005 freshman the year before Spiller arrived.
Davis has surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark each of the last two seasons and is a returning two-time All-ACC first teamer. He has surpassed the century mark 12 times, quite a feat for someone who shares snaps.
In addition to his exploits as a running back, Spiller has 53 career pass receptions, four for touchdowns. He led the team in all-purpose yards with 132.5 per game and averaged 28.8 yards on kick returns last fall, and he was the only player in the ACC to run two kickoffs back for touchdowns.
And there is another speed-power running back duo coming in with this year's freshman class in the form of Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper.
Honorable Mention: Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, BYU
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2 months ago
Good write up. Though, I think if you ranked the top 5 rushing teams in CFB, it would look different than the top 5 RB units. Many teams use RBs and WRs in their running games. For example, Florida and West Virginia both have great running attacks without having great RB units.
Maybe someone could rank the top 5-10 running teams (taking into account last year's rushing totals, returning players, players likely to step in, etc).
2 months ago
I'm a Georgia fan and I clicked on this expecting to see UGA at number one. I completely forgot about Clemson. Good Article, I'll accept Clemson ahead of us just because C.J. Spiller is so much fun to watch and seems like the fastest man alive when he's on a football field. Although I still do think Oklahoma is a bit over rated in everything they do.
2 months ago
I think that you have omitted the LSU Tigers! The yards per carry and committee of super-talented tailbacks gives the Tigers a great rushing attack. LSU makes it a point to balance rushing and passing, but if you look at the points scored per game last year by LSU playing against SEC competition, you'll notice that they had a fine offense. This year, Keiland Williams, Charles Scott, Richard Murphy and Trindon Holliday will be an elite group of performers.
2 months ago
There's one team I think will surprise this year, and maybe its just home-team prayers but Notre Dame is STOCKED at running back for a long time.
I'm not saying they belong on this list because they definitely have to prove it on the field, but I think it will be one of the big stories of the season.
2 months ago
I think you got to look at Boise State as alot of young and upcoming RB for he future THEY ARE LOADED..............
2 months ago
Just remember that Brannan Southerland is hurt....and is missing atleast the first few games....
2 months ago
you are most definitly right on when you put clemson in 1st. those guys just seem to dominate
2 months ago
nobody takes that fat slug PJ Hill seriously... beanie wells is 10x the back
2 months ago
I like both LSU's and Auburn's backs.
from 2 months ago
Tim: auburn has FOUR good backs. none of them will probably get enough carries to be at the top of the SEC individually, but they will create some impressive team stats!!!
from 2 months ago
Umm...I know.
But other than Lester, Tate, and Fannin, am I supposed to believe a 4th (presumably a freshman) is going to get carries?
from 2 months ago
Tim: actually, he's a senior. Tristan Davis, did a great job 2 years ago, then spent most of last season with a broken foot. had a sensational td in the spring game. exposive "home run" threat. will also run back kickoffs.
2 months ago
Only an idiot would leave West Virginia off that list. The Mountaineers have been in the top 5 in the nation in rushing for several years now. Name a better runner QB than Pat White. You can't. And Noel Devine gives WVU even more firepower in the backfield. Terrance Kerns made his grades, so a power back is available to replace Owen Schmitt, minimizing his loss.
You're number 1 pick, Clemson, will finish behind WVU in rushing this season, as will every other team on that list.
from 2 months ago
You may be right, since Cullen Harper (Clemson's QB) doesn't run much at all. That being said, you would have a hard time finding fault in this list, since it gives the top Running Back units in College Football. I think the list is well put together. Good Job!
from 2 months ago
This article is strickley about the top 5 RUNNING BACK tandems in college football, not not QB/RB players. That is why you dont see Pat White or WBU on this list anywhere. even though Noel Devine is definately an All-Big East first teamer, and a second team All-American in my book. Noel Devine indeed does give WVU that extra boost on offense for more yards, he just makes it that much better.
2 months ago
The article doesn't specify that a QB isn't a running back. Most QBs aren't. But Pat White isn't your garden variety QB. He is, quite simply, the most dangerous player in college football. A TD is a definite possibility every time he touches the ball.
I hear numerous objections to teams or players from small market areas that deserve far better treatment, and every time I hear an objection to the small market team/player, I hear a large market team/player promoted for which the exact same objection applies. Y'all's argument don't fly in the face of evidence.
2 months ago
Look for an exciting season from OSU's Brandon Saine. Yes, he will play behind Heisman candidate Chis "Beanie" Wells, but he is explosive and will become a CFB star this year.
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