The Best Backfield in College Football

Let's start with a game of "Guess That Football Team." 

This team's first four scores in one semifinal game came on a field goal and three rushing touchdowns totaling five yards. The drives that ended in those scores went an average of 11 plays for 76 yards. The pair of running backs scoring those three touchdowns averaged 222 pounds. 

That had to be Alabama, right? Florida State? Ohio State? Anyone? Bueller?

It was Oregon, none of the above.

And thanks to the best backfield in college football, the Ducks impressively outmuscled Florida State in a 59-20 rout to send themselves to the College Football Playoff National Championship. 

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

As B/R's Adam Kramer noted, this was not your traditional big-play, finesse Oregon offense. Sure, the Ducks run their version of the spread. Yes, they used tempo against Florida State; no scoring drive lasted longer than five minutes. However, this was a team that earned every yard it gained—301 on the ground, tying a season high—and beat the Seminoles at the point of attack. 

It wasn't until Florida State began turning the ball over in the second half that Oregon's offense decided to strike more quickly.

The reality is Oregon hasn't been that team with the fancy uniforms and gimmicky offense for some time. The Ducks have added strength over the past few years in recruiting. But sometimes, it takes a big spotlight to shine a light on those efforts. 

"Everyone talks about their shovel passes, or whatever," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer told George Schroeder of USA Today. "It's not that. There's a culture out there that has been started."

Because of those efforts, no other team can match Oregon's backfield. By the time the semifinal game was nearing its end, the Ducks were beating down Florida State with reserves. 

Thomas Tyner	124 yards	2 TDs
Marcus Mariota	62 yards	1 TD
Royce Freeman	44 yards	2 TDs
Kani Benoit	40 yards	--
Kenny Bassett	25 yards	--

There's a three-headed monster that fuels this backfield, though. It starts with a freshman, which is appropriate since 2014 has morphed into the year of the freshman running back.

Without a doubt, Royce Freeman has been among the most productive true freshman backs from Week 1. Before tallying just 44 yards on 12 carries against Florida State, Freeman had at least 98 yards in each of his previous eight games. Only once in the regular season did Freeman dip below four yards per carry (3.8 vs. Washington State). 

While Freeman didn't gain the most yards or score the most touchdowns of any freshman back, his impact on Oregon's rushing offense right away cannot be denied, as he's accounted for 40 percent of his team's rushing attempts. 

But with Freeman being slowed down against the Seminoles, Thomas Tyner took control without missing a beat. The sophomore had a season-high 124 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. Tyner has served in more of a complementary role in his two seasons in Eugene but was also slowed by a nagging shoulder injury this year. When healthy—or, at least, close to healthy—he provides the speed and power that drives this new-look Oregon offense. 

Then there's Heisman-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota. The passing stats (4,121 yards, 40 touchdowns and 10.1 yards per attempt) are what earned him college football's most prestigious award. Still, Mariota is second on the team in rushing attempts (125), touchdowns (15) and yards per attempt (5.8) for all rushers with at least 50 carries. 

Sure, there are some designed runs for Mariota, but he seems to do the most damage when scrambling for chunk yards. Either way, the Ducks have college football's most outstanding player running and throwing from the backfield. 

With those three players, the design of Oregon's ground attack—where tough, inside running meets speed on the edge—has been an inspiration to others. That includes Ohio State, which will face Oregon next Monday in the national championship. As Schroeder explained: 

"

Last week all the talk was about whether the Buckeyes were built in the image of an SEC team. In reality, as much as they resemble Meyer's Florida teams — size, speed, and strength, though probably not as much depth yet — they look like nothing so much as Oregon. And it's by design.

Which is why come Jan. 12, when the Ducks and Buckeyes meet in the inaugural College Football Playoff championship game, the similarities could be uncanny. Thursday night, after beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Meyer mused that he would "probably be able to call Oregon's plays, because we study them and they study us."

"

Thus, when those two teams face off in Arlington, don't be surprised to see similar looks in the respective running games. When you're the best, other teams want to model themselves after you. Right now, Oregon has the most complete backfield. It'll be up to Ohio State's rushing defense, led by its outstanding defensive line, to stop it. 

There's no guessing there. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.