College Football's Top QB-RB-WR Combinations for 2015 Season
The key to a successful offense in college football is balance. Both the run game and passing attack must provide an equal amount of production and make it more difficult for opponents to focus on one area. Run- or pass-heavy teams can win too, but they're also more susceptible to getting shut down.
It takes more than just a balanced approach, though. The right players are needed at key positions—namely at quarterback, running back and wide receiver.
Teams that have a strong trio at these spots more often than not will be on the winning side of the scoreboard, because those skill players can be relied on to make plays on a weekly basis.
There are a dozen teams in FBS heading into the 2015 season that can consider themselves blessed with offensive balance and experienced talent at all three positions. We've made some projections for open starting positions, but in these cases we've gone with players who have started in the past or have played meaningful snaps and thus are expected to step right into their new roles and excel.
Arizona
1 of 12
QB Anu Solomon (So.), RB Nick Wilson (So.), WR Cayleb Jones (Jr.)
Arizona is coming off one of its best offensive years in school history, and the key was having amazing balance. After being very run-oriented the previous season thanks to Ka'Deem Carey's production, in 2014 the Wildcats averaged more than 180 rushing yards and 280 passing yards per game.
And it was a youthful trio that led the way, as the combination of Solomon, Wilson and Jones had never started a college game before 2014. Wilson was in his true freshman season, while Solomon and Jones had sat out the previous year (with Jones seeing little action in 2012 at Texas before transferring).
Solomon threw 28 touchdowns with just nine interceptions in 540 pass attempts, and while his completion rate was low (58 percent) and he took too many sacks, he threw for more yards (3,793) than any other freshman in the country. Wilson was the nation's fourth most-productive freshman back, with 1,375 yards and 16 TDs despite missing all or parts of three games with injury, while Jones was far and away the top target of a receiving unit that had seven players catch at least 23 passes.
Baylor
2 of 12
QB Seth Russell (Jr.), RB Shock Linwood (Jr.), WR Corey Coleman (Jr.)
Even with Russell set to fill the big shoes of quarterback Bryce Petty, don't expect there to be any slippage in Baylor's offense in 2015. Not when the Bears have shown over the years that their individual players are interchangeable thanks to the up-tempo system, which despite its appearance is quite balanced.
Russell has one career start, filling in for Petty last September and nonchalantly passing for 438 yards and five touchdowns on just 25 attempts. Sure, it was against FCS Northwestern State, but it gave an early preview of what Russell would do once he moved into the full-time starting role.
Even if Russell has some early growing pains, he knows that he has a wealth of options to throw to, with Coleman the most notable of the group. Last year Coleman was one of two Baylor receivers to top 1,000 yards, leading the way with 1,119 yards and 11 TDs on 64 receptions in only 10 games.
There's also the underrated—but still very productive—run game that Baylor is able to turn to. Linwood quietly ran for 1,252 yards and 16 TDs, pacing a ground attack that averaged more than 215 yards per game.
BYU
3 of 12
QB Taysom Hill (Sr.), RB Jamaal Williams (Sr.), WR Mitch Mathews (Sr.)
The veteran skill trio that BYU plans to send onto the field for 2015 is the one it hoped would push it to an unbeaten season—and possibly a major bowl bid—last year, until injuries robbed two-thirds of that group of full seasons.
First it was Hill, who after dominating the first four games with more than 1,300 yards of total offense and 13 total touchdowns went down awkwardly in the fifth game while scrambling away from a Utah State defender. Hill ended up missing the rest of the season with a broken leg, and not surprisingly, BYU lost four straight after opening 4-0.
Williams lasted a little later into the season before getting shut down, though he appeared hobbled in several games and eventually needed knee surgery after getting hurt in early November. The injury left Williams 930 yards shy of the school's career rushing mark of 3,455 set by Harvey Unga from 2006 to 2009.
"With a brutal September coming up for the Cougars, BYU needs Williams healthy as soon as possible," wrote Lafe Peavier of the Deseret News, citing BYU's early schedule that includes games at Nebraska, UCLA and Michigan and a visit from Boise State.
Both Hill and Williams are expected back at full strength for this season, and they'll team up with Mathews for another potent trio. In 2014, Mathews was the lone member of that group to stay healthy, leading BYU with 73 receptions for 922 yards and nine TDs.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Clemson
4 of 12
QB Deshaun Watson (So.), RB Wayne Gallman (So.), WR Artavis Scott (So.)
Assuming that Watson is able to return to the level of player we saw in between injuries last season, Clemson has a shot to have the most dynamic offense in the country in 2015, as well as one of the most youthful. That's a big if, though, since Watson had surgery to repair a torn ACL in December and was not a full participant during spring practice.
When he was available in 2014, Clemson was nearly unstoppable. He averaged more than 300 yards of total offense and contributed 16 touchdowns in the five full games he played. But had to battle not only the knee injury but a broken hand that sidelined him for a month.
Gallman and Scott didn't have the same problems, and as a result, both had very strong years. Gallman was the unheralded member of the Tigers' offense, leading the team in rushing with 769 yards despite only getting 20-plus carries in two games.
Scott was the most consistent of the group, finishing with team highs in receptions (76) and TD catches (eight) along with 965 yards.
Florida State
5 of 12
QB Everett Golson (Sr.), RB Dalvin Cook (So.), WR Travis Rudolph (So.)
We're going with the assumption that Golson's transfer from Notre Dame pays off in the form of the starting job, which looks to be Florida State's best option at quarterback because of Golson's experience and past play. That includes when he threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns in Notre Dame's narrow loss at FSU last October.
Golson's turnover issues were the big story last season, resulting in him losing his starting job to Malik Zaire and prompting the move. But the Seminoles shouldn't have much of a concern with this, since he'd be replacing a quarterback who had plenty of his own giveaway problems last year in Jameis Winston. Winston threw 18 interceptions in 2014—more than any other power-conference passer.
There's also plenty of solace in the form of FSU's young-but-talented options at running back and receiver. As true freshmen last season, Cook and Rudolph combined for 1,766 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Cook has a chance to be the Seminoles' first rusher with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Warrick Dunn in 1994-96.
Rudolph came on strong after hardly seeing the field early in 2014, and he's the top candidate to replace No. 1 receiver Rashad Greene.
Notre Dame
6 of 12
QB Malik Zaire (So.), RB Tarean Folston (Jr.), WR William Fuller (Jr.)
In the past two months Notre Dame has lost its starting quarterback from 2014 to a transfer and had a key running back reportedly suspended. Yet neither development should have any effect on what the Fighting Irish are able to do on offense this season, thanks to those that still remain.
Everett Golson opted to transfer rather than try to win back his job from Zaire, who thanks to his mobility became a better option for Notre Dame at quarterback. Zaire shined in last December's Music City Bowl win over LSU and has the Irish feeling far more confident at that position than when Golson was routinely throwing interceptions and losing fumbles.
Notre Dame's run game isn't among the best in the nation, but it's got a solid leader in Folston, who ran for 889 yards and six touchdowns with four 100-yard games. The loss of backup Greg Bryant to a four-game suspension will hurt, but not as much, thanks to Folston's return.
At receiver, Fuller is one of four players who had at least 500 receiving yards in 2014. All of them are back, but he's the best of the lot. At 6'0" and 180 pounds, he made the most of his dimensions by hauling in 76 receptions for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns, tied for third-most in FBS.
Ohio State
7 of 12
QB Cardale Jones (Jr.), RB Ezekiel Elliott (Jr.), WR Michael Thomas (Jr.)
Our choice of Jones for Ohio State's quarterback in 2015 isn't based on any inside information or even just a hunch, rather that he's the only one of the Buckeyes' three passing candidates who is fully healthy. It really doesn't matter which of the trio—Jones, senior Braxton Miller or sophomore J.T. Barrett—we went with, because any of the lot would make OSU's offensive unit one of the best in the land.
Barrett was the best freshman player in the country last year, with a school-record 3,772 yards of total offense before going down with a broken ankle in the regular-season finale. Then Jones came in and led OSU to three dominant wins in the postseason. Miller, who missed the entire season with a shoulder injury, was a three-year starter who's been a Heisman candidate in the past.
Even if OSU was putting a ham sandwich out there at quarterback, it would still be above average from an overall offensive standpoint thanks to Elliott, who after dominating last winter, has been installed as the early Heisman favorite (per OddsShark.com). Elliott went for 696 yards and eight touchdowns against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon en route to the Buckeyes' national title, finishing the year with 1,878 yards and 18 scores.
And we haven't even mentioned the receiving corps, which will be led by an underrated wideout in Thomas who had 54 receptions for 799 yards and nine TDs last season.
Oklahoma
8 of 12
QB Baker Mayfield (So.), RB Samaje Perine (So.), WR Sterling Shepard (Sr.)
Of all the teams on this list, Oklahoma is the one that faces the most uncertainty on offense. Not just because it has an ongoing quarterback battle between Texas Tech transfer Mayfield and 2014 starter Trevor Knight, but also because the Sooners have scrapped their spread attack for a return to the Air Raid. This is despite having a running back who set the FBS single-game rushing record last season.
We're going to assume that coach Bob Stoops and new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley know what they're doing. In that respect, that means going with Mayfield at quarterback because of his past experience running the Air Raid. Before sitting out last season following his transfer to Oklahoma, Mayfield started eight games and threw for more than 2,300 yards.
Oklahoma says it still plans to make great use of its run game, which seems like a smart move after Perine ran for 1,713 yards and 21 touchdowns as a true freshman with three 200-yard games that included a 427-yard effort against Kansas.
The receiving corps is led by veteran Shepard, who if not for injuries would have done far better than his still-impressive tallies of 51 receptions, 970 yards and five TDs from 2014.
Pittsburgh
9 of 12
QB Chad Voytik (Jr.), RB James Conner (Jr.), WR Tyler Boyd (Jr.)
During his time at Michigan State, Pat Narduzzi developed a reputation as a defensive guru who produced some of the best units on that side of the ball in the country. Now in charge of Pittsburgh's program, he's inherited one of the best three-headed offensive monsters in FBS and a trio that could have the Panthers primed to contend for a division title in the ACC.
Voytik, heading into his second year as a starter, had a very solid 2014 without much fanfare. He threw for 2,233 yards and 16 touchdowns and added another 466 rushing yards and three scores.
Conner, a beast of a rusher at 6'2" and 250 pounds, rumbled for 1,765 yards and a school-record 26 touchdowns, topping the mark previously held by Tony Dorsett.
The most notable of the group was Boyd, a stellar receiver/returner who has more than 2,400 receiving yards in two seasons. His status for the fall is up in the air after Boyd was charged with DUI earlier in June, though assuming he doesn't miss too much time he'll remain an integral part of Pitt's offense.
TCU
10 of 12
QB Trevone Boykin (Sr.), RB Aaron Green (Sr.), WR Josh Doctson (Sr.)
Not only does TCU have explosive weapons at its disposal all over its offense, they're all seasoned veterans to boot. As the Horned Frogs have risen from a struggling power-conference program to a national title contender, these key players have been through all of the ups and downs and have a great understanding of what's at stake in 2015.
It all starts and ends with Boykin, who went from a player that had to be shuffled all over the field in 2013 in order to give him snaps to one who had quickly mastered a new offense and set eight school records, per Athlon Sports. Boykin was fourth in the nation in total offense at 354.5 yards per game and enters this season as a strong Heisman candidate.
But he won't be doing it alone, thanks to strong talent at running back and receiver. Green, who didn't become TCU's starting running back until November, still managed to run for more than 900 yards with nine touchdowns with four 100-yard games.
And in Doctson, the Frogs have a vet who more than doubled his production from the year before by catching 65 passes for 1,018 yards and 11 TDs.
USC
11 of 12
QB Cody Kessler (Sr.), RB Justin Davis (Jr.), WR Juju Smith (So.)
Despite seeing its top running back and wide receiver both turn pro a season early, USC's offense should be no less effective in 2015 and might actually be better. Much of that has to do with the return of Kessler, who has somehow managed to perform at a high level without the hype that normally is attached to Trojans quarterbacks.
Despite throwing for 3,826 yards and 39 touchdowns with only five interceptions and a 69.7 percent completion rate, Kessler wasn't even a semifinalist for the major national awards that go to quarterbacks in 2014.
"There's not one throw on this field he can't make," USC quarterbacks coach Clay Helton said, per Michael Lev of the Orange County Register.
He might not be able to avoid the spotlight again this season if he replicates those numbers, especially since he'll be working with younger weapons at running back and receiver.
Replacing prolific running back Javorius Allen is Justin Davis, who ran for 595 yards and four TDs as a backup last season. The top receiving spot previously held by Nelson Agholor has been handed down to Smith, who had 54 receptions for 724 yards and five TDs as a true freshman.
Western Michigan
12 of 12
QB Zach Terrell (Jr.), RB Jarvion Franklin (So.), WR Corey Davis (Jr.)
Great offensive trios aren't just limited to the power conferences, as many teams from the mid-major level have assembled some quality skill-position groups for 2015. None is more established than what P.J. Fleck has assembled with the Broncos.
Terrell threw for more than 3,400 yards with 26 touchdowns last season, completing 67.9 percent of his throws and helping Western Michigan go from 1-11 in 2013 to 8-5 last year. His main target, for the second year in a row, was Davis, whose 15 TD catches was tied for fourth-most in FBS while registering more than 1,400 receiving yards.
The breakout star of the group, though, is Franklin, who ran for 1,551 yards and 24 TDs with seven 100-yard games and six games where he scored at least three times.
The Western Michigan offensive stars will get to test their mettle against some big-time power opponents in September, opening at home against Michigan State and later visiting defending-national-champion Ohio State.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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