Leonard Fournette Reminds Us Why He's Still CFB's Best Running Back

Leonard Fournette's 2016 season hasn't gone as planned, but LSU's superstar only needed seven carries Saturday to remind the nation why he's college football's best running back.

The junior was a single yard shy of setting the school record on those seven attempts, racing for 249 yards and three touchdowns while carrying the 25th-ranked Tigers to a 38-21 victory over the No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels.

Fournette finished the SEC tilt with 284 yards on 16 carries, but it's not simply the total yards that sparked this reaction. After missing three of the last five games because of an ankle injury, Fournette looked like the player who captured the country's attention during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

He combined physicality and finesse to shred an Ole Miss defense for three touchdowns of 50-plus yards. Plus, Fournette's 17.8 yards per carry was the second-highest average in SEC history for a player with at least 10 attempts.

James Moran of Tiger Rag noted LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron had high praise for Fournette after the game:

Listed at 6'1" and 235 pounds, it only makes sense that Fournette is a bruising nightmare for defenders.

Unfortunately for Rebels freshman defensive back Deontay Anderson, he learned that lesson in the most painful way possible. On the final play of the first quarter, Fournette caught a pass and proceeded to level Anderson en route to a 22-yard gain.

"Either he hits me or I hit him," Fournette said during a postgame interview on ESPN. "And I don't like being hit."

While that physicality is to be expected, what makes Fournette a rare specimen is his breakaway speed. A man his size isn't supposed to be this agile or fast—especially when he's still hurt.

Fournette said he's still dealing with the ankle issue, according to Ross Dellenger of the Baton Rouge Advocate. The junior revealed he hasn't been healthy since the initial injury in fall camp, battling through a high ankle sprain, low ankle sprain and a bone bruise.

But you wouldn't have guessed it on either of Fournette's 70-plus-yard touchdowns.

Although LSU's offensive line deserves credit for opening the lanes, Fournette took full advantage of the creases. He left few, if any, yards on the field Saturday in Death Valley.

On Fournette's first touchdown, he shot through the hole and made good angles from two Ole Miss defenders irrelevant. Fournette made a hard cut to split two Rebels for his second score and stiff-armed Anderson to the ground en route to touchdown No. 3.

Each one looked so routine but showcased one particular aspect of Fournette's elite, NFL-ready skills.

"No doubt that Leonard Fournette is RB1 for this draft," Bleacher Report's Matt Miller said. "Best offensive player too."

Since Fournette has already missed three games, he's not a major Heisman Trophy candidate. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson continues to rack up unbelievable numbers and distance himself from the competition.

However, it's still possible Fournette could rejoin the discussion and perhaps even merit an invite for the award's presentation.

He's accumulated 670 yards and five touchdowns in just four games, and LSU's remaining schedule includes showdowns with Alabama, Arkansas—a defense that just surrendered 543 rushing yards to Auburn—Florida and Texas A&M.

Let's say Fournette doubles his numbers against that competition. It'd be reasonable to surmise he'd receive serious consideration for a trip to New York.

Either way, the college football world will be left wondering what Fournette could've accomplished had he stayed healthy this season. Maybe the bruising speedster would've solidified a place among the legends who've lifted a Heisman.

But holding the title of "best running back in college football" isn't a bad way to be remembered, either.

All recruiting information via Scout. Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.