Why Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy May Be Better Than Ingram and Richardson

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer)—Mark Ingram won a Heisman Trophy and a national championship with Trent Richardson as his running mate. They were quite a one-two punch together.

But those close to the program think that the Richardson-Eddie Lacy duo may put up bigger and better numbers and go down as the best duo in recent history.

Even rabid Tide fans may be surprised that Lacy actually led all Alabama running backs this year in yards per carry. Here are the 2010 team stats:

Rushing			Att	Yds	Avg	TD
1.	Mark Ingram		158	875	5.5	13
2.	Trent Richardson		112	700	6.3	6
3.	Eddie Lacy		56	406	7.3	6
4.	Demetrius Goode		34	140	4.1	1

Looking at the stats alone, the two most productive backs will be the ones with all the carries next year.

But that alone isn't the only reason why the running back numbers may go upward. Alabama will have their most experienced offensive line in years.

Another thing that may add to running back numbers may be the staff's reluctance to turn a rookie starting quarterback— A.J. McCarron—loose right away. If they give the young quarterback time to mature by running the ball a little more than usual early in the season, then Richardson and Lacy could really pad their numbers.

The Tide fans only really got small glimpses of what Lacy can do this past season, but in half the carries of Richardson, he got the same number of touchdowns.

In all fairness, many of Lacy's TD's came in mop-up duty against a tired or second-string defense.

With Alabama adding Dee Hart to the mix, they are assuring the good times continue for years to come, as two years from now, Eddie Lacy will be looking for a running mate of his own.