2011 SEC breakdown- the RB's

[Coach34]

remember- these rankings are based on production- not pro potential

1. Alabama- They have arguably the best back in the SEC running behind what is probably the best OL in the country. Add in an inexperienced QB, and you have your SEC rushing leader in 2011. Richardson will be a Heisman finalist this season barring injury.

2. UPig- Knile Davis showed he is a player, and the Pigs have a little depth behind him. The OL will be solid, and that WR core will keep defenses on their heels, allowing for some good running lanes. Look for Davis to be a crutch for Wilson early in the season also until he really gets his feet wet.

3. SC- Lattimore is a beast but did have some injury concerns last season, getting knocked silly a couple of times. Hopefully his head isnt soft and he can take another season's pounding. SC does have some OL concerns, but the run game is easier to get going than the pass protections for new guys on the OL. Should have a great season.

4. State- the running combo of Vick Ballard/LaDarius Perkins got off to a slow start last season as they adjusted to SEC play, but once they did- State was back to being one of the best run teams in the SEC. Combining for over 1,500 yards after a slow start, they will most assuredly approach 1800- 2000 rushing yards combined in 2011

5. Auburn- The most talented duo in the SEC- Dyer and McCalebb will be counted on heavily in 2011. They will take a step back in yardage due to having a new OL, but their talent and the OL getting better as the season progresses makes them one of the conferences top running games.

6. Mississippi- The 3-headed monster in Oxford known as Bolden/Scott/Davis will be solid in 2011. They have a good OL in front of them- they just need to find a QB that can complete a few passes to take some of the pressure off. This group will be counted on heavily by the QB killa and will get lots of carries.

7. LSU- Ware and Ford will do well behind a veteran OL in Baton Rouge. Mile loves to run the football, and this group will get their chances to stabilize the LSU offense.

8. Georgia- Can Isaiah Crowell be the 2011 version of Marcus Lattimore? Dawg fans sure hope so. A talented Freshman, he will be counted on heavily after Washaun Ealy left the program this Spring

9. Tennessee- the Vols have a really good runner in Tauren Poole. He should get his 1000 yards plus for the pass-happy Vol offense

10. Florida- the Gators will have a new offense, some decent RB's, but an OL that is in the bottom 1/3 of the SEC. Weis and company will get going eventually, but they need some time.

11. Kentucky- good OL returning, but new RB's. At least they arent Vandy

12. Vanderbilt- it's Vandy- it's hard to get good skill people to make 20-something on an ACT

 

[markymark.sixpack]

**</p>

 

[drt7891]

is I think Lattimore should at least ahead of Arkansas. He showed he had a lot more than Davis and I fully expect he will improve this year. Also, USC is going to have to rely on him more this year, I think. They were about unstoppable last year when he got going. Plus, Arkansas will be looking to carpet-bomb defenses with passing, not looking to run-first. <div>
</div><div>And this is purely an objective remark (I know there is some homer influence), but Dyer and McCalebb should also be towards the top. Certainly ahead of us and Arkansas, I think. As far as a threatening duo, they are probably the top RB tandem in the league. </div><div>
</div><div>I'm having a hard time deciphering if you are talking about single rushing leaders or RB corps. We were a run-first offense, so we relied heavily on the run. A lot more than Arkansas and South Carolina did. Plus, we have a fairly decent tandem of RBs (Ballard and Perkins). Auburn, the same way (although they looked to the pass more than we did, Dyer and McCalebb are still the best RB tandem in the league, I think). I don't disagree, however, that Richardson isn't at least toward the very top of SEC RBs, but he doesn't have much experience along side him, so Bama will probably rely heavily on him. It will be interesting to see how much they are going to use him this year, especially with the run-first pro-style offense Saban uses. </div><div>
</div><div>I honestly think you should break this down into two separate categories: Single rushing leaders and best RB corps. I think there will be a huge difference in the rankings between the two. </div>

 

[BoDawg.sixpack]

They have like 6 units rated in the top 3 in the country. I like home grown recruits as much as the next guy but in order to get back to Atlanta classes that are full of projects like last year is not going to cut it.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Nm

 

[futaba.79]

or running game?

You also stress that this is about production and not pro potential. If that's the case, then Davis, Lattimore and Dyer should be at the top. Although I agree he has the most potential, Richardson's hype is all about what he'll do now that he's the man, not what's he done.

 

[Mr Meoff]

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[Coach34]

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[TheStateUofMS]

remember- these rankings are based on production- not pro potential

1. Alabama- They have arguably the best back in the SEC running behind what is probably the best OL in the country. Add in an inexperienced QB, and you have your SEC rushing leader in 2011. Richardson will be a Heisman finalist this season barring injury.

2. UPig- Knile Davis showed he is a player, and the Pigs have a little depth behind him. The OL will be solid, and that WR core will keep defenses on their heels, allowing for some good running lanes. Look for Davis to be a crutch for Wilson early in the season also until he really gets his feet wet.

3. SC- Lattimore is a beast but did have some injury concerns last season, getting knocked silly a couple of times. Hopefully his head isnt soft and he can take another season's pounding. SC does have some OL concerns, but the run game is easier to get going than the pass protections for new guys on the OL. Should have a great season.

4. State- the running combo of Vick Ballard/LaDarius Perkins got off to a slow start last season as they adjusted to SEC play, but once they did- State was back to being one of the best run teams in the SEC. Combining for over 1,500 yards after a slow start, they will most assuredly approach 1800- 2000 rushing yards combined in 2011

5. Auburn- The most talented duo in the SEC- Dyer and McCalebb will be counted on heavily in 2011. They will take a step back in yardage due to having a new OL, but their talent and the OL getting better as the season progresses makes them one of the conferences top running games.

6. Mississippi- The 3-headed monster in Oxford known as Bolden/Scott/Davis will be solid in 2011. They have a good OL in front of them- they just need to find a QB that can complete a few passes to take some of the pressure off. This group will be counted on heavily by the QB killa and will get lots of carries.

7. LSU- Ware and Ford will do well behind a veteran OL in Baton Rouge. Mile loves to run the football, and this group will get their chances to stabilize the LSU offense.

8. Georgia- Can Isaiah Crowell be the 2011 version of Marcus Lattimore? Dawg fans sure hope so. A talented Freshman, he will be counted on heavily after Washaun Ealy left the program this Spring

9. Tennessee- the Vols have a really good runner in Tauren Poole. He should get his 1000 yards plus for the pass-happy Vol offense

10. Florida- the Gators will have a new offense, some decent RB's, but an OL that is in the bottom 1/3 of the SEC. Weis and company will get going eventually, but they need some time.

11. Kentucky- good OL returning, but new RB's. At least they arent Vandy

12. Vanderbilt- it's Vandy- it's hard to get good skill people to make 20-something on an ACT

Vandy last? Dumbest statement you've made in a while. Warren Norman and Stacy are a top 6 duo in the SEC.

 

[Coach34]

Vandy finished 500 rushing yards out of the top 6 last year- and with this season being the "Year of the Running Back" in the SEC, they wont sniff top 6 this year either