Andy Staples explores the trend away from relying on a single tailback and how that’s starting to play on the recruiting trail.
The last 1,000-carry back chosen in the first round of the NFL draft was Cedric Benson in 2005. Benson toted the ball 1,112 times at Texas from 2001-04. Longhorns coach Mack Brown loves his workhorse backs — Ricky Williams carried 361 times in Brown’s first year in Austin — but even Brown has changed his philosophy. The Longhorns rushed for 2,229 yards in 2012, but they split carries among Johnathan Gray (149 carries), Joe Bergeron (127 carries) and Malcolm Brown (61 carries). At Georgia, Mark Richt divvied carries between freshmen Todd Gurley (222 carries) and Keith Marshall (117 carries) and came within a few yards of playing for the national title. With NFL teams counting every tick on the odometer, per-carry efficiency has become far more important than total yardage.
Saban said recruits have begun to comprehend the need to leave some tread on the tires for the next level, making the idea of sharing the spotlight easier to stomach. “A lot of these guys really realize that and understand,” Saban said. “We’ve had two or three guys in each year who have been productive for us, and it’s worked out well for us.”
Well, if Saban does it…
Get The Picture 
I remember 8-10 years ago, Richt platooning RB’s to the chagrin of many Dawg fans including myself. Maybe Richt is the trailblazer on this one?
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Impossible. It’s a well-known fact that Richt is always too steps behind on anything to do with college football. [/Dawggraded]
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Speaking of rushing attacks, the one 4 or 5 star recruit that I thought the Dawgs needed the most was the projected left tackle that has switched to Ole Miss. The Dawgs needed him. Still this year’s offense will be very productive & will be a fun offense to watch, Go Dawgs..
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Hard to beat ol’ Ben Franklin in the recruiting game. 😉
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This is not the appropriate place to share that information. Please direct your concern with an email to compliance@olemiss.edu
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Well done, sir.
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This is new? Dooley had plenty of back combinations. Like Gurshall, Worley & Henderson were a tandem as freshman. I won’t get into off-field issues, but those boys could play ball.
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freshmen
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Henderson was a fullback.
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True but Henderson got more totes – and not just obvious short yardage situations – than other Dooley FBs. it was still totes-by-committee those years.
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I pray every night to live long enough to see us be able to pound the living hell out of all of our opponents on the ground. Love AM but two things in CFB give me a thrill, a hard hitting D and a ground pounding O-line.
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The greatest pass in the college game is the one to the running back on the toss sweep.
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The Benson stat makes no sense. knowshon was a 1000 yard rusher in 2007. Lots of them since 05 in round 1.
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Thousand carries, not thousand yards.
Knowshon was on pace for a thousand carries if he’d played at Georgia four full years.
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Maybe the ball is just getting heavier?
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+34
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