Miles said he is starting Jacob Hester against MSU. He mentioned that it will be running back by committee and his order right now would probably be Hester, Scott, Williams, Murphy. It seems that he expects all of them to play. I am not that surprised given his penchant for starting JV last year. I believe that Hester is a better all around back than JV, but I did expect Keiland to start. I guess I am more surprised that he listed Scott ahead of Keiland in the pecking order. I felt that if anyone was the odd man out it would be Scott this year. From what I heard about Murphy I expected him to be used as a change of pace back.
Scott got significant playing time last year before his injury and he looked really good out there. Williams was on the bench and Murphy was redshirted. I'm not surprised. Hester, the senior, will start for sure but he won't get the most carries at tailback because he will be in as a fullback a lot.
i guess keiland got into camp too late and wasnt able to learn all the extravagant blitz pickups Moo U is going to throw at us. knew this was gonna happen anyhow.
I didn't recall Scott getting hurt being the reason Keiland was used. I just thought he beat Scott out. I know he had a late start, but I thought he was definately the better runner. He ran lower with a forward lean. He is faster in the 40 and just as big. I also wasn't impressed with Scott's vision and his statistics were padded against lesser competition. Perhaps he is better at receiving, blocking and picking up the blitz. I still believe Keiland will finish the season with the most carries by any of our backs. Call me hard headed. I can understand starting Hester in the first game because of his experience and lack of turnovers.
Scott got a concussion in mid-season and never saw the field again. That was the reason Williams finally got playing time. The coaches see them every day, and when both players are healthy, Scott seems to get the nod.
Hester is the starter because the first play from scrimmage will be a play action pass to Lafell deep down the right sideline. Hester is the best blocker, therefore he will be the "starter." After that, Scott, Williams, and Murphy will be handling the rushing yards.
I have been saying that Hester is still being underestimated even after the year he had last year. He is not just going to be a blocking back even though he is the best at it. He will block, run hard between the tackles, and catch the ball in the backfield and on short out routes. Given that he is a Senior on Les Miles' team, it doesnt hurt. When the game is on the line I want the most dependable and pounding back on the field. He rarely prone to injury as well. Knock on wood. I predict he will have the 1st or 2nd most yards out of the 4 top backs this year. Everyone will get a share of the carries this year, so I wouldnt be too worried about the other backs not being listed as the starter to open the season. And I hope other SEC foes underestimate his worth again this year.
Recall the games that Miles gave Vincent too many touches because he was a senior. This should come as no surprise.
Hester must be continuing to perform exceptionally well at practice as always. He is an excellent player with a lot of talent and heart. I hope he has a tremendous year. I am sure that we will still see runningback by committee this year. especially with Crowton's offense.
