http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/stewart_mandel/09/26/weekend.review/index.html 3. What's wrong with Justin Vincent? Surely, you remember the LSU running back who, as a freshman last year, steamrolled Georgia for 201 yards in the SEC championship game, then lit up Oklahoma for several long runs in the Sugar Bowl. He was listed as a preseason Heisman candidate this summer. Through four games, however, the sophomore has been mostly a non-factor, gaining just 223 yards on 49 carries. Meanwhile classmate Alley Broussard has emerged as the Tigers' more prominent runner the past two games, gaining 84 yards on 10 carries against Auburn and scoring LSU's first three touchdowns against Mississippi State. "He gives us a dimension out there that nobody else does in terms of his physical presence and toughness," coach Nick Saban said of Broussard. "We're happy to have it." Here's a theory: LSU's offensive line isn't opening the kind of holes it did last year, and the more physical Broussard is better equipped than the speedy Vincent to make something out of nothing.
Pretty good lodgic. However, I still like all of our RB's and I still think they should all get some touches each game.
Although I heard Alley was surprising alot of people this offseason with his speed, I am still shocked to see his new, more explosive nature. Granted, he was badass last year. But he just seems so much quicker this year. I read his quotation in the Advocate where he said people dont realize how fast he is, but that his teammates aren't surprised, because he has the fastest 40 time out of the RB bunch. I did not realize that. Vincent just needs one good drive, where he gets a couple of big runs, and I think that is all he will need to catapult him back to the confident back he was last year. I still get the most excited when Joe A lines up at RB. That dude one day soon will straight up kill someone on his way for a first down or extra yards. And J Hester continues to impress the hell out of me. Oh yeah... and Shy is back. Sifty bugger that he is. Back to the problem at hand...which is this years lack of production relative to last year... This line, although seasoned individually with plenty of gametime b/w them, needed a few games to play as a single unit. I think they are really in their own groove right now. I believe we will see consistent improvement continued from the MSU game and that the running game will be a shining strength from here on out. Which back will it be? Alley in the immediate future.... but after about halftime saturday? Take your pick
This is a problem that I don't mind having. Alley is a damn good back who right now fits us better but if the OL gets better, I say we give it more to JV
You never know who is going to step on and play from game to game, season to season etc. Thats the reason Barrington Edwards and Lavelle Hawkins should have statyed. Next year Amp Hill could step up and be the man.
There is a saying in football. You either have a good running back or a bad line. Poor line they can't win. How can one RB get yardage and the other one not behind the same line. It's not the line in my opinion as much as I read here. AB hits the hole that 's there quicker. JV keeps trying to LOOK for somthing else maybe a bigger run. However these holes are closing quick and then he has nothing. His big runs last year came from exploding thru the hole and being in the secondary quickly. That's what Ab is doing hitting the hole quick. He does have the ability to drive the pile but he also does not go down after the first hit. JV showed a little of the hit the hole mentality against MSU but then he tried to start bouncing it outside again. IMO Ab is doing his job as running back and the O line appreciates the help so they don't have to hold the block forever. This allows them to explode get it done and AB and JA are both past them. They don't get wore down when they are doing this and it shows.
I read somewhere that AB dropped from 245 lbs(???) down to 225 this off season and that has what made him that much faster and shiftier. Our RBs sure are diverse. How do prepare for them? :usaflagwa :laflagwav :lsug:
It's both the RB and the line IMO. On some of the plays JV does dance a little too much but that is also the reason he was so great last year, when he does get the opening he gets a lot of yards. The Wr's may not be holding some blocks long enough on the sweeps as well as the line. On the other hand if JV were to just explode into hte hole he may pick up at least 4 on the plays that he is only picking up 1 or 2. I thought he did a much better job on that vs MSU, he didn't stutter step so much in the backfield. By the same token, AB does hit the hole very hard and quick and has the power to move the pile. Put on a few of the sweeps he ran he got in front of his blockers a little too soon. The biggest difference in my mind though is that the line tend to have more drive blocking plays when Alley is in and more zone blocking counter type plays when JV is in and those may take more time to become cohessive at.
It's both the RB and the line IMO. On some of the plays JV does dance a little too much but that is also the reason he was so great last year, when he does get the opening he gets a lot of yards. The Wr's may not be holding some blocks long enough on the sweeps as well as the line. On the other hand if JV were to just explode into hte hole he may pick up at least 4 on the plays that he is only picking up 1 or 2. I thought he did a much better job on that vs MSU, he didn't stutter step so much in the backfield. By the same token, AB does hit the hole very hard and quick and has the power to move the pile. The biggest difference in my view though is that the line tends to have more drive blocking plays when Alley is in and more zone blocking, counter type plays when JV is in and those may take more time to become cohessive at.
