EARLY SPRING PREVIEW: Running backs should again be a strength
Cats Illustrated continues with our position-by-position look at what Kentucky returns and adds with spring practice approaching.
Next up, the running backs. It was arguably Kentucky's best position in 2017 and figures to be a strength yet again. But its a backfield will look different in some key ways.
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WHO TO KNOW
| Name | Height, Weight | Class (2017) | 2016 Numbers (career) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Benny Snell |
5'11, 220 |
Sophomore |
186 carries, 1,091 yards, 13 TD, 2 receptions, 39 yards |
|
Sihiem King |
5'9, 172 |
Junior |
11 carries, 81 yards, TD, 21.3 yards per KO return, 3 receptions, 14 yards (22 carries, 208 yards, 2 TD) |
|
A.J. Rose |
6'1, 200 |
RS-Freshman |
N/A |
|
Bryant Koback |
6'0, 200 |
Freshman |
N/A |
WHAT WE KNOW
The 2016 season was arguably the best in Kentucky football history for the running back position with Boom Williams and Benny Snell becoming the Cats' first 1,000-yard duo in a single season. By now everyone knows the context and the success last year.
We also know that Boom Williams, Jojo Kemp and Mikel Horton, all players who started last year with Kentucky, are gone going into the 2017 season. That means the position will be completely overhauled. Sihiem King will have his best opportunity yet to see significant time in the backfield and not just on special teams as a kickoff return man.
Redshirt freshman A.J. Rose will be counted on to take a big step forward. He spend 2016 learning the playbook and getting himself ready to make an impact this year. True freshman Bryant Koback was recruited with the staff knowing full well he could be called upon to play this year, but he continues to rehab from his major leg injury, suffered in September of last year, and it's not yet known exactly when he will be back to 100-percent and a full go.
It's clear that Benny Snell is capable of shouldering more of a workload than he did last year. Snell split carries with Williams, but he's a big, bruising back who logged 39 carries in Kentucky's game at Missouri alone. That can't be a weekly thing, but Snell should have more opportunities to be a feature back.
WHAT SEEMS LIKELY
Speaking of Snell, it's probably that he will see his carries increase. How much? That's tough to say. The staff probably won't want to run him into the ground, because he's very effective when he's got strong legs late in the game. Expect the staff to balance Snell's carries with those Rose, King and perhaps Snell chip in with. Snell should just see a larger share than he did last year.
Snell seems to have a solid stranglehold on the starting running back position, even if Mark Stoops likes competition.
It also seems likely that Kentucky's running backs will frequently run out of the Wildcat formation. Snell is capable of doing it and Rose was a quarterback in high school, so he's accustomed to handling snaps and running from the backfield, too.
While it wouldn't be right to call true freshman Lynn Bowden a running back, he could operate as a de facto running back in a lot of situations. Whether he's taking snaps out of the Wildcat formation and running or passing, or motioning into the backfield or taking jet sweeps, it seems likely that Bowden will get more than a few carry opportunities in 2017. But he's not an early enrollee, so Bowden will remain a possibility until fall camp.
WHAT WE'RE ASKING
Who will win the second-string running back job? With a 1,000-yard back returning the safe bet is that the biggest competition is for the number two spot. Rose, King and the incoming Koback can all legitimately expect to compete for that spot (assuming Koback is healthy and back to full strength/speed).
How many carries will Snell log in 2017? Snell toted the rock more than Boom Williams in 2016, which was surprising because he came out of nowhere but not surprising given his running style. But he stands to gain more carries in 2017. Just how many more? Could he carry the ball 250 times or more? Or will the staff still try to split the carries as much as possible?
What kind of an encore from Snell? One of the reasons Snell was so successful in 2016 was he got to play the change-of-pace role. He was the thunder to Boom's lightning, and his power juxtaposed with Williams' electrifying speed and acceleration made it tough for defenses to adjust when he came into the game. His carries were also slanted towards the third and fourth quarters, disproportionately (though less so as the season wore on), so he had the benefit of facing defenses, oftentimes, at less than 100-percent stamina. As he becomes more of a feature back, and with defenses having more time to gameplan and more knowledge on how to defend him, how will he fare?
Does Kentucky have enough running back depth? On paper there is not as much depth going into 2017 as there was going into 2016, although nobody was counting on that many carries from Snell. Kentucky currently has three healthy scholarship running backs going into spring practice. Just one has proven to be a durable, every-down back. Rose could be that, but he's got to prove it and stay healthy. King helps the backfield depth, but is he an every-down back? Is he durable? Koback does help depth in theory, but he's got to get healthy first. Ideally Kentucky probably would have added a second running back in the '17 class.
FORECASTING THE POSITION'S STRENGTH
On paper this has the potential to be one of the better backfields in the SEC and Snell should get some preseason All-SEC recognition of some sort. When a team returns a 1,000 yard running back who had 13 touchdowns as a true freshman generally optimism is going to sky high.
That said, it remains to be seen whether the unit, which should be a strength, will take a slight dip, remain steady or improve in overall production. It might be a lot to expect improvement because while Kentucky returns more than 1,000 yards worth of production the Cats also lose Williams' 1,170 yards, Kemp's 349 yards and, significantly, their combined 13 touchdowns.
Will Snell's production increase enough with the expected contributions of his backups to match last year's numbers? That doesn't have to happen for Kentucky to succeed on the field as a team. After all, that was one of the strongest ground games in the country, and there's reason to believe the passing game could improve to compliment (and improve) the ground game more.
The offensive line will have something to say about the running back's production in 2017. On paper the line looks like a real strength, but every offensive line is more than a collection of individuals. It's a unit that has to fire on all cylinders as a whole, and replacing Jon Toth will determine a lot for the line and, thus, the backs.