Regular Season Review: The Running Backs
Benny Snell had a record-setting season for the Wildcats in the regular season that just passed. Cats Illustrated's series wrapping up the past dozen games and looking ahead to next year continues with the focus on the running backs.
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Statistical Overview: Sophomore running back Benny Snell finished the 2017 regular season with 256 carries, 1,318 yards (5.15 yards per attempt) and 18 touchdowns. He also had 10 receptions for 72 yards in those 12 games. Snell ranked 20th in the country in rushing yards and 5th nationally (1st in the SEC) in rushing touchdowns.
Junior running back Sihiem King had 72 carries for 334 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman athlete Lynn Bowden carried the ball 12 times for 37 yards. Redshirt freshman running back A.J. Rose had 13 carries for 32 yards.
Standout Performer: Benny Snell, of course. He didn't dominate every single week, but his fantastic finish to the season allowed him to have the kind of season many expected from him. Snell was Kentucky's workhorse whether taking carries lined up alongside Stephen Johnson or handling snaps from the Wildcat formation himself. While Kentucky's statistical profile as a team doesn't look like what you would expect from a 7-5 team, Snell's knack for picking up extra yards and finding the end zone were perhaps the biggest reason this Kentucky team will be bowling.
Top Performance: While Snell's top game by yardage game against Louisville (211), his best game of the season was probably that 27-carry, 180-yard, three touchdown performance in a 29-26 victory over Tennessee. Snell was dominant in the first half of that game against the Volunteers. Tennessee nearly defeated Kentucky in Lexington. The Vols booted a couple of second half field goals to take a 26-21 advantage, and with the Cats trailing by that margin in the fourth quarter, Snell went to work. On that drive he had six carries for 33 yards and caught a pass to convert a two-point attempt, which gave Kentucky a three-point lead.
Worst Performance: Statistically Snell's seven carries for 18 yards against Mississippi State was his worst game of the year, but all things considered it might have been his 20 carries for 67 yards in the season opener against Southern Miss. Kentucky had the ball deep in USM territory, knocking on the door, and Snell coughed the ball up. His confidence clearly took a big hit and Snell missed several holes over the remaining time during that game in Hattiesburg.
Most Improved Player: Nobody would have been surprised if you told them what Snell's production would be before the season. Many predicted it. Sihiem King was the team's most improved running back. He did not have the kind of "RB2" production that Snell gave Kentucky last season as Boom Williams' complement, but King ran very hard and was a capable backup at times. He eclipsed the 60-yard rushing mark on three separate occasions (EKU, Florida, Vanderbilt), and he caught 12 passes for 75 yards, with big catches and scampers against South Carolina and Florida.
One Who Struggled: It's far too early to write off A.J. Rose, but he didn't have the kind of season he probably hoped for. Before the season there was some talk that he might challenge King for the number two running back spot, but that didn't happen. When the season opened King was the clear number two and that never changed. Rose had nine carries for 26 yards in that road loss to Mississippi State, when the game was out of reach, but he only had 13 carries on the season as the Cats' number three back. Most number threes get more touches than that.
Coach Impact: It's tough to assess the impact of Eddie Gran on the running backs in some areas, because Snell has been so productive right from the time when he started to get opportunities at Kentucky. After some early season struggles, Gran did help Snell out of his funk, however. The running backs had some positive moments in pass pro this year and that's a testament to Gran. Kentucky's offensive coordinator and running backs coach evidently did not have confidence in Rose or Bryant Koback's readiness, so he stuck with a tight rotation of two backs with Snell as the workhorse and King as the complement. He continually went to the Wildcat formation even when it was struggling and unpopular, and by the end of the season those issues had been resolved and Kentucky had success with it again.
Future Forecast: Snell will really start to shatter and rewrite the record book next season if everything goes according to plan. While it will be interesting to see the progress of King, Rose and Koback in the offseason, Snell will enter 2018 as the unquestioned starter and should show up on some first team All-SEC squads. He will likely duplicate the 256 carries he saw in 2017, if he stays healthy, so there will be plenty of opportunities to continue racking up big yardage and lots of touchdowns, especially with a line that returns most of what it's got and found continuity late last year. Time will tell whether Rose or Koback can unseat King and compete for those 80-100 carries that might be available beyond Snell.
Recruiting Overview: Kentucky had a long, drawn out search for a running back in the 2018 class before finally settling on Chris Rodriguez, an under the radar, physical runner from Georgia who doesn't jump off the screen on tape but "grows on you" according to his coach. The three-star prospect isn't a flashy player, but neither was Snell as a recruit. Kentucky's staff is apparently content to go into National Signing Day with just one running back. They should take another next year in the 2019 cycle and have a number of offers out to players in Georgia, Ohio and elsewhere.
Overall Position Grade: A. For a while it didn't look like the backs would earn this grade but for a team that struggled so much in the pass game, and saw so many stuffed boxes, Snell's end-of-season production was outstanding. King maxed out his ability and ran very hard when he was in the game.
