Take it from the Chiefs and Patriots: running backs can succeed in air raid offense
Aug. 25—STARKVILLE — The Kansas City Chiefs ranked 23rd in the NFL in rushing when they won the Super Bowl in 2020. The New England Patriots ranked just five spots higher.
That's not to say the run game has completely lost its value in modern football, but it's a glimpse into the way the game has changed.
Mike Leach and his Air Raid offense have played a big part in this change, but he'll be the first to tell you this: there's room in his offense for running backs.
Yes, Mississippi State's 360 total rushing yards last season easily ranked last in the SEC (1,728 less than league-leader Alabama). Leach's teams have traditionally been in these spots regardless of where he's coaching.
But Leach and running backs coach Eric Mele know football is changing — in college and the NFL — with running backs still succeeding.
"That's why I get a chuckle sometimes when we talk about recruiting running backs into the Air Raid," Mele said Aug. 10 of the notion that RBs can't succeed in Leach's offense. "You turn on the film and watch the Kansas City Chiefs or you're watching the New England Patriots — these teams consistently that are playoff teams or are in the Super Bowl...
"You've gotta be a three-down back. You've gotta be able to run the ball. You've got to be able to pass protect. You've got to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield."
Dillon Johnson and Jo'quavious Marks return to MSU this year for their sophomore seasons aware of the role they can play for their team.
Marks led the Bulldogs with 60 receptions last season while Johnson reeled in 36 of his own. While they both averaged about 4.5 yards per catch last season, it still provided a luxury to quarterback Will Rogers to have a reliable option out of the backfield particularly when defenses started to drop eight against MSU.
The ability for running backs to make an impact doesn't end with the top two guys, either.
MSU brings in a pair of freshmen — Simeon Price and Ketravion Hargrove — who have flashed in fall scrimmages and shown they can fit the scheme.
"Simeon is really a high football IQ guy," Mele said Tuesday. "He stays late in meetings. Asks a lot of good questions. Now it's just a matter of doing it fast on the field.
"(Hargrove) kinda the same thing. Can give you all the answers to the plays, now it's just a matter of executing fast."
Mele said he has six guys along with a walk-on that will be joining this week who can play a role during the non-conference slate this season.
When SEC play begins, Mele expects to assess the play of each guy before dwindling down who could be a good option to redshirt — assuming none of them are injured and forced into that decision.
"I feel good about all those guys playbook wise and the effort that they're giving," Mele said.
