Mississippi State lost its best runner from 2015. Quarterback Dak Prescott also happened to be the Bulldogs’ best offensive player.

Prescott ran for 588 yards on 160 carries. He scored 10 of the Bulldogs’ 21 rushing touchdowns, leaving leading rusher Brandon Holloway out of the end zone.

While the 5-foot-8, 165-pound Holloway will be the feature back, the Bulldogs have four good running quarterback options to replace Prescott, which should keep the running game active. Choosing which of the four – junior Damian Williams, sophomores Elijah Staley or Nick Fitzgerald or freshman Nick Tiano – will be just as tough as choosing which of the running back candidates will get the start each week.

Good problem to have when all options bring as much as these do to the table.

ROTATION

The rotation in Starkville looks like it will be less about a feature back and more about a flavor of the week.

Holloway is the speedster with breakaway potential that sets him apart. He uses his small stature to his advantage, averaging 4.5 yards per carry for 413 yards on 92 runs last season. Aeries Williams is a bigger mirror to Holloway. Williams has bulked up but maintained the speed that made him a priority out of nearby West Point High School. On 40 carries last season, Williams averaged 5.2 yards per carry and scored a team-high three touchdowns for a back.

Sophomore Dontavian Lee had only the sixth-most carries but averaged a team-high 6.2 yards per touch. Ashton Shumpert is the veteran of the group. The senior’s 59 carries were second behind Holloway among the backs. He ran for 228 yards with a touchdown. Shumpert is the most physical blocker of the bunch and could find a role in any package.

The variety of available backs – freshmen Alec Murphy and Nick Gibson also made convincing cases in the spring – leaves the race wide open entering the fall. The season could begin the way fall starts, with a healthy mix, but a non-guaranteed and competitive rotation.

CHASING 1,000

Mississippi State has had five 1,000-yard rushers over the past 10 seasons. Prescott was 14 yards away in his junior season. With such a large group this season, someone is going to have to break out of the pack early to join this group.

2014: Josh Robinson, 1,203
2012: LaDarius Perkins, 1,024
2011: Vick Ballard, 1,189
2009: Anthony Dixon, 1,391
2007: Anthony Dixon, 1,066

PLAY-CALLING

The Bulldogs ran 194 times on first down last season and averaged better than 4.5 yards per carry and scored nine of the team’s 21 touchdowns on the down. The longest runs came on first down, 33 plays of 10 yards or better and nine of 20 yards or more.

Only on second down did the Bulldogs average more yards per carry, 4.78 yards. With Prescott’s threat, they weren’t timid about taking off on third down with three or fewer yards to go, running 31 times to pick up 21 first downs and four touchdowns.

On 3rd-and-4 or more, Mississippi State ran 42 times for 114 yards. It resulted in only two touchdowns and 10 first downs.

GREATEST CONCERN

It isn’t a matter of whether or not the Bulldogs have a feature back. They have plenty of options to step into that role.

Senior center Jamaal Clayborn staying healthy at center is key. He’s the anchor of the group that is the greatest concern to running success. Clayborn started every regular season game last season but missed the Belk Bowl.

Two spots will have new starters, and there has been a lot of tampering to see who should go where.

ONE STAT THAT MUST IMPROVE

The backs need to find the end zone. Prescott did most of the finding last season, and the winner of the quarterback battle will be a running threat. But if someone like Aeris Williams can turn his three touchdowns from 2015 into 10, the other options become more dangerous, such as Holloway catching out of the backfield.

BETTER OR WORSE IN 2016

The run game has a lot of potential. Losing Prescott doesn’t help its case to be better than last season, but with Williams and Lee as sophomores, a senior leader in Shumpert and a promising pair of freshmen, there is a lot of talent in the Bulldogs’ backfield. Holloway should also benefit from their progression.

A 1,000-yard rusher may not be the goal. Three or four 750-yard rushers could become a goal. The Bulldogs should be able to surpass their 1,873 yards and 21 touchdowns and improve on their SEC-ranked 12th-best running game.