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In order to measure the SEC’s best running backs in 2016, SDS updates a fresh top 10 each Monday. The criteria involves a mix of talent, recent past performance, 2016 production and outlook.
Here’s how the Top 10 looks after Week 6.
10. Stanley “Boom” Williams, Kentucky: It was another quiet week for Williams, who was mostly shut down by Vanderbilt except for a 31-yard scamper. The week-to-week consistency that gave him a comfortable spot in these rankings has vanished — the junior has rushed just 18 times for 76 yards combined in the past two games. What’s worse is backups Benjamin Snell Jr. and Jojo Kemp both received more carries than Williams last Saturday, and his fumble resulted in Vanderbilt’s lone score in a 20-13 Wildcats win. If coach Mark Stoops embraces a committee approach at running back, Williams won’t remain in these rankings much longer.
This week: 9 carries, 54 yards; 1 reception, 0 yards
Season: 76 carries, 540, 2 touchdowns; 5 receptions, 26 yards
9. Leonard Fournette, LSU: Even if LSU and Florida wouldn’t have postponed their game due to Hurricane Matthew, Fournette reportedly wouldn’t have played. And even so, Fournette would have retained a spot in these rankings. Yes, the junior has played just three games this season — all through injury — but you can’t tell me he hasn’t looked like one of the best running backs in the SEC within that sample size. There are several reasons why NFL Draft prognosticators said Fournette would have been the No. 1 overall draft pick as a sophomore last year. He just hasn’t been healthy enough to show it this season. But after not playing for two straight weeks, Fournette can’t be placed too high in the top 10.
This week: Did not play (game vs. Florida postponed)
Season: 67 carries, 386 yards, 2 touchdowns; 9 receptions, 69 yards
8. Kerryon Johnson, Auburn: The sophomore got just four touches before injuring his right ankle on the second offensive possession of Auburn’s 38-14 win at Mississippi State. Yet he’s still Auburn’s leading rusher (and the sixth-best in the SEC) with 538 yards, and his six touchdowns are the most among SEC running backs. Johnson will get closer to full health on the Tigers’ bye week. From there, he’ll continue to be one half of a two-headed rushing attack with classmate Kamryn Pettway. With the way Auburn is running the football, neither player should leave these rankings anytime soon.
This week: 3 carries, 21 yards; 1 reception, -3 yards
Season: 105 carries, 538 yards, 6 touchdowns; 9 receptions, 67 yards
7. Alvin Kamara, Tennessee: It’s not often that a player leads his team in both rushing and receiving. That’s exactly what Kamara did in No. 9 Tennessee’s 45-38 double overtime loss at No. 8 Texas A&M. He was arguably an upgrade over the injured Jalen Hurd, who didn’t even travel to College Station, and he’s now the Volunteers’ season leader in receptions. But Kamara proved he can be more than just a change-of-pace back, racking up 7.1 yards per carry against a decent Aggies rushing defense. The junior’s fumble inside the 10-yard line after a 53-yard catch-and-run cost Tennessee a scoring opportunity, but it’s safe to say the Vols wouldn’t have forced overtime without Kamara’s contributions.
This week: 18 carries, 127 yards, 2 touchdowns; 8 receptions, 161 yards, 1 touchdown
Season: 56 carries, 292 yards, 2 touchdowns; 20 receptions, 253 yards, 3 touchdowns
6. Derrius Guice, LSU: It’s a shame we didn’t get a chance to see Guice against that Gators’ defense, even a depleted version of it. With Fournette sidelined due to an ankle injury for the second straight week, the sophomore was in line to get the start against Florida after his career-best 163 yards and 3 touchdowns against Missouri on Oct. 1. Guice is one of the most explosive and dynamic backs in the entire country as evidenced by his 8.7 yards per carry, which is the best in the SEC.
This week: Did not play (game vs. Florida postponed)
Season: 46 carries, 402 yards, 4 touchdowns; 3 receptions, 54 yards
5. Rawleigh Williams III, Arkansas: No. 1 Alabama’s early lead in its 49-30 win at No. 16 Arkansas limited Williams’ touches, yet he still didn’t do a whole lot with them. But we can’t exactly blame him — this is the Crimson Tide we’re talking about, after all. Still, the sophomore has been relatively underwhelming at 4.3 yards per carry in his two SEC performances so far, and the schedule doesn’t get much easier from here. His involvement in the passing game was absolutely a plus, with catches of 29 and 22 yards to pad his stat line. But Williams will need to step up his game if the Razorbacks hope to have any staying power in the always-tough SEC West.
This week: 12 carries, 46 yards, 1 touchdown; 2 receptions, 51 yards
Season: 113 carries, 605 yards, 5 touchdowns; 6 receptions, 62 yards
4. Damien Harris, Alabama: Harris fully returned from a sprained ankle looking like his old self, running for 9.4 yards a carry as No. 1 Alabama won 49-30 at No. 16 Arkansas. But his best play of the night was probably a nifty 56-yard touchdown on a flare pass, during which he raced down the sideline before ducking under a tackler to free himself for the score. The sophomore still split a reasonable amount of carries with Bo Scarbrough, which isn’t great for his stock in these rankings. But has Nick Saban ever cared about that?
This week: 13 carries, 122 yards; 2 receptions, 60 yards, 1 touchdown
Season: 55 carries, 487 yards, 1 touchdown; 7 receptions, 81 yards, 1 touchdown
3. Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt: Webb had his third 100-yard game of the season and topped 5 yards per carry against Kentucky, which sounds all fine and good. But those numbers were underwhelming, considering the Wildcats’ defense entered last weekend giving up just a shade below 200 rushing yards per game. Granted, the Commodores’ offense as a whole was poor in the 20-13 loss to Kentucky, scoring just 6 points to accompany a defensive touchdown. But it still goes down as a ho-hum outing for Webb, who continues to suffer from Vanderbilt’s complete lack of a downfield passing game.
This week: 18 carries, 100 yards; 1 reception, 5 yards
Season: 136 carries, 682 yards, 5 touchdowns; 11 receptions, 64 yards
2. Kamryn Pettway, Auburn: When given a heavy load of carries against Mississippi State, Pettway proved he was capable of handling it. He averaged 4.3 yards a rush against a solid Bulldogs rushing defense that entered the game ranked No. 18 nationally (110.8 yards per game) as Auburn coasted to a 38-14 win. Though the sophomore benefitted from classmate Kerryon Johnson’s first-quarter injury in terms of touches, he’s probably more effective when the two of them are healthy. The duo has seen just about an even amount of touches, making it the most fearsome one-two punch of running backs in the SEC based on usage.
This week: 39 carries, 169 yards, 3 touchdowns; 1 reception, 9 yards
Season: 91 carries, 505 yards, 4 touchdowns; 2 receptions, 14 yards
1. Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M: Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the new SEC rushing leader. One pinch of late-game Tennessee magic aside, Williams was nothing short of incredible as No. 8 Texas A&M outlasted No. 9 Tennessee 45-38 in double overtime. The lone blemish on his performance was the fumble for a touchback one yard shy of a killing-blow touchdown, a change of possession that allowed the Volunteers to force overtime. The true freshman was otherwise effective as ever, gashing a banged-up Tennessee defense at a rate of almost 8 yards per carry. Now that he’s the primary ball-carrier, and quarterback Trevor Knight has established himself as a true rushing threat, Williams could very well end the season atop the conference rushing leaderboard. He’s there right now.
This week: 28 carries, 217 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 reception, 0 yard
Season: 82 carries, 704 yards, 5 touchdowns; 13 receptions, 71 yards
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
