Florida Gators running backs room distribution

With the way everyone Florida Gators The running backs ran the ball Saturday against Mississippi State, so it seems like it’s time to redistribute the number of carries in that room.

In that game against the Bulldogs, the Gators rushed for 226 yards on just 36 attempts, which works out to 6.3 yards per carry. That’s definitely a good average to maintain.

And while Montrell Johnson Jr. led the unit with 68 total rushing yards, he was also last in yards per carry (4.5). The leader in that category was a true freshman Jadan Baugh with 13.3 yards, who had only four carries in this game compared to 15 for Johnson Jr. In second was Ja’Kobi Jackson (6.0), and the third was Treyaun Webb (5.1).

So, after looking at these numbers and seeing how things have played out over the last few weeks, is it time to reassign the running backs to this unit? That seems like a reasonable answer.

This isn’t a criticism of running back Johnson Jr., but rather praise for the guys behind him on the depth chart. The trio of Webb, Baugh and Jackson have played very well in their limited touches over the four games this season. All have been very physical runners who have been as good as Johnson Jr. when they’ve been put on the field.

Baugh has 98 yards on just 10 carries this season, Webb has 93 yards on 21 carries and Jackson has 68 yards on 11 carries. As for Johnson Jr., he leads the way with 234 yards on 48 carries. So it’s not like the Gators’ No. 1 is by far the best back on this team in terms of averages.

The best has been Baugh. He averages 9.8 yards per carry. He has shown in his limited time on the field that he is a dangerous back who can cause problems for opposing defenses by making tacklers feel his 227 pounds, and yet he has just over a fifth of the carries that Johnson Jr. has.

Basically, Baugh, like every other back, needs more carries as the season goes on. College football, or even sports in general, is supposed to be a meritocracy and it doesn’t feel like that’s happening in Gainesville. Talent is good, but production is even better.

Leaving these guys on the bench more often than not doesn’t help anyone but the Gators’ opponents and this group should be changed when they return to action against UCF.