A look into the rushing distribution from this weekend....

[DeviousDawg]

What a game plan by Mullen. We rushed the ball 58 times for 365 net yards.

1. The Bruisers

-Fitz rushed 20 times for 182 yards.

-Aeris Williams rushed 24 times for 140 yards.

-Fitz and Williams rushed a combined 44 times for 322 yards and 7.32 yards per carry. What's even more impressive? In those 44 carries there was only a total of 2 yards lost(both by Fitz), so A-train had 0 negative yards in 24 carries. That's what happens when you give your big boys the ball, you don't lose yards and you find yourself in manageable 2nd and 3rd downs, which opens up the pass game and keeps our offense balanced.

2. The Scatters(plus Shump)

-Beyond Fitz and Aeries, there were 14 more carries to be accounted for, and they were distributed almost perfectly.

-Brandon Holloway rushed 4 times for 15 yards and a net gain of 13 yards. 1 of his rushes went for 14 yards, which means that 3 of his 4 carries went for a net gain of -1 yards. Also, Holloway had 2 total yards lost in 4 carries, which matches Fitz and Williams combined 2 total yards lost in 44 carries. That should tell you something, but hey, I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle.

-Shumpert had 2 rushes for 6 yards, he is a role player, and he played his role, nuff' said.

-Malik Dear and Keith Mixon both had 3 rushes and both went for a net gain of 14 yards. That's 6 carries between those two for a combined 28 yards and 4.7 yards per carry. I love both of these guys and we used them perfectly on Saturday.


Hard to find anything to complain about, it was a perfect game plan by Mullen. He used his personnel the way they should be used and we beat the #4 team in the nation. This win was so huge in so many ways and on so many timelines. When I walked into the stadium Saturday at 10:40, there must have only been 10,000 people in the stadium. If we had gotten blown out this weekend, our fans would have officially quit, and Mullen's tenure would have been over. It was a tipping point game and Mullen got us rolling back in the right direction. Props to the team and props to Mullen, HUGE win.

[msbulldog]

Great post, Thanks.

[Turfdawg67]

What a game plan by Mullen. We rushed the ball 58 times for 365 net yards.

1. The Bruisers

-Fitz rushed 20 times for 182 yards.

-Aeris Williams rushed 24 times for 140 yards.

-Fitz and Williams rushed a combined 44 times for 322 yards and 7.32 yards per carry. What's even more impressive? In those 44 carries there was only a total of 2 yards lost(both by Fitz), so A-train had 0 negative yards in 24 carries. That's what happens when you give your big boys the ball, you don't lose yards and you find yourself in manageable 2nd and 3rd downs, which opens up the pass game and keeps our offense balanced.

2. The Scatters(plus Shump)

-Beyond Fitz and Aeries, there were 14 more carries to be accounted for, and they were distributed almost perfectly.

-Brandon Holloway rushed 4 times for 15 yards and a net gain of 13 yards. 1 of his rushes went for 14 yards, which means that 3 of his 4 carries went for a net gain of -1 yards. Also, Holloway had 2 total yards lost in 4 carries, which matches Fitz and Williams combined 2 total yards lost in 44 carries. That should tell you something, but hey, I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle.

-Shumpert had 2 rushes for 6 yards, he is a role player, and he played his role, nuff' said.

-Malik Dear and Keith Mixon both had 3 rushes and both went for a net gain of 14 yards. That's 6 carries between those two for a combined 28 yards and 4.7 yards per carry. I love both of these guys and we used them perfectly on Saturday.


Hard to find anything to complain about, it was a perfect game plan by Mullen. He used his personnel the way they should be used and we beat the #4 team in the nation. This win was so huge in so many ways and on so many timelines. When I walked into the stadium Saturday at 10:40, there must have only been 10,000 people in the stadium. If we had gotten blown out this weekend, our fans would have officially quit, and Mullen's tenure would have been over. It was a tipping point game and Mullen got us rolling back in the right direction. Props to the team and props to Mullen, HUGE win.

The thing about Mullen's "gameplan" is that he wants to do that every game... but successful runs breed more runs. If you are faced with 2nd and 8 or 3rd and 9 all day, you can't run it 58 times. It starts with the OL. And they blocked their butt off from the 1st snap of the game.

[DeviousDawg]

The thing about Mullen's "gameplan" is that he wants to do that every game... but successful runs breed more runs. If you are faced with 2nd and 8 or 3rd and 9 all day, you can't run it 58 times. It starts with the OL. And they blocked their butt off from the 1st snap of the game.

Yes, it starts with the OL, but it ends with the guy carrying the ball. We have been calling for Aeris to be the feature back for 2 years now. We all knew Holloway up the middle was not the answer.

Once again, Holloway ran the ball 4 times and had a total of 2 negative yards. Aeris and Fitz ran the ball 44 times, and had a total of 2 negative yards. Aeris and Fitz were falling forward for 3 yards all day, it's those yards after contact that make the difference in a 3rd and 6 and a 3rd and 2 or 3. You can't say that the game plan for A&M is the same game plan Mullen has had all year, because we game planned around a power run featuring a 230 pound RB and a 235 pound QB. It's hard to say that you have a power run gameplan when your running back is 175 pounds soaking wet after Thanksgiving dinner.

The Offensive line played their best game in the past 2 years, no doubt, but I would be willing to bet big money that if Holloway had 24 carries and Aeris only had 4, the final score would've looked a lot different.

[dawgday166]

Yes, it starts with the OL, but it ends with the guy carrying the ball. We have been calling for Aeris to be the feature back for 2 years now. We all knew Holloway up the middle was not the answer.

Once again, Holloway ran the ball 4 times and had a total of 2 negative yards. Aeris and Fitz ran the ball 44 times, and had a total of 2 negative yards. Aeris and Fitz were falling forward for 3 yards all day, it's those yards after contact that make the difference in a 3rd and 6 and a 3rd and 2 or 3. You can't say that the game plan for A&M is the same game plan Mullen has had all year, because we game planned around a power run featuring a 230 pound RB and a 235 pound QB. It's hard to say that you have a power run gameplan when your running back is 175 pounds soaking wet after Thanksgiving dinner.

The Offensive line played their best game in the past 2 years, no doubt, but I would be willing to bet big money that if Holloway had 24 carries and Aeris only had 4, the final score would've looked a lot different.

Yes they did. And yes I believe numbers aren't as good with Holloway and Shump combo.

[BrunswickDawg]

-Brandon Holloway rushed 4 times for 15 yards and a net gain of 13 yards. 1 of his rushes went for 14 yards, which means that 3 of his 4 carries went for a net gain of -1 yards. Also, Holloway had 2 total yards lost in 4 carries, which matches Fitz and Williams combined 2 total yards lost in 44 carries. That should tell you something, but hey, I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle.


Great post. However, if I am not mistaken Holloway's 14 yard carry was up the middle.

[ILOATHEBears]

Yes they did. And yes I believe numbers aren't as good with Holloway and Shump combo.

The egg bowl game plan should be same. We need a heavy dose of A. Williams toting the rock.

[maroonmania]

Saturday was much more the "Chris Relf" ground and pound offense most of us expected this year with Fitz running the show. I really don't understand why we spent so much of the first part of the season trying to throw it around the parking lot with a raw QB like Fitz in the same way we did with Dak as a veteran last year?

[1bigdawg]

Great post. However, if I am not mistaken Holloway's 14 yard carry was up the middle.

The argument for Holloway has always been that he could "break the big one." Unfortunately, there are too many 0 yard plays that go along with his bigger ones.

[BrunswickDawg]

The argument for Holloway has always been that he could "break the big one." Unfortunately, there are too many 0 yard plays that go along with his bigger ones.
I don't disagree with Holloway up the middle being bad, I was just pointing out that the 1 big gain was up the middle (if I was remembering correctly). I think if Holloway is going to used at all, then most of those touches need to be to the outside. If he is able to establish an outside threat, then bust one inside for a surprise. We have done the opposite of that - and we all have suffered for it.

[DeviousDawg]

Great post. However, if I am not mistaken Holloway's 14 yard carry was up the middle.

Yes it was, he had 4 carries, that's why I said I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle, because, if I'm not mistaken, all 4 of his carries were up the middle.

He has the speed to bust one open, but can you remember even once in an SEC game where he actually did bust one open? Mixon has similar speed and agility, but he also has enough strength to shed a tackle. Holloway is a poor man's Mixon. However, as I said before, Holloway has busted his ass for the Dawgs, and I'm ok with him getting 4 carries. Anything north of that though is essentially a waste of a play. Negative plays are the worst thing possible for our offense.

[HereComesTheSpiral]

Yes it was, he had 4 carries, that's why I said I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle, because, if I'm not mistaken, all 4 of his carries were up the middle.

He has the speed to bust one open, but can you remember even once in an SEC game where he actually did bust one open? Mixon has similar speed and agility, but he also has enough strength to shed a tackle. Holloway is a poor man's Mixon. However, as I said before, Holloway has busted his ass for the Dawgs, and I'm ok with him getting 4 carries. Anything north of that though is essentially a waste of a play. Negative plays are the worst thing possible for our offense.

All of the Holloway up the middle to begin the year didn't help Fitz when he was basically starting every set of downs at 2nd and 10.

[BulldogDX55]

All of the Holloway up the middle to begin the year didn't help Fitz when he was basically starting every set of downs at 2nd and 10.

Just imagine Saban has a baby head, to go with his baby body of course.

[thf24]

Yes it was, he had 4 carries, that's why I said I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle, because, if I'm not mistaken, all 4 of his carries were up the middle.

He has the speed to bust one open, but can you remember even once in an SEC game where he actually did bust one open? Mixon has similar speed and agility, but he also has enough strength to shed a tackle. Holloway is a poor man's Mixon. However, as I said before, Holloway has busted his ass for the Dawgs, and I'm ok with him getting 4 carries. Anything north of that though is essentially a waste of a play. Negative plays are the worst thing possible for our offense.

I can remember a handful in SEC games that he busted but got run down from behind. He's elusive and pretty fast for a D1 football player, but the idea that he has elite SEC game speed has kind of materialized out of nothing over the years. If he actually had that elite speed it would kind of justify the carries he gets at his size, but when you consider that in reality he only has decent speed for a scat back, it's just absurd.

[DeviousDawg]

All of the Holloway up the middle to begin the year didn't help Fitz when he was basically starting every set of downs at 2nd and 10.

Yep, it made us very one-dimensional. Opposing teams could just key on Fitz, because you only need one arm to tackle Holloway. So then Fitz has more trouble running the ball, which gives us more 3rd and longs and thus even more trouble passing the ball. For our offense to click we need a running back that opposing defensive coordinators fear. This then opens up the run for Fitz, and also creates easier passing downs and a more successful offense. We are at our best when we are a 3-dimensional offense, the QB run, the RB run and the pass. See dak and Jrob and Fitz and Aeris from last weekend.

[sleepy dawg]

Great post Devious... thanks for compiling the data.

[DeviousDawg]

I can remember a handful in SEC games that he busted but got run down from behind. He's elusive and pretty fast for a D1 football player, but the idea that he has elite SEC game speed has kind of materialized out of nothing over the years. If he actually had that elite speed it would kind of justify the carries he gets at his size, but when you consider that in reality he only has decent speed for a scat back, it's just absurd.

It was all based on a 40 time when he was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. All the pads probably weigh 10% of his body weight, clearly it would slow him down lol. I love his effort and attitude, but he is just not an SEC running back. Square peg, round hole, square peg, round hole. Luckily for us our square peg got hurt and while we were repairing it we realized we had a round peg in our toolbox.

[justwin]

All this proves is that Knox needs to be the first coach to be let go day after Egg Bowl.

Ridiculous that the former Mr. Mississippi POY takes 2.5 years to get 20+ carries in a game & we beat the #4 team in the country when it finally happens. We probably win the West last year had we replaced Holloway with a RsFr Aeris from day one.

For all of those screaming for Hevesy to get fired need to realize that Knox contributes much less & his inability to play the best RB year in and year out has cost Mullen so many wins.

For the life of me, I just don't understand how Holloway gets the next series after Aeris scores the 1H td. How do you not reward Aeris for scoring? Same deal with Holloway starting the first series of 2H. Both of those drives ended in punts and could've put the game away. I just don't get it. No other team in the SEC dares to put a 150lb guy in the backfield. Not one.

Also, Mixon > Holloway and it's not even close.



What a game plan by Mullen. We rushed the ball 58 times for 365 net yards.

1. The Bruisers

-Fitz rushed 20 times for 182 yards.

-Aeris Williams rushed 24 times for 140 yards.

-Fitz and Williams rushed a combined 44 times for 322 yards and 7.32 yards per carry. What's even more impressive? In those 44 carries there was only a total of 2 yards lost(both by Fitz), so A-train had 0 negative yards in 24 carries. That's what happens when you give your big boys the ball, you don't lose yards and you find yourself in manageable 2nd and 3rd downs, which opens up the pass game and keeps our offense balanced.

2. The Scatters(plus Shump)

-Beyond Fitz and Aeries, there were 14 more carries to be accounted for, and they were distributed almost perfectly.

-Brandon Holloway rushed 4 times for 15 yards and a net gain of 13 yards. 1 of his rushes went for 14 yards, which means that 3 of his 4 carries went for a net gain of -1 yards. Also, Holloway had 2 total yards lost in 4 carries, which matches Fitz and Williams combined 2 total yards lost in 44 carries. That should tell you something, but hey, I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle.

-Shumpert had 2 rushes for 6 yards, he is a role player, and he played his role, nuff' said.

-Malik Dear and Keith Mixon both had 3 rushes and both went for a net gain of 14 yards. That's 6 carries between those two for a combined 28 yards and 4.7 yards per carry. I love both of these guys and we used them perfectly on Saturday.


Hard to find anything to complain about, it was a perfect game plan by Mullen. He used his personnel the way they should be used and we beat the #4 team in the nation. This win was so huge in so many ways and on so many timelines. When I walked into the stadium Saturday at 10:40, there must have only been 10,000 people in the stadium. If we had gotten blown out this weekend, our fans would have officially quit, and Mullen's tenure would have been over. It was a tipping point game and Mullen got us rolling back in the right direction. Props to the team and props to Mullen, HUGE win.

[jumbo]

One of things I am most happy with Dan about is that he gave BH a couple carries and he didn't do anything (save the 1 long run) so there were no more carries for him.

[justwin]

great point.


Yes, it starts with the OL, but it ends with the guy carrying the ball. We have been calling for Aeris to be the feature back for 2 years now. We all knew Holloway up the middle was not the answer.

Once again, Holloway ran the ball 4 times and had a total of 2 negative yards. Aeris and Fitz ran the ball 44 times, and had a total of 2 negative yards. Aeris and Fitz were falling forward for 3 yards all day, it's those yards after contact that make the difference in a 3rd and 6 and a 3rd and 2 or 3. You can't say that the game plan for A&M is the same game plan Mullen has had all year, because we game planned around a power run featuring a 230 pound RB and a 235 pound QB. It's hard to say that you have a power run gameplan when your running back is 175 pounds soaking wet after Thanksgiving dinner.

The Offensive line played their best game in the past 2 years, no doubt, but I would be willing to bet big money that if Holloway had 24 carries and Aeris only had 4, the final score would've looked a lot different.

[justwin]

another great post. Mixon > Holloway. Play the best players. This isn't a participation award.

Only other thing I'll add is that that in order for Holloway (or Perkins before him) to get those 4 carries, he probably had to play ~20 snaps of our teams ~75 which is way too many. The D doesn't have to respect the run with Holloway in the game which results in a 4 man rush dropping 7 and having tighter windows for Fitz (and Dak last year) to throw to.


Yes it was, he had 4 carries, that's why I said I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle, because, if I'm not mistaken, all 4 of his carries were up the middle.

He has the speed to bust one open, but can you remember even once in an SEC game where he actually did bust one open? Mixon has similar speed and agility, but he also has enough strength to shed a tackle. Holloway is a poor man's Mixon. However, as I said before, Holloway has busted his ass for the Dawgs, and I'm ok with him getting 4 carries. Anything north of that though is essentially a waste of a play. Negative plays are the worst thing possible for our offense.

[justwin]

Playing the big RB also helps a drop back passer not just the QB run. See the 2H of the 2013 Arkansas game with J-Rob and Tyler. Featuring the Big back is the cure all for any QB you have. Ask Sean White @ Auburn. Same for the LSU guy this year.


Yep, it made us very one-dimensional. Opposing teams could just key on Fitz, because you only need one arm to tackle Holloway. So then Fitz has more trouble running the ball, which gives us more 3rd and longs and thus even more trouble passing the ball. For our offense to click we need a running back that opposing defensive coordinators fear. This then opens up the run for Fitz, and also creates easier passing downs and a more successful offense. We are at our best when we are a 3-dimensional offense, the QB run, the RB run and the pass. See dak and Jrob and Fitz and Aeris from last weekend.

[CadaverDawg]

What a game plan by Mullen. We rushed the ball 58 times for 365 net yards.

1. The Bruisers

-Fitz rushed 20 times for 182 yards.

-Aeris Williams rushed 24 times for 140 yards.

-Fitz and Williams rushed a combined 44 times for 322 yards and 7.32 yards per carry. What's even more impressive? In those 44 carries there was only a total of 2 yards lost(both by Fitz), so A-train had 0 negative yards in 24 carries. That's what happens when you give your big boys the ball, you don't lose yards and you find yourself in manageable 2nd and 3rd downs, which opens up the pass game and keeps our offense balanced.

2. The Scatters(plus Shump)

-Beyond Fitz and Aeries, there were 14 more carries to be accounted for, and they were distributed almost perfectly.

-Brandon Holloway rushed 4 times for 15 yards and a net gain of 13 yards. 1 of his rushes went for 14 yards, which means that 3 of his 4 carries went for a net gain of -1 yards. Also, Holloway had 2 total yards lost in 4 carries, which matches Fitz and Williams combined 2 total yards lost in 44 carries. That should tell you something, but hey, I can't complain about only 4 Holloway's up the middle.

-Shumpert had 2 rushes for 6 yards, he is a role player, and he played his role, nuff' said.

-Malik Dear and Keith Mixon both had 3 rushes and both went for a net gain of 14 yards. That's 6 carries between those two for a combined 28 yards and 4.7 yards per carry. I love both of these guys and we used them perfectly on Saturday.


Hard to find anything to complain about, it was a perfect game plan by Mullen. He used his personnel the way they should be used and we beat the #4 team in the nation. This win was so huge in so many ways and on so many timelines. When I walked into the stadium Saturday at 10:40, there must have only been 10,000 people in the stadium. If we had gotten blown out this weekend, our fans would have officially quit, and Mullen's tenure would have been over. It was a tipping point game and Mullen got us rolling back in the right direction. Props to the team and props to Mullen, HUGE win.

Excellent post. Thanks for posting. Interesting that many fans have called for the Relf Coast Offense all year, and we finally do it and kick ass. Wonder why it took Dan so long.

[Mjoelner34]

Great post. However, if I am not mistaken Holloway's 14 yard carry was up the middle.

It ended up being up the middle. It looked like he was going to run off-tackle to the left but we blocked the shit out of it on the back side plus aTm over ran it. He spotted the lane, planted his foot and went right up the gut behind all of their linemen.

I want to mention Shump in this post too. Even though I think Williams, Gibson and Lee are much better options, I think Shump has improved 100% from last year. Last year he ran with his head down and just slammed the ball into the hole where the play was called even if the blocking wasn't there. This year his head is up, he's making cuts in the backfield and he's running harder. I may be totally wrong on this. It's happened before.

[Really Clark?]

It ended up being up the middle. It looked like he was going to run off-tackle to the left but we blocked the shit out of it on the back side plus aTm over ran it. He spotted the lane, planted his foot and went right up the gut behind all of their linemen.

I want to mention Shump in this post too. Even though I think Williams, Gibson and Lee are much better options, I think Shump has improved 100% from last year. Last year he ran with his head down and just slammed the ball into the hole where the play was called even if the blocking wasn't there. This year his head is up, he's making cuts in the backfield and he's running harder. I may be totally wrong on this. It's happened before.

You are right. And Shump is averaging 5.58 yards per carry against conference opponents.