re: Why Is it Hard for LSU to Get A Feature RB?

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Burrow & his ability to run opened up that whole offense. And frankly made CEH a 1st rd pick vs a 5th RD pick

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That’s true but Burrow was taking 7.67 rush attempts per game in 2019 vs. 11.25 for Jayden in 2023.

Diggs had 5.5 ypc in 2023 vs. Clyde’s 6.6 ypc in 2019. I’m not going to go so far as to say Diggs would have been just as effective as CEH if they both played in the 2019 offense, but I think at least a little bit of the difference comes down to how they’re utilized. I don’t have the stats in front of me to back it up but I would bet a higher percentage of Diggs’ rushes came in short yardage / obvious rushing situations, as an example.

I think a lot of the overall perception also comes down to:
- Two extremely talented RB’s in the late Miles years (Fournette and Guice) that carried us through multiple seasons
- The above point combined with the Miles philosophy of ground-and-pound offense

If you look at 2017-2023, CEH in 2019 is the only RB who really stands out. Even Guice in 2017 only averaged 5.3 ypc. Brossette certainly didn’t light the world on fire in 2018. TDP averaged <5 ypc both years he was our #1 RB. I think Diggs was a good RB for us last year, he just didn’t have the utilization to put up a 1,000 yard season like guys in the past.

I will agree that there have been some recruiting misses though. Really the biggest single factor was probably Emery’s inability to stay on the field.