Last season, the running back position was about as unimportant to the outcome of games as possible for the Gators.
Not counting sacks, they ran the ball just 41 percent of the time. They logged 25 or fewer carries in four games and were held to less than 100 rushing yards on five occasions.
Despite being completely unbalanced, the Gators still fielded one of the most explosive offenses in school history thanks to quarterback Kyle Trask, tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Kadarius Toney.
They won’t be as fortunate this time around. For the Gators to remain among the SEC’s top offenses and contend for another SEC East crown, they need the running game to be more than just competent. They need it to lead the way.
Coach Dan Mullen is confident in the talent he’s stockpiled in the backfield and envisions a much higher usage rate for the group this fall.
“Our job is putting guys in position to do what they do well on the field,” Mullen said. “I wouldn’t be shocked to see us with multiple running back packages this year, with more than one on the field at a time a little more than we’ve done maybe in the past. Just utilizing our talent and our depth of what we have at that spot.”
The running back corps goes five deep and features two former five-star recruits. Because they all have different skillsets, they’ll likely rotate three or four of them into games based on the situation. You’re not going to have three of them collecting dust on the bench.
Dameon Pierce runs like a bowling ball. If they need to convert a third-and-short, he’ll likely be the one getting the ball. Malik Davis is dynamic in the open field when healthy. He’ll likely get most of his touches on passes or perimeter runs.
Nay’Quan Wright is a “Swiss army knife,” according to Pierce. He’s a blend between Pierce’s power and Davis’ finesse.
And then there are Lorenzo Lingard and Demarkcus Bowman, whose blazing speed make them a threat to score every time they touch the ball.
“If they get a step on you, you’re not catching them, so, like, just hang that up,” Pierce said. “Pretty much how that running back room goes. But, yeah, all five of us [are] dangerous, so don’t go out there lackin’.”
While all five of them possess the talent that it takes to succeed at this level, you’ve got to be a selfless and team-first player to play running back for Mullen and Greg Knox. The Gators might rush for 200 yards as a team in a game this season but not have any one player with more than 50 or 60 yards.
“When you look at our running back stats as a whole position group, they’re pretty good and maybe not one guy gets all the stats and everybody else gets nothing,” Mullen said. “It’s allowed us to be pretty successful over the last several years, and guys [are] having the opportunity here as well as the opportunity beyond here because of how we’ve done things.”
Pierce said it’s been easy for him to buy-in to rotating. He understands that playing fewer snaps will allow him to play better when he is in the game.
“You can’t break 80 yards if you’re tired with dead legs, man,” he said. “So, I’m all right with being fresh when I go out there.”
If all it took to have a strong running game was a deep stable of backs, the Gators wouldn’t have anything to worry about this season.
Unfortunately, it also takes an offensive line that can open holes and allow the running backs to create big plays. The Gators have been downright terrible in run-blocking over the past two seasons, and the spring offered little reason for optimism.
Pierce said the offensive line has worked hard this offseason and is poised to prove their detractors wrong.
“I feel like last year they had a lot of people talking smack about them, and they responded very well,” he said. “They came into the offseason working. A lot of guys got in shape. I don’t see a lot of them got that pudge no more, man. They done worked out; they got in shape; they’re ready to go. That unit, they’ve become more cohesive. They hang around each other a lot. Those guys are well-knit, and I’m excited for them this year.”
Center Stewart Reese said the approach won’t change up front this season. Even though the play-calling will likely be more run-heavy, they just have to focus on executing their assignments. They can’t let it get into their heads that they’re a running team or a passing team.
“We need to be ready for both,” Reese said. “Going into a game, the gameplan may be different week to week. So, you can’t just get stuck on being able to run block or being able to pass block because there might be a game this year where Emory [Jones] has to be a pocket-passer. So, it has to fit, whether it’s run or pass.”
While a pinpoint vertical passing game defined the 2020 Gators offense, Reese believes physicality will be the trademark of this squad.
“One of the things that I like about our unit is we gel really well,” he said. “We’ve never had any issues or ego problems between any of us. We all feel like this is a real brotherhood. As far as physicality, we’re always going to be physical. That’s what Coach Mullen and our staff prides this program on is being physical, coming out and out-toughing people in the game or, even if we do lose, that team is probably not going to want to play us again because of how physical we were. Physicality is going to be a big part of the season this year.”
Pierce said playing second fiddle to Trask and Pitts the past two years allowed him to become a more complete running back, and he’s ready to prove himself on a larger scale this season.
“I just kind of have to keep pushing,” Pierce said. “Last year gave me a lot of time to work on other parts of my game, other than running the ball. Getting better at protection, getting better at routes, learn the offense from a different viewpoint. But heading into the season, like Mullen said, it’s going to be different, obviously, with Emory at quarterback [and] some of those two-back sets, so we’ll see what’s going on this year.”