Friday, September 27, 2013

Who has the bigger game, Gurley or Hill?

The case for Jeremy Hill. The guy is averaging over eight yards a carry. Against Auburn last week he toted the rock 25 times for 184 yards. He's the workhorse in a stable of good backs. And that may be the biggest benefit for Hill - that he's one of four running backs on a team that likes to run downhill 40+ times a game. Eventually the defense gets worn down and when that happens anyone of the four can take it the distance. And that's usually Hill.

The case for Gurley. The conference's top running back is getting nearly six yards a carry and is faster and bigger than last season. He's also a threat in the passing game, something that Hill is not. And that's just an extra dimension that will keep defenses guessing. The secret is out, Gurley is a downhill runner that can gash you, but he can also find the edge as well as cut back to an open hole. He's the full package and he tends to rise to the occasion in big games.

Advantage: Gurley. I see Gurley having a similar performance to the one he had for the gamecocks. Very workmanlike and helping control the clock at the end. Around thirty carries for #3 would spell disaster for LSU. They won't gear up to stop the run for fear of Murray carving them up. So Gurley will grind it out behind another impressive performance from the offensive line.