Tag: Dillon Johnson

Auburn offers premier back from SEC West

Two of Mississippi State’s top playmakers have received offers from Auburn since the transfer portal market opened on Dec. 5.

Auburn Football is shopping for top talent who currently reside in the transfer portal and did not have to go far to extend its’ most recent offer.

[autotag]Dillon Johnson[/autotag], who rushed for 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons at Mississippi State, announced Saturday that he has received an offer from Auburn.

Johnson is back on the market after splitting carries with Jo’quavious Marks in the Bulldogs backfield. Neither back has come close to rushing for 1,000 yards in a season over their careers due to Mississippi State’s air raid system, but Johnson has proved to be a great pass catcher, as he racked up 864 receiving yards during his time in Starkville.

Johnson becomes the second offensive playmaker from Mississippi State that Auburn has offered since December 5. The Bulldogs’ second-leading receiver from this season, [autotag]RaRa Thomas[/autotag], received an Auburn offer last week and took a visit to campus last Thursday.

Johnson infamously entered the portal on Dec. 7. In his announcement, he took time to air what is believed to be Mississippi State’s dirty laundry.

“Since I am not very tough, and (Coach Mike) Leach is glad I am leaving, I will be entering my name into the transfer portal with the hopes of finding a more fit playing environment for me,” Johnson said in a tweet.

Johnson has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

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Prediciting every SEC teams leading rusher in 2022

Here are projections for the top running backs in the SEC next year.

The 2021 season may have just ended, but it is never too early to look ahead to next year.

The SEC has embraced the pass-heavy offences that are sweeping the college football landscape but that has not prevented the conference from continued to have some of the best running backs in the country. That should once again be the case in 2022 as several running backs will be looking to build on previous seasons and several talented backs have transferred in from other conferences.

Here is an early look at every team’s leading rusher next season.

LSU vs Mississippi State: Running Backs Tale of the Tape

Previewing the running backs in the LSU-Mississippi State matchup.

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When it comes to running the football, these two teams are really struggling in that area. The bright spot for the LSU Tigers is freshman runner Corey Kiner. Despite leading the team in rushing after back-to-back solid performances, head coach Ed Orgeron stated that Ty Davis-Price is still the starter but Kiner would get plenty of opportunities.

Unlike the Lincoln Riley version of the ‘Air Raid’ offense, Mike Leach prefers to sling it around. Last season in 11 games, the Mississippi Bulldogs finished dead last in rushing in the SEC. With just 43.9 yards per game, the only team under 100/yards per game. This year through three games they are slightly better at 45.3.

These two run games are below the century mark on a per game basis, LSU comes in at 85.7.

How do the running backs measure up?

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

You might want to sit down when you read these numbers.

Jo’quavious Marks Dillon Johnson vs Ty Davis-Price Corey Kiner
5-10 6-0 Ht 6-1 5-10
195 215 Wt 232 213
Sophomore Sophomore Class Junior Freshman
22 15 Att 27 23
83 79 Yards 72 130
3.8 5.3 YPA 2.7 5.7
2 1 TDs 0 2
22 16 Rec 2 0
94 116 Yards 26 0
1 0 TDs 0 0

We are going to give a slight edge to the LSU Tigers in the battle of the running backs. Both Dillon Johnson and Corey Kiner are slightly more effective based on their yards per attempt. The Tigers are a little more reliant on their run game than Mississippi State.

Runner YAC YAC/attempt Missed Tackles Forced 10+ yard runs
Marks 45 2.05 2 1
Johnson 47 3.13 0 3
Davis-Price 56 2.07 5 1
Kiner 102 4.43 13 5

It appears that the most impactful running back of the four main ones is freshman Corey Kiner. LSU needs to find more opportunities to get the ball in his hands.