Will Elijah Tau-Tolliver Be a Significant Contributor for MSU?
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Many had assumed Michigan State had found its next running back when it brought in transfer redshirt senior Elijah Tau-Tolliver from Sacramento State this past offseason.
His experience and production at his former spot made him seem like the obvious candidate for the RB1 job, especially when sophomores Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis had each tallied just seven carries apiece last season.
But Frazier and Tullis came out of fall camp as the two main backs, and each would leave their mark on Friday's win over Western Michigan.
Tau-Tolliver, meanwhile, got just eight carries, the majority of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren had said last week the plan was to use the three backs for the first three weeks and to "feed the hot hand." The question has to be asked -- is there much in store for Tau-Tolliver?
"He (Tau-Tolliver) can do it all like those other two can," coach Jonathan Smith said after Friday's contest. "It's tough to rotate all three maybe equally, and so getting him in the game, and getting some carries was good to see. I know he got in a decent number of special teams as well. It's a long season, and those guys keep battling and going. There's not some specific snap count. It's just tough to rotate three guys evenly."
Still, it's clear Tau-Tolliver was more of an afterthought compared to the other two backs. Did Frazier and Tullis just have a better fall camp? Or did the staff hope to have seen more from the veteran?
What Michigan State wanted to see from Elijah Tau-Tolliver in camp
From what running backs coach Keith Bhonapha had said early in camp, Tau-Tolliver had been on the right track.
"I think the one thing with him, we have to continue to see is, this is Big Ten football," Bhonapha had said the week leading up to the Spartans' first scrimmage of fall camp, "and I think he athletically fits in there, but from where he was at, just kind of being the guy at Sac State, being able to push through and take that next step, he's done that nicely, but now it's continuous through the end of fall camp as we work into the first week, getting ready for Western Michigan."
We're merely through Week 1, so much is still to be determined. But fans have to wonder if Tau-Tolliver is going to be utilized to a significant extent.
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