Improved Ground Game Could Boost Mississippi State's Air Raid Success in 2021
Mississippi State will still throw the football a whole lot in 2021. They will continue to pass first, and it will still be the Air Raid offense we all know and love.
Yet, we often overlook the importance of a fluid ground game when evaluating the air raid offense. Last season had its ups and downs, but the offense clearly got better as the season went on. One interesting aspect to look at is the total rushing yards the Bulldogs had in their final three games of the season account for more than 57% of the team's 2020 rushing yards.
The offense started to click as the season concluded, and head coach Mike Leach hopes to continue that momentum into the 2021 season.
Leach was asked about using the ground game in last week's press conference.
"We utilize it all the time," he said. “We’re still moving targets with the running backs and the o-line,” Leach said last week. “But we’ve improved quite a bit since the end of last season.”
Jo’quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson are two main feature backs for the Bulldogs this season. They’re also joined by new true freshmen Ke'Travion Hargrove who has been seeing consistent second-team reps in practice.
Both Marks and Johnson have seen regular reps with the first team throughout training camp with Marks spending the most time with the ones.
Running backs coach Eric Mele has seen improvement from both players as training camp’s gone on:
"Those two older guys (Johnson and Marks) are really making some gains with the nakedness, the change of direction stuff and the explosive stuff out there,” Mele said when speaking to the media earlier in camp. “I am happy to see that from them.”
With an improved offensive line in 2021, the running backs need to take advantage of better blocking and hit the holes for bigger breakaway runs.
If the ground game can become more of a consistent aspect in the offense with breaking more first contacts and drawing defenders closer to the box, the Air Raid will truly open up.
In a big way.
