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Week 2 of tracking the RB Success Rate was a little more tedious than Week 1. There was only one conference game,all other teams in action played cupcakes, and due to Georgia's bye week I couldn't track Todd Gurley :(. For those new to the program, I'll remind you that the Success Rate tracks how many of a back's carries are successful. A successful run is gaining 40% of the required yardage on first down, 60% on second down, and 100% on third down.
In a little change to the spreadsheet this week, I decided to also track the success rates of SEC running backs who registered at least ten carries, in addition to each Alabama running back.
| School | Player | Carries | Successful Carries | Yards | Yards per Carry | Success Rate |
| Alabama | T.J. Yeldon | 7 | 5 | 43 | 6.1 | 71.4% |
| Alabama | Derrick Henry | 5 | 4 | 23 | 4.6 | 80.0% |
| Alabama | Kenyan Drake | 7 | 4 | 45 | 6.4 | 57.1% |
| Alabama | Tyren Jones | 4 | 3 | 33 | 8.3 | 75.0% |
| Alabama | Altee Tenpenny | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.0% |
| Arkansas | Alex Collins | 13 | 11 | 131 | 10.1 | 84.6% |
| Auburn | Cameron Artis-Payne | 16 | 13 | 112 | 7.0 | 81.3% |
| Auburn | Corey Grant | 10 | 7 | 89 | 8.9 | 70.0% |
| Kentucky | Mikel Horton | 10 | 4 | 45 | 4.5 | 40.0% |
| LSU | Leonard Fournette | 13 | 6 | 92 | 7.1 | 46.2% |
| LSU | Darrel Williams | 14 | 8 | 65 | 4.6 | 57.1% |
| LSU | Kenny Hilliard | 11 | 9 | 55 | 5.0 | 81.8% |
| Mississippi State | Josh Robinson | 20 | 11 | 124 | 6.2 | 55.0% |
| Missouri | Russell Hansbrough | 18 | 9 | 84 | 4.7 | 50.0% |
| Missouri | Marcus Murphy | 13 | 5 | 56 | 4.3 | 38.5% |
| South Carolina | Mike Davis | 18 | 12 | 101 | 5.6 | 66.7% |
| South Carolina | Brandon Wilds | 14 | 8 | 49 | 3.5 | 57.1% |
| Tennessee | Jalen Hurd | 23 | 11 | 83 | 3.6 | 47.8% |
| Tennessee | Marlin Lane | 13 | 5 | 54 | 4.2 | 38.5% |
| Texas A&M | Brice Dolezal | 11 | 9 | 86 | 7.8 | 81.8% |
| Texas A&M | James White | 11 | 10 | 62 | 5.6 | 90.9% |
| Vanderbilt | Ralph Webb | 18 | 7 | 95 | 5.3 | 38.9% |
As has been stated before, Alabama's backs didn't get outrageous numbers most likely because the coaches were focused on the passing game, which would explain only 33 rushing attempts by the whole team. Around the rest of the league, the only backs who did not set the world on fire were from Missouri and Tennessee, which makes sense...they played the two toughest non-conference opponents the league saw this week in Toledo and Arkansas State, respectively. I also feel kind of sorry for Ralph Webb from Vanderbilt. Getting 95 yards on 18 carries at a 38.9% success rate means that he was the victim of some very inconsistent blocking. You have to wonder what could have happened if the coaching staff decided to lean on their best player.
Observations:
1) Yes, it was Lamar. Yes, they run the HUNH. But Texas A&M's offense looks scarier and scarier every week. While their opponents have both looked weak so far, it seems like Kevin Sumlin's squad if starting to feel extremely comfortable within their roles of the offense. It won't be a trap game when they come to Tuscaloosa, however. Because EVERYONE sees this offense coming.
2) We might be seeing the beginning of the unraveling of Tennessee's offensive line. Their top two backs combined for a 44% success clip and 3.8 yards per carry. Against Arkansas State. I'm not saying they should be world-beaters, but even the average SEC offensive would impose their will against a Sun Belt team. Thing is, this probably isn't the average SEC offensive line.
3) Arkansas would probably be lucky to win five games this season, but let's all appreciate the sheer terror Alex Collins is capable of inflicting upon nations. Really terrible that Bret Bielema is his coach, but life's not fair sometimes. Looking forward to seeing him play on Sundays, because watching him on Saturdays is just kind of upsetting.
What was your favorite part of watching the games Saturday? Is LSU's three- or four-headed monster going to be a problem for the Crimson Tide in November? Any other statistics you'd like me to track? As always, thanks for reading!