Today we continue our analysis and grading of Clemson football positions with a look at the running backs for the Tigers in the 2018 season.
The 2018 Clemson football season was, in my opinion, the best in school history.
The Tigers finished the year with a perfect 15-0 record that included an ACC Championship, a win in the Cotton Bowl and a dominant National Championship victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Here’s a look at our grades for Clemson football at running backs.
Running Back Report Card:
The running backs did a very good job this year, in my opinion.
The Tigers were led by Travis Etienne at the helm, but we saw plenty of Adam Choice and Tavien Feaster, as well.
We even got to see flashes of talented freshman running back Lyn-J Dixon, though that was normally late in the third quarter or fourth quarter of games that the Tigers were in complete control of.
Overall, I really liked the development I saw from Etienne in pass-blocking. He whiffed on several occasions throughout the season, but if you look at his overall body of work, he was much-improved.
Adam Choice had some powerful runs and continued to excel in pass protection. Feaster looked good coming out of the backfield, as well.
At times, the running game wasn’t really prevalent because teams chose to stack the box and force the Tigers to throw the football. Still, the running backs continued to move their legs and fight for yardage.
That paid off as they got deeper into games and we would see Etienne or another back break off a big run.
Season Stat Leaders:
Travis Etienne: 204 attempts for 1,659 yards and 24 TDs. (8.1 YPC).
Tavien Feaster: 78 attempts for 440 yards and 6 TDs (5.6 YPC).
Adam Choice: 77 attempts for 548 yards and 7 TDs (7.1 YPC).
Lyn-J Dixon: 62 attempts for 547 yards and 5 TDs (8.8 YPC).
Overall Grade:
It’s absolutely astounding to see that you’ve got three running backs that averaged more than 7 yards per carry this season.
Tavien Feaster averaged more than 5 yards per carry. The Tigers did a great job balancing the touches and getting the ball in the hands of Etienne. I would’ve liked to see Etienne carry the ball about 250 times this season, but that’s neither here nor there.
The rushing attack was elite this year, as a matter of fact, it was one of the best in the country.
Running Backs Grade: A