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(UWIRE) BATON ROUGE, La. -- Former LSU running back Jacob Hester accounted for 1,209 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns in his senior season.
Replacing that kind of production is an unenviable task for any college football team, but four highly-touted running backs are waiting their opportunity to shine for the Tigers.
The dilemma may be who will get the most opportunities to carry the load.
Despite being arguably the most talented back on the team, junior Keiland Williams was marred with inconsistency this past season. Williams had four games in 2007 when he averaged more than seven yards per carry. But he also had three games when he averaged less than five yards per carry.
"Keiland is a little bit of power and a little bit of speed," said junior running back Charles Scott. "He has yet to be named the official starter, but even if he is, he will have us at his heels pushing him to get better."
But to become the Tigers' go-to running back he must eliminate mistakes such as the blunder he made against Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Championship.
With the Tigers driving Williams was dropped for a 14-yard loss, forcing LSU into an almost impossible second-down-and-24. The Tigers could not get out of the hole and punted two plays later.
Even though Williams is the most experienced, Scott and redshirt sophomore Richard Murphy will continue to push for playing time.
Both backs bring opposing styles into the running back mix.
"Murphy is a very powerful runner," Williams said. "But when he gets into the open field, he is that stop-on-a-dime guy and is very explosive."
Scott is a big-bodied back who did not lose a fumble this past season and can get tough yards between the tackles.
"Scott is a very reliable runner, kind of like a Hester," Williams said. "He is going to get out there and do the little things like make a key block and protect the football."
Scott rushed for 324 yards on 45 carries in 2007 and led the team with a 7.2 yards per carry average.
