College teams navigate changing running back rooms

Several college football teams are reassessing how they use their running backs as performance, depth and health shape their offenses. Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy has been sidelined, increasing the workload on featured back Jamal Roberts, who has rushed for 433 yards and five touchdowns over two games, while former Tiger Matt Lacy has returned to a limited role at Ole Miss. West Virginia has begun using more two-back sets now that its running-back group is healthier, pairing leading rusher Cam Cook with freshman Amari Latimer and drawing on a deeper rotation. At USC, King Miller has emerged as the clear lead back, with three 100-yard rushing games, while Waymond Jordan’s role has diminished. Arkansas, by contrast, has yet to settle on a lead back: four players are sharing carries as the Razorbacks rank near the bottom of the SEC in rushing, and their usage late in a close loss to Tennessee drew questions.