Morris finds strength in numbers at running back

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Chad Morris finds strength in numbers at running back

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-7 minutes

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Auburn doesn’t have a proven workhorse at running back as it enters the season. Only sophomore D.J. Williams has recorded more than 13 carries in a college game — just once, last year against Ole Miss when he had 24 carries.

What the Tigers do have, though, is a stable of talented options in the backfield, which seems to be just fine with first-year offensive coordinator Chad Morris, who appreciates strength in numbers at the position.

“In this league, as physical as this league is, you better have four solid guys right now that you can count on,” Morris said. “As much as we ask our running backs to do — whether it’s pass game, whether it’s pass protection, whether it’s obviously running the football — these guys have got to be physical, and they’ve got to be able to hold up.”

As Auburn wraps up preseason camp and shifts into game-week mode, Morris has seen enough of the above to make him comfortable heading into the Tigers' season opener on Saturday at 11 a.m. against Kentucky.

Auburn will unveil its first official depth chart of the season on Tuesday, and while all indications this preseason are that junior Shaun Shivers will be listed atop the two-deep, the Tigers appear to be headed toward a committee approach to the backfield — especially given the peculiar circumstances through which this season is taking place. Depth will be more valuable than ever.

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“I think we got five guys that are capable of helping us, OK?” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Friday. “You can never have enough depth at the running back position. Worm (Shivers) and D.J. are two guys that have experience. Harold (Joiner) is a guy that has some experience. Then of course, our two young guys, I think, are very talented. You’ll see them in there too, but they just need more reps, more experience.”

This preseason, running backs coach Cadillac Williams has done a lot of rotating at the position, with multiple players getting first-team reps in practices and scrimmages.

Shivers is the most experienced among the group as a junior, but he has only five career games with double-digit carries and none with more than 13 in a game. The last time he had double-digit touches in a game was last year in Week 3 against Kent State. Yet the 5-foot-7, 179-pounder finished last season strong, scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the Iron Bowl when he plowed through Alabama safety Xavier McKinney, and his skillset at the position could be tailor-made for what Morris likes to do with his running backs by getting them into space and using them in the receiving game.

Even though Shivers has six receptions for minus-7 yards at Auburn, he had a 70-yard touchdown reception on a quick hit during one of the team’s preseason scrimmages and has showcased that ability throughout the fall.

“I firmly believe, everywhere I’ve been, that you’ve got to evolve,” Morris said. “The great teams that we’ve had and have been a part of had great success in the passing game with the tight ends and the running backs. And I think that’s something that these guys have taken a lot of pride in. Been extremely impressed with them. Now, we’ve got a long way to go — don’t get me wrong here. But these guys have done a great job of understanding what we’re asking them to do…. But these guys being able to come out of the backfield and catch the ball, whatever it may be, I’ve been pleased with them. And more so than anything, the pride level of making sure that they’re getting it right.”

Williams is the team’s top returning rusher following the offseason departure of Boobee Whitlow, having rushed for 400 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 84 attempts as a freshman last season. After dealing with an early-season shoulder and hip injury, as well as freshman jitters, Williams feels better suited to contribute to the offense this season.

Then there’s Joiner, who has only 15 carries for 103 yards over the last two seasons but could be used in a multitude of ways in the offense—whether split out wide, in the backfield or potentially out of the Wildcat—as well as the two newest additions to the backfield: redshirt freshman Mark-Antony Richards and true freshman Tank Bigsby. Richards missed all of last season due to a preseason knee injury but was the early talk of fall camp, while Bigsby was the highest-rated member of Auburn’s 2020 recruiting class.

Both possess the skillset to be the kind of all-around weapons that Morris likes his running backs to be.

“I think we’re all pretty valuable,” Williams said. “Everybody has their own style, of course I feel like my style is more downhill. You know, Worm, he gets on the outside and he is gone. Tank is the same way, but he can also run inside. I feel like Mark’s the same way too. He can run inside, and he also has speed too. And Harold, he can catch out of the backfield so it’s pretty good. It’s all a good mix.”

Now it’s just about Morris finding the right four-man mix when the season arrives.

“I don’t really see it as a battle,” Williams said. “We’re all family here to make each other better.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.