SB Nation's Rock M Nation is understandably impressed with the way Mizzou's running backs have handled the absence of Derrick Washington. Granted the competition isn't great but the numbers aren't much different without Washington.
Mizzou ended with 46 carries for 292 yards and a healthy 6.3 yards per carry.
What most impressed me last night was not necessarily Henry Josey's speed (though that was certainly quite impressive) -- it was the willingness and ability of Josey, Moore and Murphy to run between the tackles. None of the four backs above are taller than 5'10 or bigger than 195, but they have shown at least decent ability to get physical yardage in the middle of the field. They're better on the outside, obviously, but if the linebackers have to respect the up-the-middle runs, you can get an extra half-step on them when running to the edge.
Kendial Lawrence was expected to be one of the main contributors in the 2010 running game. On Saturday, he was fourth on the team in production behind Henry Josey, De'Vion Moore and Marcus Murphy.
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