This week we highlight the LSU running backs or “The Stable” as they are called. I’m not going to take a complete statistical angle this week. I will vent just a little about these guys situations.

Leading the charge for Tigers is medical red shirt junior Alley Broussard. I’m going to go ahead and change his name to Alley “bruised-hard.” After blowing out a knee in early season workouts over a year ago, he has come a long way to play. With pressure from coaches and fans and the anxiety to play, Broussard has come back showing every sign of not being ready to play. Fans wanted him to play so bad and now complain about his performance. Note to Alley: take this off-season to get healthy. I digress, but this season has not been Alley’s year rushing for 120 yards on 35 carries and three touchdowns, all in five games. The Lafayette native had a complete blowout in his right knee as I said, and the severity of this injury requires more than twelve months to heal. Tyrone Prothro, wide receiver from the University of Alabama, had a full break in his leg and he has not played since. It’s not that Prothro is smart enough to sit; its just he has coaches around him smart enough to understand he is hurt. After being a Heisman hopeful at the beginning of last year and surprisingly this year, Broussard’s statistics have not exceeded his expectations and it seems he has fallen into this system. Battling weight problems has been an issue too, but that is not his main problem. If my take was not clearly stated: ALLEY IS NOT READY. Last year Broussard used a medical red shirt which means he has a regular red shirt. I really wish Alley could have used it, I feel he is left to salvage his career with these last years. Good luck Alley.

Next in line is the seasoned vet Justin Vincent or “JV” as he is commonly known. As a freshman, this Lake Charles native had the best season for a freshman running back in LSU history. He rushed for 1,001 yards and played an important role in the National Championship season. But as the case with Alley Broussard, Vincent has fallen by the wayside in the past two years. In 2004, Vincent started in four games but was stripped of his confidence after a couple fumbles. Vincent is the poster child of the Nick Saban era representing the grit and determination of Saban, yet it seemed Saban was the one who broke him down. After the coaching switch last year, it seemed Vincent had returned to his old form leading the Tigers in rushing four of the last five games. That still did not satisfy LSU fans as they continue to question Vincent’s attitude and work ethic. What would take a freshman All-American and break him down from the starting running back to the eventual Special Teams Player of the Year? Who knows? Vincent suffered an injury but no where near what Broussard had faced. It just looks like Vincent has not recovered from the damage Saban had done years ago, and Coach Miles is left picking up the pieces.

The big surprise and I use that term loosely, is fullback Jacob Hester. Hester has been a consistent performer for the Tigers over these last two years. His contributions go past just the statistics. The fullback provides LSU with an option that the running backs have not provided; strength. Hester committed to Texas in 2004 but ended up signing with LSU and has been a sigh of relief in the backfield. Whether the Tigers needed running, blocking, or catching Hester has given everything. With his breakout game coming against Miami last year, Hester is showing he is not lacking skills as a fullback. Hester has reinvented the position showing a versatility previous fullback Kevin Steltz did not provide. Steltz was an incredible blocker but never ran or caught the ball. If a solid running back is put in the backfield with Hester, they will present a double threat to the opposing defenses.

Though there are other running backs for LSU, my final highlight will be true freshman Charles Scott. Scott seems to be just what the Tigers need right now by stepping up and providing some stability to the run game. In a season where the run has been stagnate, an opportunity has never been so available for a freshman to shine. Scott is the only LSU rusher over 100 yards in a game this season against Tulane, and was the leading rusher against Arizona. The stats may not line up exactly but Scott seems like a young Justin Vincent, all the potential and an upside that seems endless. It is up to Scott to take this year to grow and prepare himself for next season.

Coming up next week part 3 of the series with the wide receivers.

Contact Jonathan at sportseditor@b-now.com.