Josh Robinson Proves MSU has an Elite Running Back

Sep 20, 2014; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Josh Robinson (13) runs past LSU Tigers linebacker Kwon Alexander (4) during the third quarter of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s go back to July and August of this year when everyone and their grandmother was putting out predictions and rankings about how every team in the SEC and the rest of college football would perform this year. In most people’s mock-ups, people liked Mississippi State, but they didn’t know if they had the offense to put points on the board to beat the elite teams. One of the reasons that thought prevailed was that Mississippi State didn’t have an elite running back.

Josh Robinson would like to have a word with those people.

It’s understandable why people questioned Mississippi State at running back. LaDarrius Perkins, a two year starter and major contributor for four years, graduated last year. That meant a new starter would take over and Josh Robinson was the best candidate. The mistake most people made in those rankings is they didn’t spend a ton of time watching Mississippi State last year. If they had, they probably would have felt like so many fans of the program felt entering this season. We all felt like we were going to be better at running back because Josh Robinson was far more effective in limited opportunities. Josh Robinson had been really good in the first three games, but like Dak Prescott, he wasn’t going to get a lot of publicity doing great things against Southern Miss, UAB, and South Alabama. It was going to take a similar performance against LSU to get him some attention. He didn’t have a similar performance. He had the best game of his career.

Josh Robinson’s game in Baton Rouge has been slightly overshadowed by the performance of Dak Prescott. Prescott gets the attention because he is the quarterback, and may be the best one we have had in the history of our school. But Josh Robinson also made a homecoming on Saturday night in Death Valley. He had a chip on his shoulder just like the other players who came from Louisiana. The LSU defense took the full brunt of that chip.

Josh Robinson ran for 197 yards on 16 carries, an astounding 12.3 yards per carry against one of the most talented, though young, front sevens in the country. Robinson entered the game averaging 6.23 yards per carry. Most assumed that number would drop, even if he had a really good game. Not only did it not drop, he improved it by an entire yard and a half, now at 7.8 yards per carry.

Entering the game at Baton Rouge, the discussion about who the best running back in the SEC was had begun and ended with Todd Gurley of Georgia. He has been extremely impressive, running for 402 yards through three games, not to mention his ability to return kicks. Gurley is one of the best backs in the country, without question. But Josh Robinson put up the most impressive performance against one of the best defenses in the country in one of the most difficult places to play in all of college football. Gurley might still be the best ba ck in the SEC or country, but Josh Robinson has at least made people think about that just a little bit harder.