Auburn Football Opponent Scouting Report: Mississippi State Offense

Oct 4, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Josh Robinson (13) pushes away Texas A&M Aggies defender at Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated the Aggies 48-31. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs

Prescott is obviously the best player on the field for the Bulldogs, but for MSU to improve as an offense in 2014, they knew they had to keep the quarterback healthy. That meant finding a running back to step up and take some pressure off of Prescott. Josh Robinson has done that extremely well.

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Over the course of the off-season, Robinson lost weight but added muscle, according to reports coming out of Starkville. He’s been able to use that newfound muscle, and perhaps a little extra speed to gain 592 yards on 79 carries (7.5 yards per carry) and six touchdowns. Each figure is an improvement over the 78 attempts, 459 yards and three scores Robinson had in 13 games as a junior.

He’s broken the century mark three times already in 2014, and set a career-high with 197 yards September 20 at LSU. Multi-talented, Robinson had 12 catches for 115 yards in 2013, and already has 111 yards on nine receptions this season.

Robinson’s primary backup has been Brandon Holloway, a speed back, who has gained 151 yards on 25 carries so far. Nick Griffin and Ashton Shumpert provide additional depth and experience.