Oct 11, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Nick Marshall (14) hands the ball off to running back Cameron Artis-Payne (44) during the game at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports
An Auburn Player Will Finish With More Than 123 Rushing Yards
Ole Miss has allowed two running backs to gain more than 100 yards against them this season. Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon had 123 yards on the ground four weeks ago in a 23-17 Ole Miss victory and Leonard Fournette rushed for 113 yards in LSU’s 10-7 upset victory over the Rebels last week in Baton Rouge.
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Both Yeldon and Fournette are power runners that gain yardage by running north and south. Cameron Artis-Payne has gained 831 yards on 151 carries this season because he too runs straight ahead. Also, he’ll be fresh enough to gain big yardage in the fourth quarter because the Tigers have other options to carry the football throughout the game.
Much like Yeldon shared carries with Derrick Henry and Fournette shares his workload with Kenny Hilliard, Artis-Payne has Corey Grant, Roc Thomas and Nick Marshall with him in the backfield to take some of the weight off his shoulders. Plus, like we saw last week when Ricardo Louis gained 102 yards on only three rushing attempts, the Auburn rushing attack is diverse enough that any of the players listed above could break the century mark.
Expect Cameron Artis-Payne to hit 125 yards or more – he’s done it three times against SEC opponents this year, after all – but don’t be shocked if Nick Marshall or another running back does it as well.