5.1 ypc isn't bad, but it isn't good. It's very average.
I wish the default wouldn't always be to blame the OL & Play Calling - but that's a cycle that will never be broken.
Here's the YPC of our last 10 leading rushers:
Travis Homer - 5.9 & 6.0
Deejay Dallas - 6.0
Duke Johnson - 6.3, 6.8 & 6.8
Lamar Miller - 5.6
Cam - 5.1
Walton - 5.3
Yearby - 4.9
The better RB's had higher YPC's becuse they were better RB's. It's simple as that. The OL didn't magically get worse when our less talented RB's were in.
Example - In 2020:
Cam Harris lost yards on 27 of his 126 carries (21.4%)
Chaney/Knighton/Burns lost yards on 6 of 136 carries (4.4%)
The OL doesn't just fall apart whenever Cam gets the ball. Cam loses yards because of his style - he either freezes or tries to bounce - he doesn't fight to get back to the LOS like he should, The problem is on him.
BTW - did you see him not cross the LOS in 3 of his 4 carries in the Spring game? He is who he is. This isn't changing.
The whole point is Cam is average. Now if Chaney isn't better than an average RB to the point where his talent demands he gets way more carries than cam - then our backfield is also average - no matter what the depth.
Look, here's the problem in this discussion. You can cite the stats, and I don't deny the stats. But I'm also using the eye test, and I saw the same crappy CONSTRUCTION of the runs that we've had for a few years.
Take a look at what I actually wrote. I didn't blame the OL. I didn't blame "playcalling" in a vacuum. I very specifically addressed the TYPES of runs we were doing, when we kept running into the interior of the opposing D-lines WITHOUT having a dominant blocking scheme or a large-bodied runner who can churn out yardage. THAT is what does not make sense. Cam, Chaney, and Knighton are all fast enough to get outside to pick up extra yardage. I even conversed with Lance about one particular play when there was wide open grass to the outside, yet Cam stuck to the inside where there were multiple defenders, which was an indicator of how the running backs commit to the plays and are not even thinking about taking advantage of open field to the outside.
So you spent a lot of time defending the OL when I didn't even criticize the OL. I am simply talking about using the size/speed of our RBs to the best advantage, and not forcing the inside running game if an opposing team has a solid front 7. That's not a case of simple "personnel" or general "playcalling", it is about trying to gameplan and construct a running attack that will maximize our strengths and exploit the defensive weaknesses instead of playing into the defensive strengths.
And I don't understand you using 10 years worth of running back stats while somehow giving the impression that the OL performance was consistent. You say that the "better stats" indicate the "better runners", without acknowledging that the OLs (and coaches) were completely different at different times (not to mention the blocking and overall offensive schemes).
I also don't understand this "did you see him not cross the LOS in 3 of his 4 carries in the Spring game" nonsense. A. Sample size. B. He ran the plays that Lashlee called. C. Let me reiterate NOT running into the teeth of the defense with a non-bulky, speedy runner. But hey, let's pretend that Cam should be blamed. Honestly, what is Cam supposed to do? Freelance? Not run the plays that Lashlee calls? I understand that Lashlee WANTS to have a big bell-cow running back, but how long will he be at UM and how long do we have to wait until we get him the personnel he wants? Why can't he scheme for the personnel that he HAS?
That's all. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at Lashlee for not finding a compromise. I'm not saying "never" run Cam or Don or Knighton up the middle, but it has to be a bit more surprising, and we have to utilize the outside lanes more. Even our own fans can see how predictable our running game has been under Richt, Enos, AND Lashlee, so I can only imagine that highly paid opposing coaches and consultants are going to be able to spot our glaring tendencies too. Other teams have separate consultants/coaches who coordinate "running game" and "passing game", maybe we need to take "running game" off of Lashlee's plate for now. Whatever we do, we need to find more variety in our running game under the RPO, we can't have 60-70 percent of our plays originating with "King turns to the right" or "King turns to the left".
Again, the point is not to argue "5.1 YPC is soooo fantastic", but to say that I watched every snap of every game and I'm sick of seeing the give-up runs up the middle (where if the hole isn't there, the runner is essentially forced to give up momentum) and knowing how that brings down the YPC average.
Come on, man, put down the stat pipe and watch the games. If you want to slam Jerome Bettis up the middle 20 times to weaken the DL, that's fine if you have Jerome Bettis, but if you have Cam, Don, and Rooster, we just don't have the personnel for that approach, and we need to harness their strengths.
See? And I didn't even blame the OL.