Top 30 Running Backs In 2012

[Brasky]

College Football's Top 30 Running Backs for 2012 | AthlonSports.com

1. Lattimore

2. Ball

3. Burkhead

 

[Smart]

In other words, "We have no fact-based argument for Lattimore over Ball so we are just going to attach a sentence at the end that mentions he is a better athlete." Got it.

 

[Brasky]

In other words, "We have no fact-based argument for Lattimore over Ball so we are just going to attach a sentence at the end that mentions he is a better athlete." Got it.

That's because he is. He's more exciting to watch.

Ball benefited from the massive holes his line was plowing and Beilema shamelessly leaving Ball in late in games

Padding stats late in games against dubious competition does not make you a great running back.

OVERRATED.

 

[Brasky]

And before you go defending him...

Game One: Up 44-3 on a hapless UNLV with ½ the Third Quarter played, Russell Wilson throws a 41-yard bomb. Ball scores from 1-yard out to make it 51-3.

Game Two: Fourth Quarter, leading Oregon State 28-0 (themselves fresh off a loss to D-1AA Portland State), Montee Ball goes in for the score to make it 35-0. This is likely a more legitimate score than UNLV.

Game Three: Up 42-7, Ball scores on the might Northern Illinois Huskies of the MAC. Russell Wilson is still playing, still winging it around the yard, and Ball isn’t removed until the 4th quarter en rout to a 49-7 Wisconsin victory.

Game Four: Another home game for Wisconsin, another cream puff, the D-1AA South Dakota Coyotes. Up 38-3, late in the 3rd Quarter, Montee Ball and Russell Wilson are still (surprise!) playing in this glorified scrimmage. Ball is called on to carry the ball 8 times for 64 yards and score, yet again, in what would be a 59-10 rout. He played until the 4th Quarter started and the ‘Yotes were down 45-3.

Game Five: One of the more surprising final scores of the year, and another home game, 48-17 Wisconsin. Up 41-17 in the 4th Quarter, Wisconsin’s starters are still playing. Montee Ball gets the ball for 8 carries, 50 yards and scores with 5 minutes left in the game to make it 48-17. This was Wisco’s last offensive series of the game.

Game Six: Another home game for the Badgers; this one against lowly Indiana. Third Quarter, Badgers lead 38-7. Ball is still getting carries, and punches it in. 45-7. After forcing a punt, and a 60-yard return ensuing return, Wisconsin gets the ball again. Again, more carries for Ball, and he punches it in to make the score 52-7. The Badgers win 59-10.

Game 7: The first Badger road game; the first Badger loss. Ball scores in the first period, and doesn’t do so again until the final three minutes, on a 2-yard scrambling toss from Wilson. The Badgers lose, and Ball’s numbers are modest.

Game 8: Another road game, against another quasi competent defense. Ball never gets going, touching the ball 23 times, for under 90 yards (1/2 of those coming on a 40 yard run), and one touchdown. As the Badgers aren’t blowing out an undermanned opponent, Ball’s value is diminished, and the second half is a losing Russell Wilson effort.

Game 9: Bielema gets a reputation as a bit of a jerk: A run-it-up malcontent who has forgotten the meaning of sportsmanship, if he ever learned it. Poor Purdue found that out the hard way, losing 62-17 in a game far worse than the score. Suffice it to say, that up 45-17, Montee Ball was still scoring touchdowns. Even worse, up 52-17, Russell Wilson was still on the field…in the fourth quarter.

Game 10: Ball hype was building. Bielema, sensing the “Wilson for Heisman” furor dying, supposes that Ball is the best horse to ride. Ghastly Minnesota, the worst B1G team in 20 years, gets the stick this time. Up 35-3 in Minneapolis, Montee Ball scores midway through the 4th Quarter to make it 42-3. Backups did not see the field until 5:43 left in the game.

Game 11: Another road game, another struggle for the Badgers, this time needing to rally over the woeful Illini 28-17. Ball scores on two TD runs, and catches a short pass from Wilson. Nothing to argue with here, perhaps the only game that Ball has won, by and large, on his own.

Game 12: Stunning box score, part two. Wisconsin 45-Penn State 7. Penn State is hapless at half, down four touchdowns. While Bielema has the good graces to run the ball, he does not have the gumption to pull the plug on playing his starters. Ball scores two more times in the third, and starters play into the 4th with the game 38 points out of reach.

 

[Brasky]

Montee Ball is the most fraudulent Heisman contender in recent history.

He is not even a top 10 running back IMO.

 

[Smart]

That's because he is. He's more exciting to watch.

Ball benefited from the massive holes his line was plowing and Beilema shamelessly leaving Ball in late in games

Padding stats late in games against dubious competition does not make you a great running back.

OVERRATED.

LOL...making up more stuff, I see. Montee Ball sat out the entire fourth quarter in seven of fourteen games (all four non-conference, Purdue, Indiana, and Penn State). Of the other seven games, MSU x2, OSU, Illinois, and Oregon were close in the fourth. That leaves two games where he may have been left in too long, against Nebraska and Minnesota.

So, basically, you have once again shown that you continue to talk trash about our team but never actually watch our team.

PS: Against Nebraska, he was still in a HB competition against James White, who was our leading rusher in 2010. It's not like he was left in for no reason. And Minnesota is our hated rival.

 

[rolltide14_0]

And before you go defending him...

Game One: Up 44-3 on a hapless UNLV with ½ the Third Quarter played, Russell Wilson throws a 41-yard bomb. Ball scores from 1-yard out to make it 51-3.

Game Two: Fourth Quarter, leading Oregon State 28-0 (themselves fresh off a loss to D-1AA Portland State), Montee Ball goes in for the score to make it 35-0. This is likely a more legitimate score than UNLV.

Game Three: Up 42-7, Ball scores on the might Northern Illinois Huskies of the MAC. Russell Wilson is still playing, still winging it around the yard, and Ball isn’t removed until the 4th quarter en rout to a 49-7 Wisconsin victory.

Game Four: Another home game for Wisconsin, another cream puff, the D-1AA South Dakota Coyotes. Up 38-3, late in the 3rd Quarter, Montee Ball and Russell Wilson are still (surprise!) playing in this glorified scrimmage. Ball is called on to carry the ball 8 times for 64 yards and score, yet again, in what would be a 59-10 rout. He played until the 4th Quarter started and the ‘Yotes were down 45-3.

Game Five: One of the more surprising final scores of the year, and another home game, 48-17 Wisconsin. Up 41-17 in the 4th Quarter, Wisconsin’s starters are still playing. Montee Ball gets the ball for 8 carries, 50 yards and scores with 5 minutes left in the game to make it 48-17. This was Wisco’s last offensive series of the game.

Game Six: Another home game for the Badgers; this one against lowly Indiana. Third Quarter, Badgers lead 38-7. Ball is still getting carries, and punches it in. 45-7. After forcing a punt, and a 60-yard return ensuing return, Wisconsin gets the ball again. Again, more carries for Ball, and he punches it in to make the score 52-7. The Badgers win 59-10.

Game 7: The first Badger road game; the first Badger loss. Ball scores in the first period, and doesn’t do so again until the final three minutes, on a 2-yard scrambling toss from Wilson. The Badgers lose, and Ball’s numbers are modest.

Game 8: Another road game, against another quasi competent defense. Ball never gets going, touching the ball 23 times, for under 90 yards (1/2 of those coming on a 40 yard run), and one touchdown. As the Badgers aren’t blowing out an undermanned opponent, Ball’s value is diminished, and the second half is a losing Russell Wilson effort.

Game 9: Bielema gets a reputation as a bit of a jerk: A run-it-up malcontent who has forgotten the meaning of sportsmanship, if he ever learned it. Poor Purdue found that out the hard way, losing 62-17 in a game far worse than the score. Suffice it to say, that up 45-17, Montee Ball was still scoring touchdowns. Even worse, up 52-17, Russell Wilson was still on the field…in the fourth quarter.

Game 10: Ball hype was building. Bielema, sensing the “Wilson for Heisman” furor dying, supposes that Ball is the best horse to ride. Ghastly Minnesota, the worst B1G team in 20 years, gets the stick this time. Up 35-3 in Minneapolis, Montee Ball scores midway through the 4th Quarter to make it 42-3. Backups did not see the field until 5:43 left in the game.

Game 11: Another road game, another struggle for the Badgers, this time needing to rally over the woeful Illini 28-17. Ball scores on two TD runs, and catches a short pass from Wilson. Nothing to argue with here, perhaps the only game that Ball has won, by and large, on his own.

Game 12: Stunning box score, part two. Wisconsin 45-Penn State 7. Penn State is hapless at half, down four touchdowns. While Bielema has the good graces to run the ball, he does not have the gumption to pull the plug on playing his starters. Ball scores two more times in the third, and starters play into the 4th with the game 38 points out of reach.

Damn...no wonder he had so many TD's.

 

[Smart]

Damn...no wonder he had so many TD's.

Yeah, how dare Montee Ball score 2 TDs in the third quarter against a 9-2 Penn State team? It's not like Trent Richardson was running the ball up by 17 late against Georgia Southern or anything.

 

[sparko]

hmmm ... that's a strong case

 

[Jack_John_Mark]

I think Ball is a great back, but I do agree with Brasky in this case......his stats were padded.

I'll be honest, I'm surprised to see Burkhead up that high........I love Rex in a homo way, but he will really need to do amazing things this year to be one of the top 3 backs in the country.

I still believe Lattimore is the best back. Thought so 2 years ago already, and stated as much here several times at the Hoop.

 

[Smart]

Montee Ball carries per game against non-bowl teams: 16.0
Montee Ball carries per game against bowl teams: 25.2
Montee Ball carries per game against top 25 teams: 26.4

Montee Ball Carries By Quarter Against non-bowl teams:
1st: 31
2nd: 14
3rd: 28
4th: 7

If Bret Bielema had this huge conspiracy to inflate stats against bad teams, especially late in games, he sure is pretty shitty at it.

Meanwhile, Rex "Garbage Time" Burkhead got 72 of his 96 yards against Wisconsin after the game was already decided. But of course, that is acceptable because Rex is god, right?

 

[rolltide14_0]

Yeah, how dare Montee Ball score 2 TDs in the third quarter against a 9-2 Penn State team? It's not like Trent Richardson was running the ball up by 17 late against Georgia Southern or anything.

Exactly how many TD's did Trent rush for late against GSU? I seriously don't remember..

And Penn st. sucked, I don't care about their record. Look at that schedule and you'll see why they went 9-2....Here ya go.

 

[rolltide14_0]

Montee Ball carries per game against non-bowl teams: 16.0
Montee Ball carries per game against bowl teams: 25.2
Montee Ball carries per game against top 25 teams: 26.4

Montee Ball Carries By Quarter Against non-bowl teams:
1st: 31
2nd: 14
3rd: 28
4th: 7

If Bret Bielema had this huge conspiracy to inflate stats against bad teams, especially late in games, he sure is pretty shitty at it.

Meanwhile, Rex "Garbage Time" Burkhead got 72 of his 96 yards against Wisconsin after the game was already decided. But of course, that is acceptable because Rex is god, right?

His team was losing....

 

[Smart]

Exactly how many TD's did Trent rush for late against GSU? I seriously don't remember..

He got one midway through the third quarter. If you listen to Brasky, that is a major sin. Richardson also got the vasy majority of yards against shitty teams, while Montee's yards per games were highest against ranked teams. But don't let that get in the way of claiming Montee's stats were inflated.

 

[Smart]

His team was losing....

He was still going up against our third string defense. Those yards are just as tainted as anything Ball did in the second half. In fact, they are probaby more tainted because i'm pretty sure Montee was actually going against first string defenses.

And this first half stats argument is especially precious considering that the player with the best first half stats by a mile was Russell Wilson. He had more than 2,000 yards in the first half of his first thirteen games (ie before the Heisman ceremony) and had a ton of touchdowns (somewhere around 20). When I tried to bring up the fact that Russell played less than Luck and RG3 in the second half last year, nobody would buy it. I'd act surprised, but the anti-Wisconsin hypocrisy on this board, especially from the Nebraska fans, is pretty damn prevalent.

 

[Jack_John_Mark]

He was still going up against our third string defense. Those yards are just as tainted as anything Ball did in the second half. In fact, they are probaby more tainted because i'm pretty sure Montee was actually going against first string defenses.

And this first half stats argument is especially precious considering that the player with the best first half stats by a mile was Russell Wilson. He had more than 2,000 yards in the first half of his first thirteen games (ie before the Heisman ceremony) and had a ton of touchdowns (somewhere around 20). When I tried to bring up the fact that Russell played less than Luck and RG3 in the second half last year, nobody would buy it. I'd act surprised, but the anti-Wisconsin hypocrisy on this board, especially from the Nebraska fans, is pretty damn prevalent.

Good Lord

 

[MarkOU]

Dominique Whaley cracks this list after he shreds Texas for 100+ and 2 TDs.

Book It!!

 

[yeodonie]

Two in top 8. I suppose that's okay.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

DAMN!!! Andre Ellington made the top 10!! I didn't know anyone was paying attention.

 

[The Crimson King]

ok, we got 2 on the 'transfers to watch' list