The Michigan State Spartans are set to open their 2015 season with a Sept. 4 matchup against the Western Michigan Broncos. It is a game that should be an easy win for the Spartans, but more importantly will give them a chance to evaluate their running back position.
At this point in time, Gerald Holmes and Madre London listed as co-starters, with both LJ Scott and Delton Williams being two other potential pieces.
It is a long fall from the deadly ground game that the Spartans had last season with Jeremy Langford, but they will have to make do with it.
Holmes is entering his sophomore season, and will be very intriguing to keep an eye on throughout the course of the 2015 season. He only carried the football 15 times for 44 yards last season, but was able to learn the game from the sidelines. His 6-foot-1 and 218-pound frame makes him more than capable of being an every down back, and he is likely the front-runner to be the long-term starter for the Spartans.
London is an interesting player as well, and is a 6-foot-1, 220-pound freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has a nice blend of speed and strength, although he doesn’t have nearly the type of big play potential that Holmes does.
There is a chance that he could force himself into a co-starting role simply by creating a thunder and lightning type of dual-back system with Holmes.
No matter what the Spartans do at the running back position this year, they are going to have Connor Cook leading the way. He chose to forgo the NFL Draft and come back for his senior season, which was a pleasant surprise for Mark Dantonio.
All the Spartans need their running game to do is take a bit of pressure off of Cook, and force defenses to stay honest against the ground attack.
While they aren’t going to be picking up the big yardage that they did last season, the Spartans’ running backs will still be able to get the job done. Both of these players are capable of starting, and the coaching staff will figure out a way to get the most out of them.
Don’t expect to see the Spartans offense lose a lot in 2015 with Holmes and London leading the way on the ground.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
