LSU Tigers

Does Derrius Guice Have A Role In This LSU Offense?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

When Leonard Fournette went down with a right ankle injury against the Auburn Tigers, the LSU offense was left with a huge question mark. Fournette is one of the best players in the country, and a team is always expected to have a drop off in production when losing a player of that caliber.

But the LSU offense did not drop off a single bit. Ed Orgeron and the Tigers put up a combined 87 points in the two games Fournette missed, and most of that is thanks to his backup, Derrius Guice. The sophomore running back was able to pick up right where number seven left off, and alongside Orgeron’s offensive adjustments the Tigers were able to thrive.

In the absence of Fournette, Guice ran for an incredible amount of yardage and put the ball in the end zone five times. His combination of strength and speed proved unstoppable, and for a brief period of time Leonard Fournette slipped to the back of our minds.

Fournette made his return this past Saturday against the Ole Miss Rebels. Orgeron and his staff came into the contest with a game plan centered on splitting the carries between Fournette and Guice, but that plan was quickly abandoned. The sophomore tailback saw his fair share of playing time early on, but shortly after the start of the game he found himself standing on the sideline for very long stretches of time.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It was no fault of his own, but rather a result of what Leonard Fournette was doing with his time on the field. Against the Rebels, he broke the school record for rushing yards in a game and scored three times. It’s easy on paper to plan to split the carries, but when a player has a historic night, you have to keep him on the field.

Derrius Guice is unquestionably the team’s running back of the future, but where does he stand as far as this season is concerned?

Unfortunately, I don’t think we will see much of Guice the rest of the way. The LSU Tigers are back in contention for the SEC Championship, and if everything goes right, the College Football Playoff. The team needs to win out down the stretch to achieve either of those things, and their success will be, in large part, determined by how the offense produces.

With so much on the line, I think Leonard Fournette will be on the field as much as humanly possible. He’s one of the most explosive players in the nation, and with the coaching staff making major offensive adjustments on a week-to-week basis, they need that consistency in the backfield as the passing attack comes along. Guice is arguably the second best running back in the conference, but he’s not Leonard Fournette. He’s my favorite player on this team and has a bright future going forward with the Tigers, but I just don’t think we will see a ton of Derrius Guice down the stretch.