UK Position Review | Running backs
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- With the 2015 regular season finished, it’s time to take a position-by-position look at the Kentucky football roster. The Courier-Journal's position report card series continues with the running backs...
Returning starters: As a freshman, Stanley “Boom” Williams showed glimpses of the talent that had UK fans dreaming of future All-Southeastern Conference accolades. As a sophomore in 2015 he built on those glimpses with one of the more consistent performances from a UK running back in recent history. Williams just missed a 1,000-yard rushing season with 855 yards and six touchdowns on 121 carries in 10 games. Williams missed one full game and more than half of two others with an elbow injury and sat out another game due to a personal issue. He topped the 100-yard rushing plateau five times.
Other returning players: Junior running back Jojo Kemp became the first freshman to lead Kentucky in rushing in 13 years during the 2013 season, and while he has since been passed by Williams, Kemp remains an important part of the UK rushing attack. He finished second on the team with 555 rushing yards and tied for the team lead with six rushing touchdowns in 12 games. Sophomore Mikel Horton added 318 yards and three touchdowns on 82 carries. Freshman Sihiem King saw his role expand as the season went on and finished his debut year with 127 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries.
Important losses: Barring an unexpected transfer, Kentucky will return each of its scholarship running backs for the 2016 season.
One to build around: After two promising seasons, 2016 will be the year for Williams to prove he belongs in the top tier of SEC running backs. A UK spokeswoman confirmed Williams does not need surgery after reinjuring his elbow in the regular-season finale against Louisville, and he should be healthy for spring practice. If the injury does not linger, Williams likely enters the 2016 season as the clear No. 1 player on the roster. He ranked second in the SEC in yards per carry (7.1) this season and was the league’s only running back with at least 50 carries to average more than seven yards per carry.
Addition to watch: Three-star running back Benny Snell is set to join the program after a standout career at Westerville Central High School in Westerville, Ohio. As a senior, Snell totaled 1,826 yards and 26 touchdowns on 247 carries, according to MaxPreps.com. He also added 27 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Kentucky could have the running back depth to redshirt both Snell and fellow commit A.J. Rose next season, but if he does play Snell will have the benefit of easing into his UK career behind some talented veterans.
Current 2016 commitments: Benny Snell (5-11, 200), A.J. Rose (6-2, 185)
Question mark: At times, Horton has looked like Kentucky’s best NFL prospect, but he has battled inconsistency throughout his first two seasons as a Wildcat. Horton’s best performance as a sophomore came with 14 carries for 109 yards against Tennessee. He scored the game-winning touchdown in the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette and opened the win at South Carolina with a powerful run for a score. Despite being listed at 6-foot-1, 226 pounds on the UK roster, Horton has failed to present the short-yardage weapon needed in a power back and lost that role to Kemp late in the 2015 season. Ball security has been an issue for Horton at times, as evidenced by his three fumbles in UK’s last two games.
Key stat: No one will confuse first-year FBS program Charlotte with legitimate SEC competition, but the Wildcats’ rushing performance in the Nov. 21 win offered a glimpse at the potential of the running backs on the roster. Kentucky totaled 415 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in the 58-10 victory. The 415 rushing yards were fourth-most in a single game in program history.
Season grade: B
Kentucky’s 1,952 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns on the season were the program’s most since 2010, but one could not help but think the total could have been even bigger in 2015. While Kemp and Horton both had their moments in the spotlight, the offense was rarely the same when Williams was unavailable. “We struggled the three games he didn’t play this year,” UK offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said after the Louisville loss. “We’re definitely a different team without him out there.” With quarterback a question mark for UK in 2016, leaning more heavily on the running backs doesn’t seem like a terrible strategy.
Email Jon Hale atjahale@courier-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter@JonHale_CJ.