Sophomore running back LJ Scott (3) runs into the end zone during the game against Michigan on Oct. 29, 2016 at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans were defeated by the Wolverines, 32-23.
The MSU football depth chart has been full of surprises all season long with changes made at nearly every position. The one constant on head coach Mark Dantonio’s depth chart has been the running back position, where three co-starters have remained since week one –– sophomores LJ Scott and Madre London as well as junior Gerald Holmes.
It remains that same way leading up to the game against Illinois on Saturday, though Scott has started six of the eight games this year, with Holmes starting the other two. However, following a 139-yard and one touchdown performance last weekend against the top-ranked rushing defense of University of Michigan, Scott is beginning to separate himself from the trio.
“As a running back, I mean, he's doing the things that we always thought he would be doing,” Dantonio said. “I think he's in sync right now. I think he's doing a nice job. I think he's ready to go. We'll see how he goes this week. Hopefully he's right in the groove.”
It certainly appears as though Scott has hit his groove. U-M was top in the nation in rush defense but had no answer for Scott, who broke off a number of bruising runs. He shed would-be tackles from the Wolverines and was the catalyst in their opening scoring drive –– capped off by a touchdown run by himself.
As for the offensive line, they looked improved against U-M from prior games, opening up bigger holes for Scott. The receivers and tight ends on the outside were holding their blocks and sealing the edge for Scott’s long runs down the sideline.
“Like I said, I was telling (the O-Line), 'It’s just time to go, man, let the other guy out of the cage,'” Scott said. “'You all know what you've got to do, but you've just got to do it at 100 percent.' They are real with me, I’m real with them, but I just try to keep my guys going and they definitely keep me going. I give all my credit to those guys up front.”
Scott has put together a solid sophomore campaign, rushing for 603 yards and four touchdowns on 115 attempts –– good for a 75.4 yards per game average. After his performance against U-M, it really seems as if he is putting it all together for MSU’s final four games.
“I’m going to come in with an edge every game, but not only every game, but every practice,” Scott said in regards to his preparation for MSU’s final stretch of games. “The more we learn this season, the more we’ll know next season and we’ll be able to do that 100 percent.”
Scott has picked up his play, primarily in the last two games, after seeing little action against Northwestern on homecoming weekend. Both Dantonio and co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner said Scott wasn’t good enough in pass protection and when the game became more pass-first, Holmes saw a lot more snaps.
Scott took that to heart.
“We (O’Connor and Scott) definitely might have been on a different page or from what I heard from practice or what I heard during that week,” Scott said in regards to his pass protection struggles. “We are there for each other. If I mess up, he’s got my back. If he messes up, I got his back. We've just got to make each other accountable.”
Scott now looks to seal up the starting running back position for the last four games, but he knows the competition between London, Holmes and himself will always be going on.
“I mean, we're all competing,” Scott said. “We are all different, we've all got different skill sets and what not. But we all just come in and try to do our job, and from my perspective I’m just trying to stay focused and pick up stuff more mentally and just staying in my zone.”
