Le’Veon Bell to lead Michigan State ground attack
College football is an exciting sport to watch in large part because of watching the development of underclassmen as they mature on the football field.
Everyone is trying to find the next big thing in college football and Michigan State running back Le’Veon Bell is one guy looking to take that next step in his career.
Emerging from the shadow of high-profile teammates Kirk Cousins, BJ Cunningham, Keshawn Martin, and Edwin Baker, whom Bell shared running back duties with the past two seasons are gone. Bell is ready to go.
He is now the unquestioned workhorse for the Spartans this season. At 244 pounds, Bell will try to put the Spartans offense on his broad shoulders and aims to carry the team to Big Ten paradise.
Averaging more than five yards per carry last season, Bell finished just shy of 1,000 yards on the ground finishing with 948, despite ceding 170 carries to the departed Baker.
If Bell gets around 300 carries and maintains his average per carry from last season, he will be near 1,500 yards rushing and could pass the 20 touchdown marker. He had 13 trips to the end zone last season.
Finishing third in receptions on the roster with 35 to Cunningham and Martin, respectively, he conceivably could lead the team in both rushing and receiving.
The knock on Bell last season was that he disappeared in State’s biggest games of the season. In the games vs. Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan, Bell combined for 28 carries and 97 yards.
Michigan State has been knocking at the door of the top of the conference standings the last couple years under head coach Mark D’Antonio, but is still waiting for a Rose Bowl berth.
With no elite team in the conference, this could be the year that Sparty knocks down that proverbial door and could be playing in Pasadena on New Year’s Day behind the efforts of the battering ram work of Bell–provided that the Spartans can navigate their way through their schedule and Bell shines when the spotlight is brightest look for Bell to garner some serious Heisman buzz.
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Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports and avid college football fan, and the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com Wednesday mornings from 8-10. View his show’s website here.
