SEC’s top two rushers collide when UK visits A&M. Each will face a defense built to stop him.
The top two running backs statistically in the Southeastern Conference will be facing off on Saturday in College Station, Texas, in Kentucky’s Benny Snell and Texas A&M’s Trayveon Williams.
“These two are just very good football players,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said of Snell and Williams. “They’re both competitive as heck, and both of them can hurt you. You better play great team defense against both of these guys.”
And both will be up against two of the top run defenses in the conference, with the Aggies boasting the best, allowing only 85 yards a game on the ground.
UK is giving up just 110.4 yards rushing.
Texas A&M Coach Jimbo Fisher said this week that his defense must have its best game of the year to slow Snell, whom he compared to one of the all-time great running backs in Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
“He reminds me the way of how Emmitt used to run,” Fisher said of Snell, who has 639 yards and eight touchdowns on 115 carries this season. “Emmitt had the big plays. But Emmitt made runs on everything he did.”
Williams has 582 yards and six touchdowns on 96 carries for the Aggies, averaging about 6.1 yards on every attempt. He helps Texas A&M control the clock and set up its shots downfield.
“He’s a really good back,” Cats defensive coordinator Matt House said of Williams, a junior. “He makes shallow cuts. For his size, he’s really physical, runs through contract, has a great stiff arm.”
SEC’s leading rushers
Player, school — Rushing yards
Benny Snell, Kentucky — 639
Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M — 582
Scottie Phillips, Ole Miss — 563
Nick Brossette, LSU — 481
Elijah Holyfield, Georgia — 368
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt — 360
Kylin Hill, Mississippi State — 348
JaTarvious Whitlow, Auburn — 326
Najee Harris, Alabama — 319
Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State — 318
Terry Wilson, Kentucky — 300