Running in the HUNH

For years, Clemson's rushing offense has been inconsistent season to season and game to game.

It's hard to imagine the Tigers not making drastic improvement in the running game under first-year coordinator Chad Morris.

Last night we posted this story on the immense running success enjoyed by Morris' offense and the two others that most closely resemble it.

Here's a closer look at Tulsa's rushing numbers last season with Morris running the show:

537 attempts (41.3 per game)
2,820 yards (216.9 per game)
5.25 per carry
32 touchdowns

Here's what the rushing numbers looked like in 2009, the year after Gus Malzahn's departure and the year before Morris took over:

480 attempts (40 per game)
1,809 yards (150.7 per game)
3.77 per carry
19 touchdowns

Here's what Malzahn's rushing numbers have looked like the past two seasons at Auburn:

2010
652 attempts (46.5 per game)
3,987 yards (284.7 per game)
6.12 per carry
41 touchdowns

2009
550 attempts (42.3 per game)
2,756 yards (212 per game)
5.01 per carry
24 touchdowns

And here's what the numbers looked like in 2008, the year before Malzahn's arrival:

469 attempts (39 per game)
1,642 yards (136.8 per game)
3.5 per carry
12 touchdowns

Let's move back to Tulsa, where Malzahn spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons. In 2006, the year before he arrived, Tulsa's numbers looked like this:

484 attempts (37.2 per game)
2,107 yards (162 per game)
4.35 per carry
30 touchdowns

Here's 2007:

562 attempts (40.1 per game)
2,421 yards (172.9 per game)
4.3 per carry
28 touchdowns

And 2008:

674 attempts (48.1 per game)
3,752 yards (268 per game)
5.57 per carry
40 touchdowns

And we'll close with Oregon, which Chip Kelly has built into an offensive juggernaut using some of the same stuff Malzahn and Morris use.

In 2006, the year before Kelly's arrival, the Ducks averaged 182 rushing yards per game and more than 5 yards per carry.

Here's what they did in 2007:

615 attempts (47.3 per game)
3,279 yards (252.2 per game)
5.33 per carry
32 touchdowns

2008
585 attempts (45 per game)
3,641 yards (280 per game)
6.22 per carry
47 touchdowns

2009
547 attempts (42 per game)
3,012 yards (231 per game)
5.51 per carry
38 touchdowns

2010
630 attempts (48.4 per game)
3,739 yards (287 per game)
5.93 per carry
42 touchdowns

LW