Two games into the season, LSU football’s run game is hit and miss. The Tigers struggled to create explosive plays against Clemson, but still managed to grind down Dabo Swinney’s defense in the second half. Against Louisiana Tech, LSU lacked consistency but made some big plays.
The improved explosiveness can be credited to Zavion Thomas — that’s not something we expected to say. Thomas, a wide receiver, has been critical to LSU’s run game thus far. LSU is mixing it up, presenting the defense with different looks that often include Thomas in the backfield. It’s common to see receivers get involved with jet sweeps and end-arounds, but Thomas is taking handoffs out of pistol as any real running back would.
Through two games, Thomas has nine carries for 80 yards. Three of Thomas’ nine carries were charted as explosive runs and he’s averaging 8.9 yards per carry. As LSU’s run game struggles to find consistency, Thomas is a needed spark.
There was talk of LSU getting Thomas involved in different ways all offseason, but most didn’t expect this heavy of a workload at running back. But Thomas is a playmaker and good things happen when he gets the ball in his hands.
LSU begins SEC play when the Tigers meet Florida on Saturday. The Gators are coming off a loss to USF, but the defensive front is good enough to cause problems for LSU. If the Tigers block Florida like they did Louisiana Tech, LSU’s ground game will be nonexistent. With Thomas’ speed and ability to find space, it takes pressure off the LSU offensive line.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU wide receiver proving to be critical piece of LSU’s rushing attack
