Famed former Georgia Southern Head coach Erk Russell gave the Eagle offense the nickname “Georgia Power Company” and with the talent at running back this season, the offense should once again live up to its name.

True Blue fans expect a big year from junior running back Matt Breida and redshirt sophomore running back L.A Ramsby. The latter is a strong runner that would frequently break off 5-7 yard gains, the former is a member of the Doak Walker watch list and rushed for nearly 1500 yards last season. The two combined for 29 touchdowns on the ground and are expected to duplicate those numbers this season against tougher opponents. However, Breida isn’t concerned with awards but has another, more important goal.

“I try to look back at the team and what the team goals are, our main goal this year is to win the Sun Belt and go to a bowl game. All the award stuff, that might come but I want to stay focused on the team and stay humble,” Breida said.

Besides those two, there are seven other running backs that are ready to break out and show that they belong in the spotlight. Of these seven running backs, three are coming off of redshirt seasons and two are entering freshman and likely to be redshirted to learn under the talent available.

Experience is a huge tool for players at any position, and redshirt senior running back Ryan Brown has five years of college football under his belt to offer. Brown played at Jonesboro High School before attending Fond Du Lac Tribal Community College where he played two years for the Thunder. Brown transferred to Georgia Southern and has had to fight with a deep Eagle back field for playing time. Entering his senior season, he will hope to get a chance to see the field and help his team achieve their ultimate goal.

A younger member of the squad that has a bright career ahead of him is redshirt freshman running back Thomas Banks. If that name rings a bell, it is because his older brother William Banks who played B-back for the Eagles from 2009-2013 playing a critical role in his final two seasons. Thomas Banks will look to pave his own path in a new era of Georgia Southern football as he will fight to earn playing time among a deep depth chart.

Behind every successful team is successful position coaches. These coaches typically go unnoticed by the average fan but their work is vital to the success of the team. This remains true for running backs coach Dell Mcgee.

Mcgee helped make the on-field success happen with work put on the practice field. He came to Georgia Southern after serving as an analyst for a season at Auburn. Before that, Mcgee made his mark as a high school football coach at Columbus-Carver High School where he won a state championship and had winning seasons each year as head coach.

Mcgee has been tasked with ensuring the repeated success of Breida and Ramsby and to prepare some younger players to step in if needed. In the high powered offense that the Eagles run, backups can still expect a lot of playing time. This can be seen in the statistics as running backs last season not named Breida or Ramsby combined for 621 yards and 9 touchdowns which can make a huge difference coming off the bench.

The running backs certainly have a big mountain to climb, but they have the talent and coaching ability for the job. If they can improve on their performances from last season, there is no doubt that the Eagles will win their second straight Sun Belt title and a guaranteed bowl appearance.