True LSU freshman running back Cayden Durham anchored the Tigers’ rushing attack in 2024 while continuing to play at the Freshman All-American level this season.

Durham, who arrived in Baton Rouge over the summer as a four-star prospect and a top-10 running back in America, has emerged as the Tigers’ lead running back this fall.

Despite suffering a foot injury several weeks ago, Durham didn’t even blink.

He overcame injury, continues to become a star and brings life to LSU’s rushing attack.

“A lot of guys won’t be in the game,” Kelly said of Durham’s injury on Monday. “He plays about 80-85%, but he has great vision, he’s tough (and he) knows how to keep his feet moving.

“Injuries are hard to deal with in any position, but when you’re a runner and you have an injury and you’re still fighting through it, I think that says a lot about the young man and I’m really proud of him.”

Durham played a critical role in the success of the Baton Rouge offense. LSU signal caller Garrett Nussmeier handled things in the air, while Durham did it on the ground.

In Week 8, the junior tallied 21 carries for 101 yards and three touchdowns, averaging nearly 5.0 yards per carry.

In season? Durham rushes for 382 yards and eight touchdowns on 62 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt and 63.7 yards per contest.

“I’m very impressed with a freshman running back who isn’t playing at 100 percent, but is playing with grit and toughness and the determination that he has,” Kelly said.

It’s about finding variety in offensive coordinator Joe Sloan’s playbook, and with Durham on the ground, the Tigers have made strides.

“We want to be equally effective,” Kelly said of diversifying the script. “Whether it’s the run or the throw on offense, and then from a defensive standpoint, if you’re one-dimensional—in other words, if you can’t stop the run but are great at stopping the pass—you’re really never going to be able to do it. to be consistent in something.

“Trying to find consistency is really a matter of balance and being good at both stages of dribbling the ball, throwing the ball, stopping the run, and also being effective from a pass protection standpoint. These are areas that we have worked hard on. So for me, the win is how you can achieve a level of consistency across the board. And we’re getting better at it. We’ve had some glaring weaknesses at one stage or another and we’re strengthening those as the season progresses.”

Now Durham did it on the ground.

In the air, Nussmeier thrives with pass catchers Kyren Lacy, Aaron Anderson and Mason Taylor.

“I think there was better cohesion among the tight ends, wide receivers, the quarterback helping us make the right plays, the defensive backs seeing the situation better, there was cohesion,” Kelly said. “We were switched off at one point or another when we found it difficult to run the football.

“It wasn’t just five guys up front. It was something else. Maybe one time it was an offensive lineman, and the next time we didn’t hit the receiver, or another time we didn’t get an upcut on an out-of-bounds play, or the tight end failed. end instead of stretching it. Last weekend we connected with all these guys in unison because we spent a lot more time on it in training. So we will continue to do this because it is starting to bear fruit. And we need that running game to continue to have the balance we need on offense.”

No. 8 LSU will travel to College Station next weekend to face the Texas A&M Aggies in a battle for the lead in the Southeastern Conference.

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