The Nicholls State Colonels have something teams dream of having: running back depth.In an option-oriented offense such as the Colonels have, it is important to have depth at running back to succeed. Colonels’ head football coach, Jay Thomas, has embraced the fact that all of his running backs are capable of playing at any time.

“It is always important to have fresh legs in the game,” Thomas said. “When you’re running from sideline to sideline like we do, then you must have a number of guys back there who are capable.”

The Colonels’ success at the running back position is largely due to the performance of junior Joseph Tobias and sophomore fullback Broderick Cole.

The Colonels are ranked No. 1 in the Southland Conference in rushing offense and No. 3 overall in total offense. Tobias and Cole, as well as freshman Zach Morgan, are all ranked among the top 10 in rushing in the conference. Cole is ranked No. 5 while Tobias is third overall in the conference.

The Colonels’ offense as a whole is ranked No. 4 in scoring in the conference with the majority of the yards coming from the running game.

Through three games Tobias currently has 227 yards on 26 carries while scoring three touchdowns. Cole has 213 yards with two touchdowns.

In addition to Cole and Tobias, three other Colonel running backs have scored at least one touchdown while rushing for at least 100 yards.

Leading the charge is Zach Morgan. Morgan carried the ball 15 times for 169 yards and scored two touchdowns and is currently ranked No. 8 in the conference in rushing yards. Morgan understands the importance of having running back depth.

“When the first string gets tired, it is always important to have somebody pick up where they left off,” Morgan said. “It is good whenever there isn’t a difference between the play of the first and second strings.”

Running the option means that an offense’s main focus is running the football. Thomas said, although they played well, injuries and lack of depth hurt the Colonels last season.

“Last year, unfortunately, we didn’t have the depth, and a lot of our guys ended up getting banged up at the end of the year,” Thomas said. “This year we have that depth, and because we run the football a lot, it’s important to have fresh legs in the fourth quarter.”

Morgan agreed that running the ball well is important, especially for the Colonels.

“We’re the heart of the option,” Morgan said. “We set the tempo, which is important for us to have success.”

Besides Morgan, freshman running back Dwayne Jones and senior running back Anthony Harris also have 100 plus yards.

Harris, a Southern Mississippi transfer, has 116 yards and one touchdown. Jones, like Morgan, also has two touchdowns with 139 yards rushing.

However, the offensive line opens the holes for the running backs, enabling them to score.

Junior defensive lineman Jacob Bender said its “fun” knowing that no matter who’s in the game, any one of the running backs can make a play.

“Last year we didn’t have much depth,” Bender said. “This year we’re three and four guys deep so any one of them can make a play, not just one guy. It’s just real fun blocking for all of these guys knowing they can all play.”

Sophomore running backs DeMarko Hutchinson, Karl Bartholomew and Cal Jones as well as freshman running back Blaine Burns have also carried the ball this season. Burns leads the bunch with 43 yards on seven carries, but none of the three have scored this season.

Quarterbacks have also gotten into the act as senior quarterback Yale Vannoy currently has 25 carries for 109 yards, and freshman quarterback Vincent Montgomery has nine carries for 30 yards with two touchdowns.

Despite the season still being young, the Colonels have found a way to wear opponents down with their depth. All of the Colonels’ backs will be in action Saturday against Southland Conference foe Stephen F. Austin.