Revisiting Opinions Week: Zach Laskey Will be a 1000-yard Rusher

If you'll remember before the season, FTRS had a small series called Opinions Week. Various members of the staff made some outrageous predictions and made those opinions public.

Now, we go back and look at how wrong we all were. And I get the wonderful opportunity to get this thing started.

The Prediction

Before the season, I wrote this article giving what I thought was a very safe assumption, that starting b-back Zach Laskey would be a 1000-yard rusher.

I had three reasons that went into the justification of my prediction: the depth at b-back, the increased size of the offensive line and the perennial success from the b-back position.

We came into this season with the intention of having Zach Laskey carry the load at b-back, and for the most part during the first part of the season, he did.

Not only was the offensive line bigger this year; they were also better. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who would be too critical of the offensive line this season. They were very good and manhandled some pretty good defensive fronts.

The give to the b-back is one of Paul Johnson's favorite plays. I thought that these three factors would all lead to Laskey being a 1000-yard rusher.

What Happened

Well, I was wrong. As disappointed as I am that I was wrong, I'm actually OK with it now. Why? Because Synjyn Days almost became a 1000-yard rusher in place of him.

Zach Laskey got injured during the season which opened the door for Synjyn Days to step in and be completely dominant, even after Laskey's return.

In his very limited playing time, Days still managed to rush for almost 1000 yards, mostly because which each of his first few games, his rushing total steadily increased.

Why I was Wrong

Laskey probably still would have rushed for 1000 yards had he not gotten hurt. But had he not gotten hurt, we probably wouldn't have discovered what we had in Synjyn Days.

Both players still ended up having really good seasons. Laskey still managed 171 carries and piled up 851 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Days did even better in his 157 carries. He finished with 924 yards and nine touchdowns.

For those counting, that is 1775 yards and 18 touchdowns. Together they averaged 5.4 yards/rush. That is still pretty good for b-backs. Not to mention Justin Thomas.

Even though we didn't have a b-back rush for 1000 yards, we did finally have a 1000-yard rusher in Justin Thomas. He added another 1086 yards and eight touchdowns.

So, I'm OK with being wrong with my prediction.