BEAUMONT, Texas – Over the course of the next couple weeks LamarCardinals.com will be breaking down the 2022 LU football team, position-by-position, heading into the season opener at Abilene Christian, Sept. 1^st.
 
Today LamarCardinals.com will be breaking down the LU running backs.
 
WR Quick Facts:
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 4/3
 
Starters Returning/Lost: 0/1
 
Newcomers: 3
 
Stats: 467 attempts for 1,550 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Cards averaged nearly 3.5 yards per carry and 140.9 yards per game on the ground last season.
 
The Storyline
Big Red had three different players start at running back last year, but unfortunately all three starters from 2021 are gone. Despite those losses, the Cardinals return four (non-quarterbacks) players who have experience at running back from last season.
 
The backs with returning experience are Hunter Batten (5-9, 232, Sr.), R.J. Carver (5-10, 216, So.), Damashja Harris (6-2, 198, So.) and Tyson King (5-10, 160, So.). The group combined to play in 26 games last year. Batten played in 11 games in 2021 and is the top returning ground gainer (among running backs) with 29 carries for 125 yards. He averaged nearly 4.5 yards per carry on the season.
 
Batten is the elder statesman of the group as the lone returning senior in the room, so the position group will primarily be made up of talent which has been brought in during the last two recruiting cycles. In addition to the 2021 recruiting class, the LU coaching staff went out an added Major Bowden (5-9, 180, China Spring HS) and Khalan Griffin (5-10, 215, So., Rice) this past year.
 
A former district offensive MVP, Bowden closed out his prep career by leading CSHS to a perfect 16-0 record and the school's first state championship since 1978, while Griffin is a back who transfers in with two years of FBS experience at Rice. Griffin was the Owls' leading rusher during his rookie campaign and followed that up carrying the ball for 400 yards and a couple of scores as a sophomore.
 
The Cardinals' ground attack will be supplemented by the quarterback position where the Cardinals have several talented signal-callers who can burn defenses with their feet (Mike Chandler, Daelyn Williams and Jakolby Longino – we'll have more on the QB position later in camp).
 
LU's stable of backs will also be aided by an offensive line that returns intact from last year and is one year stronger and more experienced than this time last year. Remember, the Cardinals' starting offensive line were all freshmen last year.