Texas A&M expecting a monster season from its strong running back duo

Texas A&M returns one of the top running backs in college football in Isaiah Spiller. Behind him, Devon Achane has shown flashes of being highly productive out of the backfield. The Aggies’ one-two punch at running back really excites Texas A&M’s coaching staff.

Spiller is one of the top running backs in the nation

With Spiller and Achane, Texas A&M returns over 85 percent of its rushing production from last season. In two years with the Aggies, Spiller has run for 1,982 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also has 49 receptions for 396 yards.

Spiller’s development as an all-around running back has been big for the Texas A&M offense.

“His productivity is ridiculous,” said Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher via The Eagles’ Michael Miller. “He has become a complete back. He’s picking blocks up, he’s learning how to be even a better receiver, route runner, things he’s developing there. He is a huge player and more important is the leadership.

“He’s really starting to affect the other guys on the team. He had an unbelievable summer. His conditioning, his shape, the way he worked. And hearing it from other players, our strength and conditioning coaches, just how much he has really grown and just his maturity.”

Achane is another dynamic weapon behind Spiller

In Texas A&M’s Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina, Achane was named MVP of the game. He had a 76-yard touchdown to give the Aggies a lead early in the fourth quarter. He added a second touchdown late in the game. Overall, Achane ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in the win. On the season, Achane had 366 yards rushing on 43 carries, averaging an impressive 8.5 yards per carry.

In Achane, Texas A&M has a very good backup running back. He gives them another option behind Spiller. Achane also runs on Texas A&M’s track team. As the Aggies sort through an ongoing quarterback competition, having a highly productive running back room will be a key part of the offense.

“Devon, for a smaller guy, is surprisingly very, very powerful,” Texas A&M offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey said. “The long run he had in the Orange Bowl to seal the win, two guys had great shots on him. He bounced off both of them before he turned on that sprinter speed.

“That one-two punch for us is going to help our quarterbacks as they develop to be able to get the ball to some guys to go make plays. Both of those guys possess the ability that sometimes if a play looks like it’s only going to gain a yard or two, they might come out of there with a four or five-yard gain. That’s a big difference.”