Marcus Lattimore's thoughts on Jaheim Bell playing running back
On the newest episode of the podcast series “BLEAV in South Carolina” with me, Marcus Lattimore, and Nick Klos on the BLEAV Network, Lattimore shared his thoughts on Jaheim Bell playing running back as much as we’ve seen him playing.
“I see it as a trust thing,” said Lattimore. “They trust (Bell) to protect the ball. I see it as him maybe being the most effective runner out of the group… He has pretty good vision in my opinion.”
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Bell has seen more work at running back in recent weeks after MarShawn Lloyd suffered a “significant” thigh bruise, as Shane Beamer put it, during the Missouri game. In the past two games, Bell has rushed for 86 yards on 28 carries. The next player with the most carries in that timespan, outside of Spencer Rattler, is Juju McDowell with seven.
With Bell, who is listed as a tight end, seeing more carries than other players who are running backs on the roster, frustration has emerged. Earlier this week Rashad Amos quote tweeted a tweet from a fan that said, “Amos has been here for years and we insist on playing a TE at RB… I’ve been thinking about that since the game started. I love Bell and all, but it’s kind of a slap in the face to the RB room (to be honest).”
Amos responded by saying “Imagine..”
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Amos has appeared in eight games this season. His lone carry came in Week 4 against SC State, which went for nine yards and resulted in a fumble lost.
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“Do I understand his frustration? Yeah. You came there to play running back. You should be frustrated and pissed off. But at the end of the day, who is the better option at running back? That’s not a slap to him that’s just the reality to the situation. Coach (Montario) Hardesty, coach Beamer think Bell is the best decision.”
Prior to South Carolina’s past two games, the most carries Bell had in a game was seven all the back in Week 1 against Georgia State. On the season, Bell has rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 47 carries.
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“There was a run against Florida where (Bell) was in-between the tackles and you saw the fluidity in his hips. You saw his footwork and he moves his feet on contact. That’s when he had a crease. When he has a crease he can get you four yards. I’m talking about a small crease. He can get you four to five yards consistently simply because he’s moving his feet and his feet are so quick (despite being) that big. You just don’t see — like Derrick Henry has tremendous speed. You get him in open field there’s nobody that’s catching him. But in-between the tackles, his feet aren’t as effective as Bell’s are. I’m using that parallel because of their stature. Bell is whatever you need him to be because he loves football.”
