Montana State’s 2024 Season Running Back Breakdown

That’s been especially true during Perkins’ time on the offensive line at MSU, with the Bobcats ranking in the top two in rushing yards per game among Football Championship Subdivision teams the past two seasons and seventh in 2021.

“If we don’t run the ball well in a game, we’re definitely not happy campers that next week,” Perkins said last week. “But we try to make sure we don’t have that happen.”

The Bobcats bring back all the top contributors at running back from 2023 and add a few new faces, further posing the potential problem of too many mouths to feed. But MSU made it work in 2023, and current coaches and players choose to instead see it as an abundance of riches in the backfield.

Running backs coach Sam Mix has even dubbed the core group a six-headed snake with the variety of talents within the room. The group is brought together for a common goal of winning, Elijah Elliott said, and each player hopes to carry on the tradition of a dominant run game in 2024.

“We’ve always had a strong brotherhood in that room,” Elliott added. “We all want (each other) to be successful in that room. We’re going to compete with each other, but we all love each other.”

Last season, Wisconsin transfer Julius Davis, then-freshman Scottre Humphrey and then-redshirt freshman Jared White were the top three contributors (outside of quarterbacks Tommy Mellott and Sean Chambers) to MSU’s formidable rushing attack. It should be a similar approach in 2024.

Davis — who sat atop the two-deep released by MSU ahead of fall camp — led the Bobcats last season with 718 yards on 104 carries, along with six touchdowns. He rushed for 100-plus yards three times last season (132 against Weber State, 110 against Sacramento State, 107 against Montana) and scored two TDs against Northern Arizona. He will likely be among the top backfield options again this season once healthy; Davis missed the Sonny Holland Classic due to injury and has been sidelined during fall camp.

MSU head coach Brent Vigen said the month of August will be “pretty slow” for Davis as he recovers and the team hopes to get a better sense of where he’s at come September. That means Davis — who was named second team All-Big Sky in 2023 — could potentially miss the season opener at New Mexico on Aug. 24 and the second game at Utah Tech on Aug. 31.

Sitting behind Davis on the two-deep is Humphrey, who led all MSU RBs in rushing TDs with eight last year. The bookends to his first season especially stood out, with 114 yards and three TDs against Utah Tech in the Gold Rush game and 85 yards and an overtime TD against North Dakota State in the FCS playoffs. Humphrey missed three games due to injury but still finished with 441 yards on 55 carries in 2023.

White will likely get plenty of touches as well before and after Davis returns. White finished with 524 yards and four rushing TDs on 65 carries, along with four catches for 88 yards and three receiving TDs last season. He notably ran for a season-high 102 yards against Portland State and scored against Utah Tech, Stetson, Weber, Cal Poly, Sac State, and Idaho.

Elliott will also factor into the rotation, likely in a similar role to previous seasons. In 2023, he appeared in seven games while battling injury, amassing 273 yards and two TDs on 34 carries.

At the end of the first week of fall camp, Vigen emphasized how MSU needs the RB room to provide consistent production, depth, and a change of pace. He believes the Bobcats “have that in spades.”

“We don’t do a lot in fall camp, but we’ll do enough to hopefully sort that competition out,” Vigen added. “But we really need that group to shine on Saturdays.”

Adam Jones saw the field sparingly in 2023, with 52 yards and a TD on three carries. Colson Coon saw action in five games on special teams. Now both redshirt freshmen, each made an impact during spring ball.

Jones finished with 68 yards and a pair of TDs on 14 carries in the Sonny Holland Classic, while Coon added 87 yards on seven carries, including a gain of 48 in the second half. Vigen said after the scrimmage that Coon had arguably the best second half of spring ball among all Bobcats.

Jones will also find an increased role on the team after his work put in this offseason, Vigen added. Elliott pointed to Jones’ explosiveness and ability to learn quickly, adding that Jones is going to “put on a show” this fall.

Another option in the backfield is Marqui Johnson, who is officially designated a running back after floating between the RB and wide receiver rooms in 2022 and 2023. Johnson will also likely be MSU’s main kickoff returner for the third season in a row.

Johnson has shown his acumen for running the ball in the past, most notably with 242 yards and four TDs against Cal Poly, followed by 74 yards and a score against Montana a week later in 2022. He finished with seven rushing TDs that year.

In 2023, Johnson struggled to find a role in the offense. He only touched the ball eight times (five carries, three receptions) for a total of 23 yards. Vigen said it was challenging to find space for Johnson at WR last year, acknowledging that RB is better for Johnson’s skill set.

Even with a crowded RB room, Vigen said the hope is to get Johnson involved more offensively.

“Getting him geared up in the return game is the main priority,” Vigen added, “but he’s been a weapon with the ball in his hands and we got to find a few ways to do that.”

Garrett Coon, Colson’s older brother, entered the transfer portal this offseason and committed to South Dakota in May. During his three seasons at MSU, the Sheridan, Wyoming, native tallied 374 yards and one TD on 116 carries.

Lane Sumner exhausted his eligibility at the end of the 2023 season. The Huntley Project graduate battled injury throughout his time as a Bobcat, finishing with 1,020 rushing yards and six TDs on 187 carries, along with 16 receptions for 150 yards.

Unterrio Latin-Henley committed to MSU on Nov. 25, choosing the Bobcats over several FBS offers. Latin-Henley — who is listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds on MSU’s roster — played RB, WR, free safety and cornerback during his time at Washington High in Parkland, Washington.