Texas A&M Football: 3 overreactions from 44-14 rout of South Carolina

Overreaction No. 3: Devon Achane is a better runningback for the Texas A&M football team than Isaiah Spiller

This is the definition of an overreaction, though a serious argument could be made that favors Devon Achane over Isaiah Spiller.

For context, Spiller has been the Aggies’ starting runningback for two full seasons, 2021 being his third. He’s been consistently one of the best backs in the country, rushing for at least 761 yards every year that he’s been the primary ball-carrier. In each full season that he has played, he hasn’t dipped below the 900 mark.

This year, however, he’s not alone in the rushing department for the Aggies. Besides Spiller, you’ll see Devon Achane, who is in his second year of football with the Aggies. While Spiller has rushed for 761 yards this year, Achane is trailing close behind with 608, matching Spiller’s rushing touchdown total with five on the year. Both have a single receiving touchdown.

The overreaction comes in response to the Aggies’ most recent victory, where Achane rushed for 52 more yards than Spiller on only two more carries. Both reached the endzone, while Achane looked like the more explosive back.

And therein lies the answer to this overreaction — neither runningback needs to be “better” than the other. Spiller is a shifter back who will consistently give the Aggies 4-5 yard run plays, while Achane is a threat to break a long run at any point, but may be dragged down around the line of scrimmage more frequently.

The two runningbacks complement one another. For this rushing attack to continually see success, there must be a good balance between the two.