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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vanderbilt tight end Steven Scheu is thankful he plays on offense. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder is preparing to enter his redshirt junior season, one that coincides with one of the deepest classes of SEC running backs in recent memory. Scheu isn\u2019t tasked with defending the league\u2019s bevy of talented rushers, but he knows exactly what kind of challenge lies ahead for defenses.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CThat\u2019s one thing that\u2019s going to set the SEC apart from everyone else in the nation, the skill at the running back position,\u201D Scheu said at SEC Media Days in July. \u201CI think it\u2019s tremendous, but I\u2019m just glad I don\u2019t have to figure out how to stop those guys.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last season was the year of the quarterback in the SEC. Johnny Manziel, AJ McCarron, Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray headlined a group of passers that gave the SEC a decidedly offensive flavor. But with most of the conference's proven quarterbacks now in the NFL, its running back depth is poised to define 2014.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STAPLES: SEC preview: Alabama leads contender-packed conference&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Six of the SEC\u2019s top 10 most productive running backs return this season. Of those, at least three -- Georgia\u2019s Todd Gurley, Alabama\u2019s T.J. Yeldon and South Carolina\u2019s Mike Davis -- could be considered preseason Heisman Trophy candidates. But veterans are only one piece of the league\u2019s embarrassment of backfield riches. Highly touted freshmen such as Tennessee\u2019s Jalen Hurd, Georgia\u2019s Sony Michel and Nick Chubb and, most notably, LSU\u2019s Leonard Fournette have many offensive coordinators salivating.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CIf the first running back gets tired, you\u2019ve got a second-string running back just as good as the first one,\u201D Tennessee linebacker Curt Maggitt said. \u201CHe\u2019s fresh. That\u2019s something like Georgia has. That\u2019s challenging for a defense, and it wears the defense down.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INSIDE READ:&amp;nbsp;Gurley&amp;nbsp;takes up golf; change to playoff inevitable; more&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Bulldogs, in particular, might boast the deepest crop of rushers in the league. Georgia has Keith Marshall, Michel and Chubb behind Gurley. Last year Georgia absorbed injuries to both Gurley (ankle) and Marshall (knee). A healthy backfield could propel the Bulldogs to the top of the league this fall. \u201CThe only running back I\u2019m interested to see is Todd Gurley,\u201D Vanderbilt defensive end Adam Butler said. \u201CLast year when we played Georgia, he was hurt. I didn\u2019t get to play against him, and I was anxious to.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other SEC programs could challenge Georgia\u2019s spot atop the backfield hierarchy. After all, Auburn led the league (6.3 yards per play, 328.3 yards per game) in rushing offense last season. Although Heisman finalist Tre Mason is gone, quarterback Nick Marshall and senior running backs Corey Grant and Cameron Artis-Payne return to the Plains. True freshman Roc Thomas could make an impact, too.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, Alex Collins, Jonathan Williams and Korliss Marshall form a potent three-headed monster at Arkansas. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake combine to create a similarly dangerous threat at Alabama. Ole Miss\u2019 I\u2019Tavius Mathers and Jaylen Walton both return to Oxford after teaming up for nearly 1,100 yards in 2013. Throw a dart at a wall of SEC rosters, and you\u2019ll likely hit a team with an explosive, multifaceted rushing attack.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STAFF: Which two SEC backs made SI.com's Preseason All-America Team?&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CYou always know in the SEC you\u2019re going up against a great running back,\u201D LSU linebacker D.J. Welter said. \u201CYou really have to bring your A-game. They\u2019re going to be in the hole fast, and they won\u2019t be there long. They\u2019ve got that quick first step.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It\u2019s possible that the SEC\u2019s most talented running back has yet to play a single collegiate down. The hype surrounding Fournette in Baton Rouge builds with each passing day. LSU loses leading rusher Jeremy Hill along with Alfred Blue and J.C. Copeland, and replacing Hill\u2019s production (1,423 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns) will be no small task.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Still, the 6-1, 224-pound Fournette was the top-rated recruit in the nation when he signed with LSU in February. The New Orleans native rushed for more than 7,500 yards and 88 touchdowns during his prep career at St. Augustine (La.) High. It\u2019s customary for coaches and teammates to temper expectations surrounding highly touted freshmen, but that hasn\u2019t been the case for Fournette.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CLeonard Fournette is doing exactly what he should be doing,\u201D coach Les Miles said at SEC Media Days. \"I think if you look at Michael Jordan, he could not have been coached to be Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan accepted the role of expecting him to be better than any.&amp;nbsp;I think [Fournette] has a quiet confidence there that will benefit him, and I think we will always have an opportunity to play at that spot the running backs that are fresh.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Teammate and fellow running back Terrence Magee said he remains in awe of Fournette\u2019s abilities. \u201CI know you guys have seen Adrian Peterson play,\u201D Magee said at SEC Media Days. \u201CWho wouldn\u2019t want to play in the same backfield as that guy? I feel like I\u2019m getting my opportunity to play with a guy that they\u2019ve compared to Adrian Peterson.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GLICKSMAN: LSU comes in at No. 14 in SI's preseason Top 25&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Heisman Trophy might not be a priority for LSU or Fournette, but the SEC could have the best shot at snapping the award\u2019s recent quarterback-heavy trend. Twelve of the last 13 Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. With players like Manziel and McCarron now suiting up on Sundays, guys like Gurley and Fournette could be poised to make a charge. In fact, the last back to claim the trophy hailed from the SEC: Alabama\u2019s Mark Ingram in 2009.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Above all else, one thing is clear: The recipe for winning the conference in 2014 should include running the football.\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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