FSU football: Trey Benson wants 1,000 rushing yards in 2022

FSU football has had a strong running game in the first two years under Mike Norvell, despite mediocre QB and offensive line play.

They haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Cam Akers in 2019, but Oregon transfer running back Trey Benson wants to change that.

Benson grew up a fan of Akers since they both hail from Mississippi, and Benson communicated he had a goal of rushing for 1,000 yards in 2022 after practice on Thursday.

Is it possible? Below we’ll discuss what needs to happen for him to reach his goal.

The FSU offensive rushing attack will likely be by committee. It’s been a three-man attack under Norvell, and the same will hold in 2022. Trey Benson will share carries with Treshaun Ward and Lawrance Toafili, but one or more of those guys can separate themselves from the pack.

Ward and Toafili were at FSU last year, with Ward getting 18.1 percent of the carries while Toafili battled injuries and only got seven percent. Jashaun Corbin led the team with 32 percent of the carries, and Jordan Travis accounted for 30 percent.

I don’t expect Travis to run quite as often, but we have to account for him missing about three games last year. Corbin and Ward averaged over six yards per carry, and Corbin averaged 12 carries per game.

Benson will probably be near that amount, provided he remains healthy. If he averaged 14 carries per game and over six yards per carry?

That would put him at 1,008 yards over 12 games. If the Noles make a bowl game, that gives him a little wiggle room to surpass the mark as well.

The 2017 bowl game against Southern Mississippi is what helped Cam Akers surpass the 1,000-yard mark as a freshman.

He averaged 14.92 carries and 78.8 rushing yards per game that year. Benson indicated if he remained healthy, he would have a shot at it, and he might be right.