Florida football: Gators are poised to have a top RB room in the SEC

Florida football: Two familiar faces at the top

Gator fans quickly became big fans of Florida’s top two backs, Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr. Both were new faces to the program. Etienne was a true freshman, and Johnson came over from Louisiana with Billy Napier.

It didn’t take very long for this duo to take over the Gator offense, and they were the most consistent members of the offense throughout the season.

Johnson totaled 841 yards on 155 carries (5.4 YPC), and 10 scores in his debut season.

Etienne burst onto the scene with 719 yards on 118 carries (6.1 YPC) and six touchdowns. He also boasts the Gators’ longest run of the season with an 85-yard touchdown against South Carolina.

What makes this tandem so special is how well their games complement each other. Johnson is a bowling ball who can put his shoulder down and make a defender regret ever trying to play football. He doesn’t have great breakaway speed but makes up for it by always falling forward and breaking down a defense.

Etienne is also a physical back but had the quickness and elusiveness that can make a DC’s hair grey. It didn’t take very long for Trevor to show Gator fans that he had all the talent that his older brother Travis had at Clemson, and become a fan favorite.

These two will be running all over SEC defenses soon enough, and we may see one of them hit the 1,000-yard mark as well.