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Matt Breida: The best college RB you haven’t heard of

By Sayre Bedinger

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If this is the year of Leonard Fournette among college football running backs, you don’t want to tell that to Georgia Southern football fans.

Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida, who was a breakout player last year in college football’s Sun Belt conference, is one we had documented prior to this season with an ‘early look scouting report’. Now, he leads all FBS running backs with a whopping 10.25 yards per carry, so this graphic from Saturday Down South is a bit misleading…

Have a gander at some of the comments and replies to that Twitter graphic — Georgia Southern fans were not impressed, and rightfully so. As great as Leonard Fournette has been this year — and he has — players like Breida deserve a ton of credit because not only is he doing it big this season, he averaged over 8 yards per carry in 2014 and scored 17 touchdowns rushing.

This kid is a big time playmaker, and Georgia Southern’s great fan base has already done a cut-up of 8 his 10 rushing touchdowns so far this season.

Breida’s dominance is not news to Eagles fans, but it is probably news to you. Had you even heard of him before you read this post? That’s not the fault of Breida or Georgia Southern athletics, it’s the fault of national media, which picks and chooses what storylines are great.

Personally, I think Breida’s story as one of the most unheralded running backs in college football is a great one. Georgia Southern football fans are calling for Breida to get an invite to NYC at the end of the year for the Heisman ceremony, and it’s hard to argue with them. He ranks 9th in the nation right now in rushing yards (738) only because he receives just 14 carries per game on average.

On 72 total carries this season, he has 10 touchdowns, meaning roughly once every seven times he touches the football, he’s scoring a touchdown. No other back in the country can claim that. Breida’s production this season has been nothing short of spectacular, as he’s done it in just 5 games.

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Breida has an NFL skill set. There’s really no way around it. Scouts are going to love his potential as a big play runner as well as a third down back, as he is also a pretty good receiver when asked to be. He hasn’t been yet this year, but last year we saw it to the tune of 8 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown, averaging over 12 yards per grab.

This is as dynamic a player as you’ll find in college football, so why don’t we hear about him? Why has ESPN Stats & Info completely disregarded his work?

These are some great questions, ones that we might never have answers to. I have watched every College Football Final episode this season, and never once have I seen anyone make mention of Matt Breida, give him a helmet sticker, or talk about how underrated he is.

He might be underrated when it comes to college football, but when it comes time to scout him for the NFL, my guess is he won’t be as underrated. This guy is going to get drafted, and he’s going to be good.

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