Madre London seeking more carries in crowded Michigan State backfield

EAST LANSING – Dave Warner said the running back battle at Michigan State is a three-horse race.

When pressed, the co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach reiterated his claim. “Oh yeah, this is an open competition,” he said.

That is music to the ears of Madre London.

The junior was all smiles Monday afternoon at MSU media day inside Spartan Stadium. That is until it was brought to his attention that his number of carries in 2016 matched his jersey number -- 28.

“It’s not exciting, but things worked the way they worked for a reason,” London said. “I’m just going to put my best leg forward and get out there and make plays.”

London only managed 120 yards from scrimmage last fall, 52 of which came in a 49-0 win over Rutgers.

He eclipsed those numbers in the spring game alone, carrying the ball 15 times for 127 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown run with projected starter LJ Scott sidelined with an injury.

Is it a sign of things to come? Warner sure hopes so.

So does London.

“My role is to just make plays and make it better than last year. I don’t want to go through that again,” London said. “I am trying to prepare myself to be that playmaker.”

MORE FROM CODY TUCKER:

• 'Boo Boo' Thompson killed a man. Now, the former MSU lineman is looking for forgiveness.
• Ryan Van Dyke, once acan't-miss prospect for Michigan State, is now its biggest 'what if'
• How T.J. Duckett fought depression and found life after football

Warner said he hopes to get the ball in London’s hands a lot more this season. He claims that he has earned the right to share snaps with Gerald Holmes and Scott because of his work in the off-season.

“His work ethic and ability are there,” Warner said of London. “I think he has a great change of direction and the ability to make guys miss.”

Scott, who missed all off-season workouts recovering from shoulder surgery, led the Spartan rushing attack last season, racking up 994 yards on 184 carries. As a sophomore, Scott scored six rushing touchdowns and led all backs with an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Holmes was the second leading MSU rusher, carrying the ball 91 times for 430 yards and five touchdowns.

Holmes, who said the trio carries the nickname “Tote game,” said he has been impressed with London’s vision and speed.

“Madre, to me, he’s a risk-taker,” Holmes laughed. “He will hit that cut back you weren’t looking for. He’s a guy that will cut back and make big plays. He’s a fun guy to watch.”

MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said health and performance will dictate who in “Tote game” sees the majority of the carries out of the Spartan backfield.

“They've all been the bell cow before,” Dantonio said from the podium Monday. “They've all been the guy that's gotten the majority of carries in a particular game. So that's a positive. They've all run the ball for positive yardage and have had big plays.”

Still, Dantonio knows it will be difficult to make everyone happy.

“It's tough to rotate three guys in there, but nevertheless we've sort of tried to give everybody their opportunities and we'll continue to try to do that in practices,” he said. “… So we'll ride the hot guy. But I think all three of those guys are extremely gifted football players.”

London hopes he can prove to be the hot guy.

He also wants to shed the label of “change-of-pace, speed back.”

“I feel like I can be an every down back,” London said. “I am strong enough and fast enough. I’m just excited for the opportunity. I’m hungry. When I do step out there, I have something to prove.”

Warner said he has confidence in all three tailbacks. After one week of practice, he is still waiting for the trio to distance themselves from each other. Regardless, Warner knows he has a good problem on his hands. Now, the trick will be getting them on the field with the ball in their hands as much as possible.

As far as London goes, Warner said he will need to prove what kind of back he can be.

“We will see if he becomes that guy who carries it 25-20 times a game or 10 times a game,” he said. “We certainly feel good about handing the ball to him.”

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.