Carlos Monarrez

Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING – Michigan State running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner doesn’t want a hot hand to carry the ball. He wants a steady one with a defined role.

Last season, the Spartans used the hot-hand approach and split carries among Madre London, Gerald Homes and LJ Scott. By the time MSU starts the season, Warner wants a clear starter.

“Yeah, all those guys played for us last year and did some good things,” Warner said after practice Tuesday. “But, at the same time, I’ve told them all, too, I don’t want to go through another year like we did last year with trying to figure out who’s going to be the best guy in or out.

“I want to have an established starter by September and a backup who’s going to play a lot. And then the third guy’s probably more of a reserve role. So how that shakes out, I don’t know.”

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It became hard for any tailback to get a consistent number of carries and get into a rhythm. Warner doesn’t want that to be the case again.

“It just was not a good situation, I don’t think, last year, for those guys or me just trying to find out who the hot hand is,” he said. “Well, how do you get a hot hand if you’re in there for three or six plays and then you’re out?”

London, a redshirt junior, was the starter heading into last season. But ankle and knee injuries sidelined him midway through the season.

“He was a starter and he was playing well,” Warner said. “Right now I wouldn’t say anybody’s got a leg up because Gerald Holmes went in there and played well when he had the opportunity. And obviously LJ played well in the opportunities he had.

“So it’s going to be an interesting competition. But they’re all going to get the opportunity. We’ll see what happens.”

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London had to make up ground after he missed more than a month of the season and didn’t get any significant work until he had 12 carries for 60 yards in the Big Ten championship game against Iowa. He had 119 carries for 500 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

“When the injury came, I had to work my way back into reps,” London said. “But this year I just want to continue to do great things for the program.

“The main thing is just be a playmaker for my team. So whenever my team needs to make plays, I’m there for them and just help everybody else get better, too, because not just me as an individual but we’re trying to chase a dream and that’s the Big Ten championship and so on. We’re just trying to do big things and work hard for that.”

Holmes had 110 attempts for 540 yards and eight TDs. Scott had 146 carries for 699 yards and 11 TDs. He had 22 carries in the Big Ten title game.

Briefly: MSU announced Tuesday it will conduct its annual youth football clinic prior to the spring game April 23. Children ages 8-12 are invited to attend the clinic from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It’s free and no gear is needed.

Contact Carlos Monarrez:cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

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