The Tigers were one of the few teams that kept Lattimore in check last season. He was held to 33 rushing yards on 14 carries in the first game and caught three passes for 28 yards. Then in the SEC championship game, Lattimore finished with 84 rushing yards on 16 carries and caught three passes for 36 yards. In the two games combined, he scored just one touchdown.
Lattimore leads the SEC in rushing with 611 yards heading into Saturday's game against Auburn, and the 230-pound sophomore is one of the main reasons Chizik says the Tigers will need their best defensive effort of the season to win this game.
"There are a lot of things that make him a great back," Chizik said. "No. 1, he has phenomenal vision and balance, so he can make cuts and stay balanced, see things and make cuts on a dime. The reason I use the word' balance,’ is because when he takes a hit, that’s why it’s extremely tough to bring him down because he has great balance and makes cuts and is able to do those things while still keeping his balance. He’s very difficult to tackle.
"They give him the ball enough times in the game right now to allow him to get into that groove, and when he gets into that groove, it’s hard to stop him."
Chizik said the underrated part of Lattimore's game is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He caught 29 passes for 412 yards and two touchdowns last season and is second to receiver Alshon Jeffery this season on South Carolina's team with 12 catches, including a touchdown.
"He has great hands and now you give him the ball a little bit further down the field, where he’s in more open space, and you’ve got the same problem, run game-wise, as far as guys trying to tackle him down the field in space," Chizik said. "The way they use him as a runner and a receiver is very tough to stop."
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