LSU running back Dilin Jones served as a decoy on arguably his team’s most pivotal play in Saturday’s 35-6 victory over Texas A&M.
The Tigers, on their first series of third quarter, faced a fourth-and-one from their own 43 and decided against punting the ball back to the Aggies.
First-head coach Lane Kiffin, known for his brazen approach in such moments, kept his offense on the field that with Jones in position to take a direct snap which wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary four games into the season.
Instead, Jones shifted to his left and was replaced directly behind center by quarterback Sam Leavitt who delivered a perfectly thrown pass to wide receiver Jackson Harris against a secondary that had its collective pants pulled down by LSU’s sleight-of-hand prior to the snap.
The result was a 57-yard touchdown pass from Leavitt to Harris, triggering a 21-3 outburst in the second half en route to a dominate 35-6 Southeastern Conference victory at Tiger Stadium.
“It was amazing,” Jones said during player interviews Tuesday at LSU. “We work on it almost every Wednesday. Just seeing it happen and getting the offense off the field and helping us catch our breath, I think it was amazing.”
Carrying out a role to aid in the benefit of a play is something the 5-foot-11, 206-pound Jones comfortable doing. The Wisconsin transfer is also at ease in a lead role, leading LSU in rushing and helping the Tigers to field a team that can make a living on the ground to work in concert with Leavitt’s passing game.
After two seasons in the Big 10 Conference with the Badgers, Jones left after a turf toe injury cut short his redshirt freshman season after seven games, 300 yards, 76 carries and two touchdowns.
One of the hallmarks of Kiffin’s offense is a healthy dose of running the ball and he sought out transfer running backs such as Jones and Stacy Gage of Central Florida to aid in that process.
Jones became the first LSU running back in eight seasons to rush for more than 100 yards in two of his first three games. The Laurel, MD. native is the Tigers leading rusher with 78 carries for 348 yards – 4.5 yards per carry – and four touchdowns going into Saturday’s home game with McNeese State at 6:45 p.m.
By comparison, the Tigers did not have a running back to gain 100 yards in a game last season season.
Jones ranks sixth individually in the SEC with 87 yards per game where Florida’s Jadan Baugh leads the league with an average of 150 yards per game.
“I’ve got to give all of the credit to the o-line,” Jones said. “They helped me go out there and be able to do what I do.”
Kiffin brought a good portion of his offensive staff with him from Ole Miss. That included running backs coach Kevin Smith Sr. who was tasked with developing a running back rotation with several transfers and holdovers such as Caden Durham and Harlem Berry.
“It’s been great,” Jones said of playing for Smith. “I feel like that intensity helps out a lot and then bringing that aggressiveness to the running back room, I feel like that plays a big role in how we play.”
Jones believed two seasons at Wisconsin were enough before looking for a change of scenery.
The former four-star prospect from Our Lady of Good Counsel, where he rushed for more than 2,100 yards and 32 touchdowns his final two seasons, decided to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal following the turf toe injury that ended his season.
“It was a long process, but of course I’m going to better myself,” Jones said of choosing LSU. “I felt to come here and have that competition is really what drives you to push yourself to be a better person. Coming here was just a great choice and helped me out.”
Jones emerged from a competitive fall camp as LSU’s top running back where as many as seven players had taken snaps in practice and in scrimmages.
He’s proven to what the Tigers desired in a lead back that can carry the football, catch out of the backfield and provide pass protection.
“You’ve got to keep the quarterback safe,” he said of helping to keep Leavitt clean in the pocket. “When I go out there it’s like being another O-lineman. I’m going out there hunting, looking for somebody to get.”
Jones’ debut coincided with LSU’s blowout 51-10 win over Clemson in the season opener. He carried 23 times for 113 yards and scored twice, following that a week later with 78 yards on 18 carries in a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech.
Nick Brossette was the last Tigers’ running back with more than 100 yards in two of his first three games with 125 yards against Miami and 137 against Southeastern Louisiana which took place in the first two games of the 2018 season.
Jones, who had 112 yards and a TD on 23 attempts against Ole Miss, took on more of a dual threat role when Leavitt informed him during last week’s game that he was dealing with a pulled hamstring.
Instead of taking off and running the ball Leavitt turned into more of a pure passing threat, encouraging Jones to become more of a receiver.
Jones had 14 attempts for 63 yards and a TD and caught three passes for 22 yards.
“Sam told me he wasn’t going to run as much, be prepared to catch the ball,” he said. “I told him, ‘I’ve got you’ and that’s how we played it.”
