Ahmad Hardy, RB vs South Carolina 2025
Player: Ahmad Hardy - RB #29, Missouri
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 206 lbs
Opponent: South Carolina
Season: 2025
Final Stat Line: 22 Carries, 138 Yards, 1 TD
Film Link: Watch on YouTube
Overview
Hardy’s tape against South Carolina showcases contact balance and finish. He consistently runs through first contact at or near the line, keeps his legs churning, and turns would-be stuffs into chunk plays. When a crease appears, he shows good burst and then agility in the open-field with a couple of clean jukes and firm stiff-arms—to extend runs. We don’t see a lot of Pass Pro against South Carolina, but we did get one clear blitz pickup with proper ID and bought the QB enough time to make the throw.
Usage / Alignment: Pistol-heavy running game with inside, counter, & zone-read looks. One shotgun pass-pro rep aligned to the QB’s left.
Film Review – Key Plays
Play 1) 1:44 1Q, 2nd & 7 - 25 Yard Rush 🔥
Pistol handoff up the middle; Hardy meets a linebacker at the line of scrimmage, shrugs off the tackle, resets, and finds the lane into the secondary before a safety brings him down. This play spotlights his core traits: contact balance at the point of attack, quick post-contact acceleration, and the vision to find a lane into the secondary—turning a would-be stop into a chunk play because he stays upright and keeps his legs churning.
Play 2) 10:51 2Q, 2nd & 6 - 15 Yard Rush
Pistol counter up the middle; he slips through a tackle attempt from a defensive lineman, bursts through the line into the second level, and is gang tackled by three DBs. Here we see sequencing: patient enough to follow his blocks on the counter, keeps his balance through first contact, then gets north-south and into the secondary. It’s an on-schedule run that becomes a first-down gainer because he pairs tackle avoidance with vision and power.
Play 3) 8:27 3Q, 1st & 10 - 40 Yard Rush 🔥
Pistol handoff running right with a zone-read look; a lane opens between the RG and RT and he hits it decisively, steps out of a diving tackle, then hits two open-field jukes, delivering back-to-back stiff-arms before finally getting forced out. This is what he can do when he gets into space: lateral agility to make defenders miss, and upper-body strength to finish the run after contact. A well-blocked alley becomes a field-flipping gain because he combines multiple open-field wins on one rep.
Play 4) 5:42 3Q, 1st & Goal - 5 Yard TD Rush
Goal-line pistol to the right; he’s stood up around two yards, somehow works free, and then runs over a defender to finish at the goal line. The value here is short-yardage resolve: pad level and leg drive through contact, with enough balance to survive the initial stop. What looks like a bottled run becomes six because he refuses to go down and keeps the play alive.
Play 5) 6:21 4Q, 2nd & 6 - Solid Pass Pro
Shotgun; aligned left of the QB, Hardy identifies the blitzing linebacker and steps into the pickup, giving the quarterback the time needed to get the ball out. It’s a concise but useful datapoint. While it’s only one rep, it checks the basic boxes for third-down usage.
Final Thoughts
Hardy’s game against South Carolina is built on contact balance and finishing, with just enough burst and agility to rip off chunk and explosive plays. He consistently turned first contact at or near the line into productive plays, then uses his agility and power in open space to extend runs. We see him convert a goal-line stand-up into a TD with leg drive and balance, and while we only get a small pass-pro sample, the blitz pickup we do see is clean and timely.
Strengths on Display
Contact balance & finish: Fights through first contact, keeps legs churning, and turns would-be stops into chunk plays.
Burst + open-field moves: Hits lanes decisively; adds jukes and stiff-arms to tack on extra yards once he’s in the open field.
Short-yardage ability: Pad level and leg drive show up around the goal line.
Functional pass pro (at least in one play): Correct read and solid engagement on the blitzing LB to buy the throw.
Areas for Improvement
Third-down portfolio on tape: Only one protection rep and no receiving usage of note. I want to see more snaps and targets to validate 3-down utility at the next level.
Run-type variety: This game leans pistol inside/counter/zone-read looks. Would love to see runs out of the shotgun and other formations to round out the profile.
