When I
first came up with the idea of writing this article, I
couldn’t decide if I wanted to portray it as a more
positive, best 1-2 punches in the nation type of deal, or if
I wanted to make it top ten RB Starting Job battles. Each
side had its beneficial points, but each side also had its
limitations. I kept asking myself how far could I really go
only using one of the methods, and how does that compare to
the depth I could go into if I were to use both. In the
end, I decided on using the latter, I figured utilizing the
better points of each would help me bring this article to
the next level. Now without further ado, here’s my top ten
RB Duos/Battles in the Nation.
Honorable Mention:
15. Virginia
14. California
13. Texas A&M
12. Syracuse
11. Tennessee
10. LSU
Why they are on the
List: Not many teams can boast a Sophomore Running Back
that’s as good as Justin Vincent, or even a backup that’s
been as consistently good as Joseph Addai. They ran for a
combined 1500 yards last year along with nearly 270 total
carries. Vincent is likely to put up even better than he
did last season, along with a larger portion of the carries,
but that won’t hurt Addai’s production out of the #2 spot,
after all he was even able to manage 438 yards (and 4 TDs)
as the #3 RB on the depth chart two years ago, with a better
YPC than either LaBrandon Toefield or Domanick Davis.
Who Should be #1:
Justin Vincent, easily. He’s one of the best three
Sophomore RBs in the nation, the other two are mentioned
later in the poll, and has 2000 yard potential. Plus, with
Mauck, Clayton, and Henderson all gone he is the best
offensive weapon left.
Do they go 3 deep:
Yes, maybe even four deep. Both Syrone Carey and Alley
Broussard put up near 80 carries last season to go along
with 300+ yards. I can’t guarantee that either will see
those types of carry numbers with the emergence of Vincent,
but its nice to know they have guys that can play behind the
major rushers.
9. Southern Illinois
Why they are on the
List: They’re here because they got two very good RBs by
way of transfer that had been successful at the D-1A level.
For whatever reason, both Brandon Jacobs (Auburn) and Terry
Jackson (Minnesota) decided to transfer out of very loaded
backfields into another one. Brandon Jacobs is still on the
verge of something beyond special, he has incredible size
(6-4, 250) and put up 6.2 ypc, the best on the Auburn team,
to go with his 446 yards rushing. As for Terry Jackson, he
is only two years removed from his huge 1300 yard year with
Minnesota, before being fazed out by the Gophers. The only
issue keeping them from being higher on the list is that
they are both Seniors that have to learn a whole new offense
for just one season.
Who Should be #1: It
probably should be Terry Jackson. While Brandon Jacobs
would be a great weapon to have against 1-AA defenders,
Terry has the experience of starting for a 1A team and has
proven himself over a long haul against major competition.
Really though, there’s no reason that these two couldn’t
play in the backfield together.
Do they go 3 deep:
No, they don’t, not in terms of 1A quality, but they do have
two guys in Tom Koutsos and Muhammed Abdulgaadir that both
put up near 1000 yards last season.
8. Wisconsin
Why they are on the
List: Wisconsin earned a spot due to the stellar play of
Dwayne Smith in the absence of their top RB Anthony Davis.
A healthy Davis is basically guaranteed 1500 yards, but
that’s not all that frequent recently, and Smith stepped up
really well with 857 yards and 9 TDs last season, not to
mention his 500 yards as Davis’s primary backup two years
ago. Especially considering they’re breaking in a new QB
this year in John Stocco, the two might be needed to rush
for well over 2000 yards combined again for the team to be
successful.
Who Should be #1:
There’s no doubt that its Anthony Davis. He’s one of the
ten best RBs in the nation, and has a very real shot at
getting 2000 this season, buts that’s all dependant on him
staying healthy for the whole season.
Do they go 3 deep:
Yes, Booker Stanley seems to have what it takes to be a very
good back. He managed to put up 125 yards in the upset
victory over Ohio State when Davis was injured and Smith was
ineffective. Stanley’s development is vital because of the
injury concerns that Davis has, his #3 role could become #2
at any time. Also, they are going to probably be just as
deep next year when transfer Brian Calhoun arrives.
7. Texas
Why they are on the
List: They have one of the best 3 Running Backs in the
country as their starter, and a very underrated potential
laden back. Cedric Benson is obviously Cedric Benson, he’s
going to get his 250 carries and churn out a 5+ ypc. Selvin
Young, on the other hand, was underused after a very
promising Freshman season. He has the big play ability
should really provide a boost to the offense in general when
he gets his touches.
Who Should be #1:
Cedric Benson, slam dunk. He’s a great RB with power,
decent speed and incredible consistency. If the past three
years can provide an accurate assessment of the future,
there’s very little injury risk, and an increase in his
production.
Do they go 3 deep:
Unless you count Vince Young, they do not. The next highest
rusher on the roster is Anthony Johnson with only 93 yards
last year total. Redshirt Freshman Erik Hardeman has
potential, and might produce as the #3 back if he gets the
carries.
6. Miami
Why they are on the
List: The Hurricanes always go three deep because it seems
like Frank Gore always gets hurt opening a spot for another
RB to step up. Gore still has the potential to be one of
the best backs in the nation if he stays healthy, but that’s
looking less and less likely as the time goes by. Tyrone
Moss stepped up last year in his absence, playing very well
as the season went on being only a true Freshman. It’s
important that the team has confidence in him if Frank goes
down again.
Who Should be #1:
Frank Gore should be the top guy, but no one knows when they
will be. He isn’t going to be ready by the opening day,
Monday Night game against Florida State on September 6th,
so it will be Ty. There’s always the possibility that Moss
could explode in this opportunity as the full time starter
and keep Gore doing limited duty.
Do they go 3 deep: As
of last week, it was a yes; but after the sudden departure
of top prospect Bobby Washington it’s not looking good. FB
Quadtrine Hill has some experience at RB and could be Najeh
Davenport like back, but that’s probably a last resort. As
of right now the job falls to True Freshman Charlie Jones.
5. Oklahoma
Why they are on the
List: They worked well with the two RB system last year
featuring Kejuan Jones and Renaldo Works, and this year
should be no different. With the addition of #1 Prospect in
the nation Adrian Peterson, the offense looks even more
potent than last year, even though they don’t have the power
skills of Works any more. They might not put up the biggest
numbers, but their importance to the offense is huge.
Who Should be #1:
Kejaun Jones will be the starter, but its going to be a
fight. Peterson looks like he’s ready to get on the field
as soon as possible, and is more physically gifted than
Jones, but the experience in the offense gives him the
edge.
Do they go 3 deep:
Yes, Donta Hickson has experience in the #3 role and has
been successful there. He even showed that he could handle
major duty in the destruction of Texas A&M last year with an
131 yard day. If for some reason he doesn’t do well, they
have a stable of Freshman backs ready to go.
4. Florida State
Why they are on the
List: The Seminoles RBs are the perfect example of why
recruiting more than one RB a year can have major benefits.
Both Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker have shown major
progress since their time as top recruits, and are both good
enough to start for most D1 teams. They put up almost equal
numbers last year as the backups to Greg Jones.
Who Should be #1:
This is a very tough call, but I believe it should be
Booker. He has the explosive game the Seminoles need
considering their QB really lacks the big game ability.
Washington would provide a good #2 as the more physical
counterpart to Booker, even though that’s not really saying
much. One thing that is safe to say is that if one has a
really big year, expect him to be declaring for the NFL
Draft, no reason to risk coming back and losing out carries
to the other guy.
Do they go 3 deep:
No, not unless someone really steps up this coming season.
The top returning back after Booker and Washington only had
13 yards and that’s Maurice Napier. There’s always the
possibility of top RB recruit Jamaal Edwards getting the
spot, but that’s if he doesn’t Redshirt.
3. USC
Why they are on the
List: This is probably the easiest of any team to add to
the list. They have two dynamic, potentially game-breaking
RBs in Herschel Dennis and Reggie Bush, either capable of
dominating a game. Ironically, neither was the team’s
leading rusher last season, but when the list is narrowed to
two its going to be these two names at the top.
Who Should be #1:
Reggie Bush, top prospect to one of the top Freshman in the
nation. Even though he had only 90 carries last year, he
had 500+ yards, and also had a 20+ yards per catch average.
This ability to make plays is what separates him from the
rest of the pack. The more anyone sees him, sees that type
of Ladanian Tomlinson potential. Especially if Mike
Williams is not let back in school, Bush could put up
massive numbers both rushing and receiving, and possibly be
the main player on a Title winning offense.
Do they go 3 deep:
Absolutely. It is disservice to cal LenDale White, who was
the leading rusher, the #3 back. He has shown that he can
also take over a game, and provides just as much of a threat
as the top two could. If either Dennis or Bush goes down,
the Trojans don’t have to worry at all.
2. Auburn
Why they are on the
List: Auburn takes the #2 spot because they have a pair of
RBs that are both among the top 20 in the nation, one of
them being arguably #1. Neither Carnell Williams nor Ronnie
Brown has put up less than 80 carries in there career, and
both have had at least one 1000 yard, 10 TD season. If
Cadillac’s healthy he may be the best back in the nation,
and is capable of putting up 2000 yards easily, but with the
skill of a guy like Brown playing behind him there’s no
reason not to take Carnell out for drives to make sure
Williams avoids injury and Brown can get his playing time.
Who Should be #1:
Carnell Williams has to be #1. He has a ton of potential
and if he can stay on the field he can win games all by
himself. But that’s just the thing, Ronnie is also capable
of being #1, and with a guy as fragile as Cadillac, that’s
necessary.
Do they go 3 deep:
Tre Smith may very well be the best back in the nation that
is going to be written into the #3 spot from Day one. He
didn’t get the type of opportunities that he should have
last year with aforementioned Brandon Jacobs transferring
in, but he has never failed to show his natural ability.
That, along with his excellent rookie year should make the
Auburn coaches very confidant even if either Brown or
Williams goes down.
1. Minnesota
Why they are on the
List: The Golden Gopher backs are similar to what I said
about Auburn, except these guys are top 10. Both Marion
Barber III and Laurence Maroney exploded last season onto
the national scene, effectively driving Terry Jackson out of
town. Barber was the leading rusher, putting up nearly 1200
yards and 17 TDs, 7 times going over the 100 yard mark in a
game including the 197 yds and 9.4 ypc he had in the last
minute loss against Michigan. Maroney was the best Freshman
RB in the nation, totaling 1100 yards and a ridiculous 6.9
ypc for the season.
Who Should be #1: It
the first semi-controversial choice for me, I say it has to
be Laurence Maroney. This kid has got to be on the field
for Minnesota to take it to the next level. He had 75 less
yards than Barber in 45 less carries, and the only reason he
didn’t have more TDs was because he wasn’t getting the
carries Berber was. If anyone wants some real proof about
how Maroney took the job, go back and watch the bowl game
victory over Oregon, when Maroney absolutely dominated a
game that Barber was proving pretty ineffective.
Do they go 3 deep: As
of a few months ago they did, but at this point they are
pretty much empty beyond the top two. Terry Jackson’s
transfer and Thomas Tapeh’s graduation left a void in the
depth chart, with the most prolific returning rushers after
Maroney and Barber being Jared Ellerson, they’re leading WR,
and Brandon Hagen, a FB that only played in 4 games last
year. They’re going to need the big two to stay healthy.
So that’s
my list. I understand that with a list like this there are
going to be people that both agree and disagree, so feel
free to email me your opinions at
charring21@yahoo.com
. By the way, I hope everyone got the analogy type thing I
did with the opening paragraph, which was intended to show
the type of thinking that exists in a RB competition, or at
least that’s what I was going for.
