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Nate Eachus RB Colgate
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - You would expect to find a blue cape with an "S" underneath Nate Eachus' Colgate football jersey.
Instead it's a short-sleeved black shirt.
Eachus, the FCS' 2010 leading rusher, was given the shirt by teammate Andrew Nairin and he doesn't remember going a game or practice without it last year.
OK, so maybe Eachus is a little superstitious. But you can't blame him for knowing what works great.
Nor can you blame Colgate head coach Dick Biddle for knowing what works, like giving the ball time and again to Eachus, one of the Top 10 FCS running backs this season.
As a junior, not only did Eachus' 1,871 rushing yards top the FCS, but the workhorse was No. 1 in scoring average (12 ppg), tied for the national lead with 22 touchdowns and averaged more carries per game (28.8) than any other back. He averaged 5.9 yards on his 317 carries.
"I think I'm going to be shooting for some higher expectations," Eachus said. "I've been successful and I was healthy last year to have as good of a season as I had. The great thing about this year is we have our whole offensive line coming back."
Eachus will be a leading candidate for the Walter Payton Award, which honors the outstanding player in the FCS, is presented by The Sports Network and sponsored by Fathead.com. He finished sixth in the voting last year.
The 5-foot-10, 216-pounder sits seventh in Patriot League history with 3,722 rushing yards, is destined to pass former Colgate star and 2003 Payton Award winner Jamaal Branch (4,108) and would become No. 1 if he reaches a potential goal of 2,000 yards this season. His former teammate, Jordan Scott, rushed for 5,621 yards at Colgate from 2005-08.
"Two-thousand yards would be great," Eachus said. "Personally, I try to set goals. I do set team goals first, which is (to) win the league, which is most important. And I would like to get 2,000 yards. As long as we're getting wins, the yards will come."
Eachus, from Drums, Pa., has a calm demeanor on the field. The all-business approach has led to him improving diet this offseason, and he says he feels faster and stronger.
That's not good news for opposing defenses, of course. Eachus already has seven 200-yard games in his career, including a school-record 291 yards against Cornell last season.
He wants to do a better job with ball security. He doesn't wear gloves, even late in the season when the weather can turn wintry in Hamilton, N.Y.
"People say that maybe I get worn out after 30 carries in a game, but I feel like I get better as the game goes on. ... It becomes easy for me in the fourth quarter," Eachus said.
"I'm just a low runner that goes to the hole fast and stays low. I guess you can say that a lot of it's from wrestling in high school. In wrestling, you've got to be down and on your feet. They both go hand-in-hand for each other. I'm so low, pretty quick and once in a while I'll be shifty. That's my style. I'm the kind of person who gives the blow and doesn't take the blow."
Opposing defenses will focus their game plans around stopping Eachus. Although Colgate, 7-4 last season, will return all five of their starting offensive linemen, it will be inexperienced at quarterback because of the graduation of three-year starter Greg Sullivan. Junior Josh Hasenberg or sophomore Gaven McCarney figure to line up under center as the new starter.
"What leads to running the ball a lot is the play-action pass. I think we're going to surprise a lot of teams this year, just throwing and running," Eachus said.
"What goes through my head is that I want to try and score every time. I'm an angry runner, try and score, don't take anything for granted."
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - You would expect to find a blue cape with an "S" underneath Nate Eachus' Colgate football jersey.
Instead it's a short-sleeved black shirt.
Eachus, the FCS' 2010 leading rusher, was given the shirt by teammate Andrew Nairin and he doesn't remember going a game or practice without it last year.
OK, so maybe Eachus is a little superstitious. But you can't blame him for knowing what works great.
Nor can you blame Colgate head coach Dick Biddle for knowing what works, like giving the ball time and again to Eachus, one of the Top 10 FCS running backs this season.
As a junior, not only did Eachus' 1,871 rushing yards top the FCS, but the workhorse was No. 1 in scoring average (12 ppg), tied for the national lead with 22 touchdowns and averaged more carries per game (28.8) than any other back. He averaged 5.9 yards on his 317 carries.
"I think I'm going to be shooting for some higher expectations," Eachus said. "I've been successful and I was healthy last year to have as good of a season as I had. The great thing about this year is we have our whole offensive line coming back."
Eachus will be a leading candidate for the Walter Payton Award, which honors the outstanding player in the FCS, is presented by The Sports Network and sponsored by Fathead.com. He finished sixth in the voting last year.
The 5-foot-10, 216-pounder sits seventh in Patriot League history with 3,722 rushing yards, is destined to pass former Colgate star and 2003 Payton Award winner Jamaal Branch (4,108) and would become No. 1 if he reaches a potential goal of 2,000 yards this season. His former teammate, Jordan Scott, rushed for 5,621 yards at Colgate from 2005-08.
"Two-thousand yards would be great," Eachus said. "Personally, I try to set goals. I do set team goals first, which is (to) win the league, which is most important. And I would like to get 2,000 yards. As long as we're getting wins, the yards will come."
Eachus, from Drums, Pa., has a calm demeanor on the field. The all-business approach has led to him improving diet this offseason, and he says he feels faster and stronger.
That's not good news for opposing defenses, of course. Eachus already has seven 200-yard games in his career, including a school-record 291 yards against Cornell last season.
He wants to do a better job with ball security. He doesn't wear gloves, even late in the season when the weather can turn wintry in Hamilton, N.Y.
"People say that maybe I get worn out after 30 carries in a game, but I feel like I get better as the game goes on. ... It becomes easy for me in the fourth quarter," Eachus said.
"I'm just a low runner that goes to the hole fast and stays low. I guess you can say that a lot of it's from wrestling in high school. In wrestling, you've got to be down and on your feet. They both go hand-in-hand for each other. I'm so low, pretty quick and once in a while I'll be shifty. That's my style. I'm the kind of person who gives the blow and doesn't take the blow."
Opposing defenses will focus their game plans around stopping Eachus. Although Colgate, 7-4 last season, will return all five of their starting offensive linemen, it will be inexperienced at quarterback because of the graduation of three-year starter Greg Sullivan. Junior Josh Hasenberg or sophomore Gaven McCarney figure to line up under center as the new starter.
"What leads to running the ball a lot is the play-action pass. I think we're going to surprise a lot of teams this year, just throwing and running," Eachus said.
"What goes through my head is that I want to try and score every time. I'm an angry runner, try and score, don't take anything for granted."
