2015 Running Backs

[Leonardfan]

Christian McAffrey received a ton of attention coming into the season as a potential Heisman candidate. No white running back since Toby Gerhart has received this type of positive attention in college football. He is Stanford's best offensive weapon and they try to get him the ball 20-25 times a game.

In the win against UCF he had 20 carries 58 yds and 4 receptions for 59 yards and a TD. He should pass 1000 yards from scrimmage this year - hopefully he reaches 1k yards rushing and 500 yards receiving.


Zack Langer from Tulsa is a bell cow type power back. He had a huge game vs. New Mexico yesterday rushing for 139 yards on 33 attempts for 1 TD. If he stays healthy he should hit the 1k rushing yard mark this year.

A.J. Oulette the true sophmore from Ohio is another quality running back that should get plenty of touches this year. So far he has 30 carries for 130 yds and 1 TD.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i will be writing up a more thorough commentary when time permits, but for now this will have to suffice ...

arguably the fastest players for both the Kansas Jayhawks and the Iowa State Cyclones are both walk-ons. they were also record-setting tailbacks in high school and elite sprinters. of course, that kind of production and speed means nothing when you don't have "dat upside" that a year-round tan provides.

oh! and both of these dynamic playmakers scored a touchdown on their first collegiate touch of the football.

please allow me to introduce Ryan Schadler (who is incorrectly listed as a wide receiver):

[video=youtube;4Eh4ofo3zYo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Eh4ofo3zYo[/video]

and Trever Ryen, who shows his blazing speed as he bursts for a score: Ryen electrifies Jack Trice crowd

 

[Leonardfan]

Trever Ryen was totally underutilized tonight by Iowa St. He had a 1 yard td where he had to beat 3 defenders outside to the edge and a nice catch on a wheel route. He needs to get more touches.

 

[Leonardfan]

Zack Langer is currently 11th in the country in rushing with 88 carries for 389 yards and 5 tds. He had a huge game last weekend vs. Oklahoma. As long has he stays healthy he should easily eclipse 1000 yards.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

White tailbacks are a rarity nowadays at the FBS level, but in the FCS they're still a common occurrence on the national leaderboard. below are a few of the statistical standouts in the season's early going ...

Lamar junior Kade Harrington is tied for #2 in the nation in rushing touchdowns (5) and 9th in rushing yards (334 yards in 3 games) with a sparkling 7.0 per-carry average. Harrington, largely unrecruited out of high school (no surprise there) has been named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the past two consecutive weeks. he's also a dynamic threat catching the ball out of the backfield, as displayed by his 2 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown last week.

just imagine what he could do if he some talent!

South Dakota sophomore Trevor Bouma has also been named his conference IMissouri Valley) Offensive PoW once already, is also tied for #2 in the nation with 5 rushing touchdowns, and has an even better per-carry average (7.4). he's #14 in the nation with 320 yards rushing in 3 games. he was also virtually unrecruited out of high school.

South Dakota State sophomore Brady Mengarelli is doing his best to make Jackrabbits fans forget about Zach Zenner. SDSU has played just 2 games so far this year, but Mengarelli already has 4 touchdowns and has rushed for 212 yards (7.9 per-carry average). he also has 1 catch, which he took 29 yards for a touchdown.

just 2 games into his final season, Dayton senior Connor Kacsor is already the school's all-time leading rusher. he's rushed for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns in those 2 games. measuring in at 6-feet, 210-pounds and with reported 4.5 speed in the 40, one "wonders" if the NFL will be interested ...

Butler junior dual-threat quarterback Matt Shiltz has a nose for the endzone. he has 4 rushing touchdowns in 3 games and has rushed for 237 yards on just 25 carries for a superb 9.5 per-carry average. a dynamic athlete (he already has touchdown runs of 75 and 77 yards this season), the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Shiltz has the potential to get a shot in the NFL, but he would likely need to change positions.

 

[Leonardfan]

Christian McCaffrey had his breakout game and should now be considered one of the elite running backs in the game. He is currently ranked 19th in the country with 88 att 445 yds. He also has 13 rec 151 yds and a td. He is an exciting and talented athlete.

 

[Carolina Speed]

I had the privilege of watching live, UT-Chattanooga Jr. RB Derrick Craine play this past weekend. A pretty good RB going against one of the better defenses in the Big South, Presbyterian, had 87 yards on 12 carries and has 345 yards on the season averaging 5.1 yds/carry. Their QB Jacob Huesman was also very impressive!

Not a household name, but could do very well over the next two seasons as the Mocs were ranked No. 8 in the FCS poll before Saturday's game.

It was also gratifying to see that 9/10 of UTC's offense was white. Only the WR's and back up RB were black and beat an all black defense 21-0. However, 10/11 defensive starters were black as best as I could tell. The lone white starter, you guessed it, a DL.

Look for UTC to make a playoff run and see Craine at the RB position.

Maybe someone could feature UTC in college football team thread and list the white starters.

Here's a picture of Mr. Craine.

http://media-cdn.timesfreepress.com...h89c28f5f445d169c979fa2e9b1f9b6201c0bb42c.jpg

 

[white lightning]

McCaffrey has three consecutive 100-yard performances and, with 362 yards rushing in the past two games, came within 39 yards of Toby Gerhart’s school rushing record for consecutive games of 401. Also consider that McCaffrey, who had 260 all-purpose yards, didn’t play in the fourth quarter.

McCaffrey did accomplish something he hadn’t all season: He scored a touchdown. It came late in the second quarter when Stanford was holding on to a 6-0 lead. McCaffrey got loose around the left edge thanks to a block by Kyle Murphy and scored from four yards out.

 

[white lightning]

Christian McCaffrey is up to 14th in the nation in rushing yards now. After a slow start he has really come on strong. He would probably be in the top 10 already or close but they sat him the whole 4th quarter yesterday. The kid has NFL Talent written all over him. Here is the lastest stats for the NCAA Rushing Leaders.



http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/stats/leaders/NCAAF/RYDS/regularseason

 

[Leonardfan]

In typical BSPN fashion in their anointed "year of the running back" they discuss every running back besides McCaffrey. I hope he continues his hot streak of putting up big games and hits the 1500 yard rushing mark.

 

[white is right]

Christian McCaffrey is up to 14th in the nation in rushing yards now. After a slow start he has really come on strong. He would probably be in the top 10 already or close but they sat him the whole 4th quarter yesterday. The kid has NFL Talent written all over him. Here is the lastest stats for the NCAA Rushing Leaders.



http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/stats/leaders/NCAAF/RYDS/regularseason

He will play on Sundays, he is just too dynamic. He seems "skinny" but he is a listed 200 pounder so he could be a scat back at the pro level or a Woodhead Swiss Army knife type. The speed in the family skipped a generation as his grandfather is Dave Sime the last White American Olympic medalist in the 100 meters.

Ps he is a full level better than Barry Sanders Jr. who may be in training camp as a free agent but will never make an NFL team as he just isn't dynamic enough or powerful enough to make an NFL roster or probably a practice squad.

 

[celticdb15]

http://flyernews.com/after-lengthy-journey-kacsor-still-has-hope-for-nfl/

Good article regarding Kacsor!

 

[white lightning]

Christian McCafrey is now the number 8 rusher in the nation. He has almost 1100 yards rushing in 8 games. Christian is only around 300 yards off the rushing leader Fournette of LSU. What makes it even more impressive is that they have sat him down in the 4th quarter twice already so he would have alot more yards. Fournette will win the heisman most likely but for Christian to be invited to NY would be a great feat for this super sophmore.

Christian McCafrey is also on pace to possibly break the great Barry Sanders All time NCAA Record for most total yards from scrimmage. He returns kicks, punts, and is their number one running back. He is in my opinion the most exciting player in the nation. I hope they can continue to keep winning and that they make a major bowl game so he can showcase his talents on the national stage.

 

[white lightning]

http://gazette.com/ramsey-colorado-...istian-mccaffrey-returns-home/article/1562501

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

it is perhaps surprising that the most dynamic playmaker on the Missouri Tigers is a former walk-on running back. furthermore, it is perhaps even more surprising that Tyler Hunt, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior, has only 25 total touches on the season when you consider the following:

despite EXTREMELY limited opportunities this season (and almost none before this year), Hunt has produced the 4 longest plays from scrimmage for the Mizzou Tigers. let me repeat that. Hunt has the 4 biggest plays the offense has produced this year. they are:

- 78-yard touchdown catch-and-run in the season opener
- 51-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass against UConn, where he absolutely trucked a linebacker
- 72-yard run against Mississippi State Thursday night (the Herculean single-handed effort can be seen in the second link below)
- 35-yard catch-and-run also against Mississippi State

in fact, despite only 5 pass receptions, Hunt is third on the team in receiving yards (201) and tied for third with 1 touchdown. his 139 yards rushing (on just 20 carries) is also third on the team. one "wonders" why, after displaying such big play ability, Hunt hasn't received more opportunities. even the Missouri media has started to take notice:

The case for Mizzou's Tyler Hunt

Missouri's run game shows some life but was undone by another dismal passing effort

Hunt adds to big-play resume

apparently Mizzou head coach Gary Pinkel is pissed off because reporters have been asking about Hunt.

it bears repeating that for the season Hunt has 20 carries for 139 yards and 5 catches for 201 yards. that's 340 yards of total offense on just 25 touches (13.6 per touch), and yet he is still an after thought to the coaching staff. reporters "wonder" why he isn't considered for more of a major role in the offense, but the readers at Caste Football probably have a good idea as to why ... and it's likely the same reason a guy with ideal size and speed coming out of high school (Hunt threw for nearly 5,000 yards and rushed for more than 5,000 during his high school career, accounting for 127 touchdowns and finishing third on the state’s career list for total offense at his small Class 1 high school in Missouri, but was still rated a Zero-Star recruit) was a walk-on to begin with.

[video=youtube;qKyApEgaAh0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKyApEgaAh0[/video]

 

[Leonardfan]

Great post JC. I was thinking the same thing about Hunt after he once again became the only effect weapon in the Missouri offense. It's amazing how obvious it is as to why he isn't be used.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Kade Harrington, (Lamar, jr.) the dynamic all-purpose back for the Cardinals, continues to set the FCS on fire.

the nation's leading rusher (1,805 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns on 218 carries; averaging 200.6 yards-per-game) went over the 150 yard mark for the 7th-consecutive contest on Saturday, going for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns on 35 carries in the loss. he also chipped in 1 catch for 14 yards (he has 14 catches for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season).

per Lamar Sports Information:

In what has become a common occurrence for Harrington this season, several more records fell Saturday night. Harrington became the Southland's new single-season record holder breaking the previous mark established last season. He also became the school's all-time leader in all-purpose yards, and tied the school record for most 100-yard rushing performances in a career.

if my numbers are correct, Harrington has 5 of the top 6 best single-game rushing performances in school history.

those eye-popping numbers are even more impressive when you consider that Lamar (4-5 on the year) has almost no passing attack (they average only 187 yards per-game through the air) to help keep defenses from stacking the box. everyone knows that Harrington is all Lamar has ... and they still can't stop him. not bad for a kid no one else even wanted ...

 

[celticdb15]

http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaaf/eye...dcaffcom-for-christian-mccaffrey-heisman-push

McCaffrey for Heisman!

 

[white lightning]

http://espn.go.com/college-football...ian-mccaffrey-pursuit-perfection-stuff-legend

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Akron senior tailback Conor Hundley has 10 carries for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns at halftime against Miami (OH).

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Lehigh true freshman tailback Dominick Bragalone has 11 carries for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns in an FCS matchup with Colgate.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Conor Hundley finished the game with 21 carries for 110 yards and 3 touchdowns for Akron in the win.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Kade Harrington (Lamar, jr.) continues to re-write the record books. no passing game to provide balance, going against the nation's leader in tackles-for-loss, and facing a standout trio of linebackers in a stacked box who entered the game with a defense allowing just 173 rushing yards-per-game proved to be no obstacle whatsoever ... Harrington STILL ran for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns on 31 carries.

the nation's leading rusher, Harrington became the school’s all-time leading rusher, set a new record for career 100-yard rushing games, and became just the seventh back in NCAA Division I history to rush for 2,000 yards in only 10 games.

just imagine what he could do if he didn't have to do all this whilst carrying a lunch pail and wearing both a hard hat and blue collar!!!

********************

Lehigh true frosh Bragalone finished the game with 25 carries for 164 yards and 3 touchdowns. he also chipped in with an 18-yard catch.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Christian McCaffrey continues to play at an elite level, despite Stanford's loss at Oregon, rushing for 147 yards and 1 touchdown on a career-high 33 carries. his all-around excellence was again on display, as he finished with 244 all-purpose yards en route to breaking two Stanford records:

- set Stanford's best all-time total with 2,418 all-purpose yards on the season

- eighth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance broke Toby Gerhart's 2009 record of seven

the true sophomore currently has rushed for 1,354 yards and 7 touchdowns (5.9 yards-per-carry), caught 33 passes for 367 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also handling the punt and kick return duties for the Cardinal.

McCaffrey has at least three games remaining to increase his already-elite numbers, including the final two regular season contests which come at home.

 

[white lightning]

Christian McCaffrey continues to play at an elite level, despite Stanford's loss at Oregon, rushing for 147 yards and 1 touchdown on a career-high 33 carries. his all-around excellence was again on display, as he finished with 244 all-purpose yards en route to breaking two Stanford records:

- set Stanford's best all-time total with 2,418 all-purpose yards on the season

- eighth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance broke Toby Gerhart's 2009 record of seven

the true sophomore currently has rushed for 1,354 yards and 7 touchdowns (5.9 yards-per-carry), caught 33 passes for 367 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also handling the punt and kick return duties for the Cardinal.

McCaffrey has at least three games remaining to increase his already-elite numbers, including the final two regular season contests which come at home.

Nice write up Jimmy. Seeing Stanford lose last night was a tough pill to swallow. They had every chance to win that game. The Cardinals even missed a field goal in the 2nd half that ended up being the reason they lost. McCaffrey was amazing though.

Christian McCaffrey is now the 7th leading rusher in the nation and he is only 120 yards behind the number 1 leading rusher Founette of LSU. If that doesn't impress you I don't know what will. His numbers would be even greater if they didn't rest him in some of the games that will blowouts.

He is the most exciting player in college football.