Derek Lawson

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I thought he might deserve his own thread. I'm hoping to give him even more momentum.

He's currently got 31 carries for a ridiculous 311 yards (10 yards per carry!) for a 2-1 Arkansas State team. He is demanding more playing time for Arkansas State. He is looking to be about dead even splitting carries currently, so he is basically a starter. And to top it off he is only a red shirt freshman and quickly jumping up nfldraftscout.com's radar already. He is already ranked 42nd ahead of well knowns such as Aundre Dean or UCLA (ranked 43rd) Michael Shaw of Michigan (ranked 50th) and others. This kid appears to have good speed from what I've heard and had an 80 yard run already this year. He is the perfect size for a RB at 5'11 and 207 lbs.

The Red Wolves are gaining attention for their rushing attack. Here's a snip from the Murfreesboro Post:


Blue Raiders face tough ASU rushing attack
By: By JOSH EZZELL
Posted: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 3:37 pm

Last week MTSU faced a Kentucky team with a tough run defense.

This week the Blue Raiders face a team with a tough running offense when they visit Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State 6 p.m. Saturday.

"I think this is the best running attack our defense has faced when you consider their quarterback and running backs," said MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill, whose squad has a 1-2 record. "They are averaging almost 300 yards rushing a game. They have run the ball against some good teams, and this is a challenge for our defense."

The Red Wolves average 295.7 rushing yards per game and 7.2 yards per attempt. They ran for 255 yards in an 18-14 upset of Texas A&M with Reggie Arnold, who leads the SBC with 117.3 yards per game, pounding out 145 yards on the ground. Arnold's teammate, Derek Lawson, averages 103.7 yards rushing per game, which is No. 2 in the conference. Quarterback Corey Leonard, who leads the conference in passing efficiency at 161.5, is sixth in the SBC in rushing with 58.7 yards per game.

 

[Riddlewire]

Thanks for starting this thread.
Derek's carries won't continue to be an even split. His stats are a little skewed because of that Texas Southern game. For the rest of the season, the carries will most likely be 2:1 in favor of Reggie Arnold. But, for a team that has discovered that it's capable of rushing the ball quite well, that still should guarantee a lot of touches for Derek.
The Red Wolves should be 3-0. That was a freak accident last week that robbed them of a go-ahead score when they had all the momentum. Unfortunatly, things get much tougher this week. This MTSU team is extremely tough and they've had ASU's number for a while now. I'm not optimistic for a win. It's going to be another cannibalistic season in the Sun Belt.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Well you're right that Arnold has significantly more carries than Lawson except for the second game, but to me it seemed that Arkansas State was planning on starting to use Lawson like a Felix Jones at Arkansas or Maurice Jones Drew at Jacksonville. Hopefully he'll get almost half the carries, but realistically you're probably right; only a third or so of the RB carries. Still a very positive sign for a red-shirt freshman white guy. Thanks for the feedback and info. Good luck to ASU over MTSU! Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

as most of you know, i watched Lawson play in high school. he's the real deal.

i'm planning on traveling to Jonesboro at some point this fall to watch him play, as well. most likely on October 11.Edited by: Jimmy Chitwood

 

[Riddlewire]

Six carries for 28 yards vs MTSU. It was a 2:1 ratio in favor of Reggie Arnold like I suspected, but Derek did score ASU's only rushing touchdown in the Red Wolves' 31-14 victory.
The real star of the game, though, was triple-threat QB Corey Leonard. 17/31, 292yards, 3TD, 0INT and 10 carries for 74 yards.

 

[backrow]

Six carries for 28 yards vs MTSU. It was a 2:1 ratio in favor of Reggie Arnold like I suspected, but Derek did score ASU's only rushing touchdown in the Red Wolves' 31-14 victory.
The real star of the game, though, was triple-threat QB Corey Leonard. 17/31, 292yards, 3TD, 0INT and 10 carries for 74 yards.

actually, he finished with 10 carries for 57 yards and a TD, while Arnold had 12 for 21 yards

 

[Riddlewire]

Stat-boy must've submitted the wrong numbers. They've only just recently been updated.

 

[patriot]

I think Lawson will probably be the starter next week. Arnold just doesn't look impressive.

 

[Riddlewire]

The O-line was injury depleted. As such, MTSU was stuffing the box to take away the run. It worked. Since Arnold is RB#1, those stuffed carries were mostly his. The Red Wolves adjusted, though, and turned Leonard loose with his feet. He began to bleed MTSU to death with a thousand little cuts. The Blue Raiders had to back off. That opened up the running game. Since Arnold got most of his carries in the first half, Lawson got a bigger share later in the game and that's when he did all his damage. MTSU was in no position to put up much of a fight by that point.

I guess that's my long-winded version of saying that I don't think Coach Roberts will replace Arnold at this time. The performances of each runningback must be viewed in the context of this specific game.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Leonard is a very, very good quarterback. he can run, but he is also patient enough to wait for his receivers to get open. we all know how hard a balance that is to achieve for running qb's.

much like Dan LeFevour at Central Michigan, Corey Leonard deserves far more publicity than he gets.

and thanks for the analysis, Riddlewire. being able to watch a game first-hand is much more insightful than just reading a box score. you and Lawson just keep up the good work.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

JONESBORO (9/24/08) - Arkansas State redshirt freshman running back Derek Lawson is one of 10 players recognized by CBSSports.com on its current "Freshman Watch" list, which will feature the best freshmen in college football throughout the remainder of the season.

CBSSports.com will update the list each week based on performance and votes for the nation's top freshmen. Fans can view the list at www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/freshman and can also post their thoughts on the list on the message board.

CBSSports.com lists the stats and a quick summary about each player, saying Lawson "might only have 368 yards rushing in four games, but is averaging an amazing 9.0 yards per carry, which is one of the best in the nation." It also notes Lawson's best game of the season is a 209-yard performance against Texas Southern.

Lawson's 209-yard rushing performance against the Tigers is the eighth best in the nation this season for a single game. He has recorded two rushing touchdowns, including a 14-yard run against Middle Tennessee last week. Lawson is currently ranked third in the Sun Belt Conference and 37th in the nation in rushing with 92.0 yards per game. His 9.0 average per carry is the third highest in the nation among all running backs ranked in the top 50 for rushing yards.

Derek Lawson toting the rock

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i just want to put what Lawson is doing in some perspective...

the starting running back, Reggie Arnold, is regarded as possibly the best running back in Arkansas State history. Arnold started every game as both a freshman and a sophomore (he's a junior this year), and ran for over a 1,000 yards each season. before this year began, he was also picked as a 1st-team all-conference tailback.

despite all that, with his talent Lawson has managed to earn a huge number of carries in his freshman campaign. he has 41 carries to Arnold's 56, has gained 376 yards to Arnold's 395, averages 9.0 yards per carry to Arnold's 6.7, has scored 2 touchdowns to Arnold's 3, and has a long run of 80 yards to Arnold's 56.

i'd say those are pretty incredible numbers considering Arnold was expected to be "the" guy this year for ASU.

keep up the good work, Lawson!

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

The O-line was injury depleted. As such, MTSU was stuffing the box to take away the run. It worked. Since Arnold is RB#1, those stuffed carries were mostly his. The Red Wolves adjusted, though, and turned Leonard loose with his feet. He began to bleed MTSU to death with a thousand little cuts. The Blue Raiders had to back off. That opened up the running game. Since Arnold got most of his carries in the first half, Lawson got a bigger share later in the game and that's when he did all his damage. MTSU was in no position to put up much of a fight by that point.

I guess that's my long-winded version of saying that I don't think Coach Roberts will replace Arnold at this time. The performances of each runningback must be viewed in the context of this specific game.

That's a very valid point Riddlewire and that is how black players are always treated when they are the starters. I just hope McGuffie is treated the same way. McGuffie won the job in camp and although he has struggled in two of the 4 games, with only one great game, he is clearly the best RB on the team. He is just getting virtually zero blocking. Shaw and Minor have had better blocking, which is why they have a better YPC.

I notice that as soon as a white guy gets outperformed for even one game or even a few plays by a backup they often lose their job ie. Reed Doughaty, Brian Leonard to Pittman, Jake Sharp (Quigley started getting more carries after the first game).

The coaches usually jump the gun to appease the black backup who often complains about having a white boy in front of him. If the coach were fair he would increase the PT of the backup if they are performing, but you don't replace a guy on the depth chart based on one or in most cases even two bad games. You have to view it within the context of what's happening.

Arnold is the veteran guy who has a history of stardom for Arkansas State which was just mentioned by Jimmy Chitwood. This makes it that much more amazing what Lawson is doing for the Red Raiders. Lawson has clearly earned a Felix Jones at Arkansas or a Maurice Jones-Drew type role already and he 100% deserves it!Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins