Evaluating the Running Backs

Now that Hasan Lipscomb will not be a Gopher in 2009, we have 6 RB’s listed in our depth chart. Here is a brief summary of each (in alphabetical order):

Duane Bennett became the starting RB in 2007 after Amir Pinnix suffered an ankle injury. As a redshirt freshman, he started 7 games and had 107 carries for 442 yards (4.13 ypr). This included a 100-yard game against Michigan. In the first two games of 2008 (before his injury) Bennett rushed 32 times for 140 yards (4.4 ypr). He is also a great receiving RB with 30 receptions for 270 yards (9 ypc) in the 12 games in which he has seen action. I thought I had heard that he’s bulked up, but his bio still shows him at 204 lbs.

R.J. Buckner is a 4th-year junior who has recruited at defensive back but switched to RB in 2007. He has recorded zero rushing yards in his 2 seasons at RB, so, I suspect he will see little playing time.

DeLeon Eskridge took Bennett’s place as the primary starter as a true freshman in 2008. He started nine games (and appeared in all 13) in 2008. He rushed 184 times for 678 yards (3.7 ypr). This included 2 100-yard games. He also had 29 receptions for 181 yards (6.2 ypc).

Shady Salamon started 2 games in 2008 (Montana State and Iowa), but had at least 3 carries in 5 other games. Totaled 181 yards on 49 carries (3.7 ypr). Also had 9 receptions for 91 yards. Best game was in relief of Bennett against Bowling Green in which he rushed for 64 yards.

Jay Thomas is a GopherHole favorite with a family that is very supportive of Gopher football. His role has really seemed to shift from RB to a special teams player. In 2006 and 2007, he rushed for a grant total of 77 caries for 440 yards, but in 2008 he was only handed the ball 7 times. In the past 2 years, he has returned 19 kickoffs for 482 yards and also had 9 tackles on special teams last year.

Kevin Whaley is a highly regarded redshirt freshman who sat out 2008 due to a gunshot wound. He rushed for 6,301 yards in high school and was named to the Virginia all-state 1st team twice. Coaches and fans were impressed by his performance in spring practice.

My opinion is that Bennett is the presumed starter until someone takes that role away from him. His yards per carry as a freshman were higher than Eskridge’s and he is an outstanding receiver. I am guessing that he will get 20 carries during each of the 1st 2 games and that Whaley and Eskridge will get 7 or 8 carries each during those games to see which one emerges as the better runner.

In the end, I think that Bennett will get most of the carries in 2009 and will be very reliable and consistent, but that Whaley will emerge as a big-play threat and will get plenty of playing time as well. I was hopeful about Salamon, but it was clear that Eskridge is the better RB.

Overall, I think we are MUCH stronger at RB in 2009 than we were last year. We lose zero starters and Bennett returns and Whaley could be very fun to watch. Even with an injury, we have plenty of depth to be improved over last year and -hopefully- our new offensive scheme will allow for the emergence of a strong running game to better balance out our offense.

Nice Thread.
IMO...
Bennett- will become a solid starter like he was last year, he's had alot of time to heal and really looked great coming into last season. He was all heart in the UNI game, since I had goal line tickets, you could see him churning and thrashing to get the extra few inches every carry. Also was impressive against Bowling Green, especially catching the ball, really seemed to grasp the nuaces of the routes out of the backfield and had great chemistry with Weber, also a good pass blocker.

Buckner- seems destined for special teams or backup roles

Eskridge- Played well last year as a frosh, but never really impressed me to be honest. Might be becuase the offense wasn't really great for running, but he should get several chances early to show what improvements he's made in the offseason. He'll get carries, but probably will be in a reserve role, again IMO

Salamon- might be squeezed out for time this year, looked tough between the tackles early in the year last year, but really never showed a second move or a cut and go aspect to his game. I do think he has good hands out fo the backfield and is a stong and smart player, might be a good 3rd down guy later in his career. Will play some, might end up becoming an excellent special teams type

Thomas- you can see the desire to contribute from this guy, again my seats were ont he goal line away from the students last year and he was throwing his body around to help spring Stoudemire on kick returns, also had some nice coverage tackles. Might end up playing the same role again this year.

Whaley- by all acounts had great toughness and good speed/moves, size could be an issue, but he will be a guy that garners 5-7 touches a game mixing in with Bennett, I'm looking forward to seeing what he's got to offer, could be exciting.

Hoese- can't forget the big fullback, who might see some goal line carries, and backfield swing passes. He could suprise depending on how the new offense utilizes him. I think he just might become a solid punishing back we can line up with Small or Tow Arnett( I'd like to see Davis or Wynn line up in backfield some time) and pick up the third and inches or goal line TD.

FYI--Bennett was a true freshman in 2007.

It's possible that we will have multiple backs getting time, depending on the play/game situation. But as long as one or more steps up, I don't mind who it is.

Even without Lipscomb, I think we are solid at running back. Bennett was off to a nice start last year before his injury. Assuming his knee is back to 100%, he'll be a nice player for us. I thought Eskridge looked pretty good last year considering he was a true freshman. Remember, he is the type of player who would've redshirted had our depth been better. Give him a few added pounds of muscle and an improved offensive line and he will improve. And I'm excited to see what Whaley can do.

At this point I've given up hope on Jay Thomas. If we get anything out of him I'd consider that a bonus. I'd love to see him end his career with a bang though. I'm not sure about Salamon, it seems like he could get lost in the shuffle if Whaley passes him up. I doubt it will ever happen, but I wouldn't mind seeing him get reshirted this year. Then going into 2010 we'd have Bennett as a Sr, Eskridge as a Jr, and then Whaley & Salamon as So's.

anyone know status of Bennett receiving medical redshirt for last year?
Per his Gophersports bio he is listed as a Redshirt Sophmore and it says he is "expected to be granted a medical redshirt for 2008".

AShreve20 said:

anyone know status of Bennett receiving medical redshirt for last year?
Per his Gophersports bio he is listed as a Redshirt Sophmore and it says he is "expected to be granted a medical redshirt for 2008".

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According to this blog, (link) the medical redshirt was granted last November - but I don't necessarily consider a blog to be a reliable source.

gopher7 said:

Even without Lipscomb, I think we are solid at running back.

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I agree!

AShreve20 said:

anyone know status of Bennett receiving medical redshirt for last year?
Per his Gophersports bio he is listed as a Redshirt Sophmore and it says he is "expected to be granted a medical redshirt for 2008".

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If it calls him a redshirt sophomore it was granted. Otherwise he would be a true junior.

I wonder if the coaching staff has looked at moving Troy Stoudermire to RB.

Donovan said:

I wonder if the coaching staff has looked at moving Troy Stoudermire to RB.

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I was wondering about that type of idea. I haven't read the High School bios lately, but there has to be some capable guys who were running backs in high school on the team. I know that people are of the opinion that we will be OK at that position, but if I'm an opposing coach the Gopher's stable of running backs does not frighten me. I'm hoping that someone really steps up this year.

One of the best aids to the running game will be the passing game. We have a lot of talent at WR and if Weber and co. can start rolling up some big numbers and getting defenses scared, the running game will benefit. If the passing game doesn't produce very well...it could be a long season.

We wont really know how good our running backs are going to be until we see exactly how this new offense works...

It could be that one of the guys we already have will star even if they didnt wow people in years past.

Some better O-line play would greatly benefit our offense too, be it passing or rushing.

right now it doesn't look like we have that one back that can take it to the house any time they touch the ball. However, with davis coaching up the o-line i have confidence our run game will be at least productive, consistently picking up 3-5 yards a rush. add in the occasional 10+ yard run and our offense could be very balanced.

Great write up Go Gophers Rah, though I am not as confident in the RB's as you are. A

- I don't see either a speed back that can take it to the house from the 50 or a big, bruising tackle breaker on the roster. I don't see a back that would strike any fear in the opposition.

- I think it's unfair to compare Bennett's YPC to Eskridge due to the horrible Oline Eskridge played behind. I see Bennett as the better back, because he seems to have more intial burst than Eskridge does. That said, who knows what Bennett will look like one year removed from an ACL

- The biggest impression I have of Whaley thus far is that he appears very small.

- Shady seems like the type of guy you trust to run out the clock or to pass protect against the blitz, but he doesn't seem to have any special qualities as a runner.

- I hope the best for Jay Thomas, he's the one guy who has shown great speed, but he seems off the radar in regards to playing time at RB.

- I find it very unlikely that we will run the ball 34-36 times in the first 2 games. The strength of this team should be Weber to Decker, Carpenter (fingers crossed), Green, etc.

EG#9 said:

I don't see either a speed back that can take it to the house from the 50 or a big, bruising tackle breaker on the roster. I don't see a back that would strike any fear in the opposition.

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I agree. After years of watching our program churn out elite RBs, our fan base should have a pretty clear idea of what one looks like. MBIII and Maroney had IT. The first time I saw those guys tote the rock it was obvious that they were special backs. Hell, even Russell and Tapeh had IT. None of the RBs on the roster appear to have any special qualities.

-Bennett is the one guy who I think could develop into an above average Big Ten runner (provided he recovers from his ACL surgery)

-Eskridge ran hard last season but doesn't have the burst or shiftiness of a great back.

-Salamon is a great kid to have in your program but he's likely a career backup/special teams ace

-Whaley looked good in the spring game but is very small and completely unproven

-Thomas once had the ridiculous straight line speed we now lack but that has probably been robbed of him after 2 ACL surgeries.

I'm very worried about our RBs, and I hope that the loss of Lipscomb doesn't haunt us this season. Obviously it could have been problematic relying on another true frosh RB but a kid with his list of offers has to be very talented.

Without a true workhorse back, this should just be an excuse to get the ball into Stoudemire's hands more often. I know doesn't fit the ideal running back prototype, but the kid can flat out play.

5 carries a game - 5 receptions a game.

KoolAid said:

Without a true workhorse back, this should just be an excuse to get the ball into Stoudemire's hands more often. I know doesn't fit the ideal running back prototype, but the kid can flat out play.

5 carries a game - 5 receptions a game.

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I'm with you 100%. Get the ball in the hands of your playmakers as much as possible. I'd also like to see Decker get a few more carries than last season.