Race for Running Back
February 22, 2010 • By Emmie Cleveland,
Print This Post
Email This Post
How Will the Dukes Compensate for the Untimely Loss of Corwin Acker?
JMU football coach Mickey Matthews had high hopes for his 2008 running back recruit Corwin Acker.
“He’s the most highly recruited running back we’ve ever signed here,” he said on his Web site once Acker had committed. “It remains to be seen how he develops, but we just really have high hopes for him in the future.”
But Matthews’ hopes fell drastically short as he dismissed his back up running back from the team last week due to a violation of team rules after Acker was charged with possession of marijuana.
Matthews took a chance on the Landover, Md., native, offering him a spot on the team after his initial scholarship to Temple was revoked after Acker pled guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge his senior year of high school.
Last season, Acker was charged with possession of alcohol and was suspended from the team from late August to early November. During his suspension, he was again charged with possession of alcohol.
This fall, the Dukes will look to others to fill the hole left by Acker’s premature departure. According to Matthews, who will play remains “totally undecided.”
Acker “had a limited role this year, and I think we have some young guys that will step in,” JMU running backs coach Ulrick Edmonds said. “Also, the older guys that we have that have played are all working hard now, and they’re gonna help us do some promising things this upcoming year.”
Jamal Sullivan, who got the most playing time last season, will return as a senior. Sullivan averaged 3.6 yards-per-carry compared to Acker’s 8.1. But Sullivan’s average was on 127 carries, while Acker had just 38.
Acker was arguably the team’s best screen-pass receiver, an important role in the spread offense. Last season, he made 14 catches for 122 yards.
Griff Yancey, returning as a senior, is an option as a pass-catching back because of his extensive experience. Yancey, who split time as a running back and receiver his first three years at JMU, was moved to free safety last season.
However, he continued playing offensively on and off, with 149 rushing yards and three receptions.
“I’m definitely gonna help the team with catching the ball in the backfield,” Yancey said. “… But hopefully I can contribute more in a leadership role this year and pick the team up from the loss that we had.”
Scott Noble, returning as a junior, also got significant playing time last season, especially toward the end. He totaled 282 yards rushing off 66 attempts and had 16 receptions for 235 yards. Sullivan totaled two receptions for 10 yards.
“Just being around, having playing time, they’ll be older, they’ll be strong, and they’ll be faster,” Edmonds said.
In fall, in the game against VMI, JMU’s first drive highlighted Sullivan. The Ruther Glen native had 18 yards on three carries before a 1-yard rush into the endzone.
After playing exclusively free safety for the beginning of the season, Griff’s first time seeing minutes at running back last season was in JMU’s Family Weekend game against Richmond. The Glen Allen native totaled 74 yards on 16 carries.
Noble’s most impressive game was against Towson. The Baltimore native had 23 carries and was responsible for 106 of JMU’s 471 total offensive yards.
A fresh face with solid potential is freshman Jordan Anderson, who was medically redshirted for the fall season.
According to Matthews, Anderson was competing for playing time in August, but he injured his shoulder before the season began.
“You never can tell with young guys,” Edmonds said. “But Jordan, just like another guy, Lee Reynolds — they have a lot of potential.”
Edmonds said Anderson was recruited mostly because of his physical presence. Reynolds, who is smaller, is notably fast.
Acker’s most impressive performance during his career at JMU was in the game against Liberty in September. With the game tied 10-10 at the start of the fourth quarter, Sullivan left the game with an injured knee.
The first time the Dukes touched the ball that quarter, they put it in Acker’s hands, who rushed 65 yards up the left sideline for a touchdown. Then with less than two minutes remaining, Acker rushed 13 yards for another touchdown.
But Matthews remains confident that the loss of Acker will not overshadow the team’s potential.
“We have a lot of offensive speed returning,” he said. “We have two freshmen receivers — Renard Robinson and Dae’Quan Scott — that are homerun threats. So we’ll have as much speed offensively as we’ve ever had at JMU.”
Also competing for the position is freshman Daniel Allen and sophomore Markus Hunter.
For any running back to see considerable time, they will have to protect the ball — something Yancey and Sullivan learned the hard way early in their careers.
In the 2007 season, JMU was down 37-34 against Delaware with less than three minutes remaining. In the Dukes’ attempt to come back, Yancey fumbled, and Delaware recovered the ball, giving up the team’s last serious look to score.
In a similar situation, JMU was down 28-27 against Appalachian State in the 2007 first-round playoff game. With less than a minute remaining and JMU in possession on Appalachian State’s 9-yard line, Sullivan fumbled. Appalachian State recovered and let the clock run out to end JMU’s season.
Acker’s absence might change the team’s performance and lineup next season, but the team must move on.
Acker “was a tremendous athlete. We could’ve used him, especially on offense and special teams. So in those areas, it’s gonna really hurt the team for next year,” Yancey said. “But all we can really do is prepare the team that we have and keep it rollin’, keep working hard.”
Contact Emmie Cleveland at breezesports@gmail.com
Comments
Got something to say?
-
Check Out the Latest Updates
-
-
Parking Space Changes
Click on picture -
Are You Smarter than the Duke Dog Game
Click on picture
September 9th, 2010 Issue in Print
