Who will be the Cajuns first 1000 yard Rusher?
1000 yards or Bust!: Who will be the first to make History?
It’s been a long time since we have enjoyed watching a dominating offensive player scamper over the Bermuda grass blades on Cajun field. With all of the right tools in place, this desired achievement should manifest before our famished eyes in 2005! With a quarterback that has proven to be a consistent dual offensive weapon, a reliable receiving threat to stretch the field, and a dominating veteran offensive line loaded with all-conference potential, our stable of running backs have all the necessary ingredients to have an above average season in regards to production.
The only question which remains concealed is which Cajun running back will rise to the occasion and seize the opportunity. The opportunity to become the first running back to garnish a 1,000 yard rushing season in program history. Whoever it may be, it is more probable than not a player who will have the strongest desire to be a winner! While competition at running back will be intense, strength, agility, speed and reliability will definitely be required attributes of our most coveted 1000 yard rusher.
For the Novice.What is a running back?
“The halfback position is one of the more glamorous positions on the field. A good running back is commonly viewed as a requirement for a team's success. Due to the infrequency with which a fullback carries the ball, the fullback position is less glamorous, if possibly of equal importance. Whereas in previous years the fullback lined up on the field for almost every offensive play, teams often opt to replace the fullback with an additional wide receiver or a tight end in modern football.”
“There is a great diversity in the types of football players that play the running back position. On one extreme are smaller and agile players. One such example is Warrick Dunn, who stands at only 5'8 and weighs 185 lbs, a relatively small size for a football player. These types of running backs are often referred to as "speed backs" because they rely on speed and agility to evade defenders and gain yards. At the other extreme are bigger, stronger running backs such as Jerome Bettis, who weighs almost 260 lbs. These kinds of running backs are referred to as "power backs" because they rely on their strength and size to "truck through" defenders.”
See: http://www.answers.com/topic/running-back
Who’s in the Cajun stable?
Chester Johnson, 5’10”-198lbs. Johnson (421 yards in 2003, 489 yards in 2004) has led all backs in rushing each of the past two seasons and appears to be the front runner to garner most of the carries in 2005.**
Dwight Lindon, 5'9"-210lbs. Lindon earned another year of eligibility with his December graduation and was moved to fullback.** Lindon can be either a powerful tailback or a smallish fullback. He'll combine with the bigger Booker Jenkins at fullback, but he'll get more than his share of carries after finishing third on the team with 381 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns. He's a strong receiver with 20 grabs for 136 yards last year.*
Abdule Levier, 5’11”-205lbs. Levier has some good wheels and made enough strides this spring to be considered a regular in the rotation. He doesn't provide the power or pop of Chester Johnson, but he's talented enough to grow into the workhorse if needed. He ran for 120 yards last year.* Rushed for over 2,800 yards during junior and senior years at Port Barre HS. Ran for 1,511 yards and 22 TD’s in senior campaign.***
Josh Harrison, 5’7”-175lbs. Harrison didn't do too much until the end of the 2003 season when he became more of a factor finishing with 168 yards and three touchdowns. He's small, but he's a quick back adding more speed to the mix.****
Booker Jenkins, 5’11”-235lbs. Jenkins provides more bulk and a bigger blocker at fullback than Dwight Lindon. The senior will see a few carries, but he'll mostly be used as a blocker.*
Caleb Rubin, 5’8”-175lbs. Rubin provides speed and flash to the backfield. He has the hands to turn into a good third down back and will be used when a change of pace is needed.* Ran for 245 yards vs. Breaux Bridge in senior season opener. Missed three games after an ankle sprain in fifth game, limited senior season to 904 yards. Helped lead Lafayette High to Class 5A playoffs.***
Jason Chery, 5’10”-175lbs. Gained 1,375 yards on 217 rushes as a senior. Rushed for 14 touchdowns. Prepped at Miami-Spanish River and originally committed with Oklahoma State last season, but never enrolled. Rushed for 1,789 yards and a total of 28 touchdowns during his senior year at Spanish River. Doubled as a kick return specialist, racking up near 800 return yards and a couple of scores. In his junior season, he accumulated 1,400 yards on the ground.*****
Tyrell Fenroy, 5’10”-185lbs. Fenroy finished his career with 4,320 rushing yards and 5,714 all-purpose yards en route to being named the District 10-3A MVP each of the last two years.**
Chancellor Roberson, 6’2”-240lbs. A first-team All-District 19-4A tight end as a junior, Roberson played tight end most of his junior year and also saw some action at defensive end. Had four (4) touchdowns – 2 by rushing and 2 on receptions – as a part of a rushing attack that averaged 345.8 yards per game.**
Derrick Smith, 6’0”-185lbs. Ranked in the Florida Top 100. 4.38 time in the 40-yard dash. Played running back his junior year, rushing for 700 yards and also catching 25 passes for 590 yards. He scored nine touchdowns during that season. As a senior, was moved over to wide receiver and finished with only 24 catches and 12 receiving touchdowns, but averaged over 22 yards per catch. He also had two kickoff return scores and two punt return touchdowns.**
Deon Wallace, 6’1”-190lbs. Rushed for 1,820 yards on 169 carries and had 20 touchdowns in 2004. Also had 16 catches – four of which were TDs –to highlight his senior season which was his third year in the starting lineup. Had more than 500 receiving yards and saw action on punt and kickoff returns. Ranked 12th on the Rivals.com recruiting site’s listing of the nation’s top all-purpose backs and first in Texas in that category. He is on that service’s Texas Top 100 list compiled after the season, and is also on the Houston Chronicle’s Top 100 list in Texas and Top 10 running backs list in the state.**
Outsiders looking in…
“The Cajuns' ground-attack-by-committee never really found its stride last season, though UL Lafayette did manage to finish third in the Sun Belt in rushing. Chester Johnson, who rushed for 910 yards over the last two seasons, emerged from spring as the top back, but he does not have a firm grasp on the starting position. Abdule Levier, Josh Harrison and newcomer Caleb Rubin could all see time at tailback. Ex-tailback Dwight Lindon has moved to fullback and could provide more diversity in the running attack.”
Player References…
*****See: http://www.ragincajuns.com/football/.ingeesBios.pdf
****See: http://www.collegefootballnews.com/s.te_offense.htm
***See:http://www.ragincajuns.com/football/.ees%20Bios.pdf
**See: http://ragincajuns.com/football/2005Prospectus.pdf
*See:http://www.collegefootballnews.com/s.te_offense.htm
Quote
Re: 1000 yards or Bust: Who will be the Cajuns first 1000 yard Rusher?
Originally Posted by RaginEsquire06
Re: 1000 yards or Bust: Who will be the Cajuns first 1000 yard Rusher?
