Nov 1st, 2009
We’ve got a case of the runs, as we look back on the college football weekend with runs on the mind:
RUNNING BACK
Who is the best running back in the Pac-10? You could make a pretty good case that the reigning offensive player of the year and the conference’s best preseason Heisman Trophy possibility would not make the all-conference backfield at the moment.
Four Pac-10 running backs have excelled – Stanford’s Toby Gerhart, Cal’s Jahvid Best, Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers and Oregon’s LaMichael James – and each has a different type of claim to being the conference’s best back. Here is how we rate them, in inverse order.
4. Jahvid Best, Cal – Still the most dangerous Pac-10 running back, Best is tied for second nationally in touchdowns with 15. He has improved his pass-catching skills, ranking second on the team in receptions, including seven against Arizona State. But he ranks only fourth in the conference in rushing (104.8 yards per game) and has not been productive against the top defenses (USC, Oregon and Arizona State).
3. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State – Every bit as effective as he was last season, when he became the first freshman to be named Pac-10 player of the year, Rodgers may still be the best of the bunch. He is tied for second nationally in touchdowns with 15, ranks second in the Pac-10 in rushing at 115.3 per game, and is second in the conference in receptions with 49.
2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford – The Pac-10’s leading rusher at 124.3 yards a game, Gerhart gives the Stanford’s offense its identity as a physical running team. His 125 yards on the ground against Arizona State’s tough run defense was particularly impressive because it set up everything the Cardinal did that day. His 200 yards rushing against Washington are the most by a Pac-10 back this season.
1. LaMichael James, Oregon – OK, you may disagree, but hear me out. The redshirt freshman is third in the conference in rushing at 114.8, just a fraction behind Rodgers, and leads in average yards per carry at 7.1. He did not become the Ducks’ primary running
Oregon redshirt freshman LaMichael James is best in big games -- AP photo Don Ryan
back until the third game, and in his five Pac-10 games, James is averaging 137.6 yards a game and 7.4 yards a carry, both the best among the four runners in the discussion. He has done his best work against the best teams, including 184 yards against USC, and his worst game (81 yards against Washington State) came in a blowout in which his help was not needed. And he has not fumbled the ball a single time.
RUN OF LUCK
Certainly Iowa deserves credit for winning close games, and coach Kirk Ferentz get kudos for maintaining an even keel throughout games, but, let’s face it, the Hawkeyes have been really lucky. The win over Indiana was filled with good fortune. Not only did questionable officiating decisions cost Indiana two touchdowns, but that interception that changed the game was the luckiest thing you’ll ever see. The Hoosiers had a second down at the Iowa 2-yard line midway in the third quarter, about to take a 28-7 lead, when Ben Chappell’s pass was deflected and bounced off four players in the Indiana backfield and into the hands of Tyler Sash, who returned it for a touchdown. The AP voters must have taken that into account, because they dropped Iowa one spot to No. 8 even though the Hawkeyes remained unbeaten a team that was ranked ahead of them lost.
RUN OF SUCCESS
Idaho, which had won one conference game in the past two seasons combined, beat Louisiana Tech on Saturday, making the Vandals 4-1 in the Western Athletic Conference and 7-2 overall, clinching their first winning season since 1999. Idaho has only been in Division I-A (now FBS) since 1996. Can anyone name Idaho’s head coach?
RUNNING UPHILL
Cal has returned to the top 25 for the first time since its loss to USC, checking in at No. 23 this week in both the AP and USA Today polls. The Bears are one of four Pac-10 teams in the top 25.
Oregon is up to No. 7 in the AP poll, but that does not matter when it comes to its national-championship hopes because that poll is not part of the BCS formula. The Ducks are No. 8 in the coaches’ poll, which is part of the BCS rankings formula.
RUNNING ON EMPTY
Texas Christian is up to No. 4 in the coaches poll with an outside shot to play in the national-championship game, but fans are not flocking to their games. The Horned Frogs’ home crowds average fewer than 35,000 people in their 44,000-seat stadium, and they had less than 34,000 in their home win over UNLV on Saturday, one week after blasting BYU on the road. They lead the national in total defense and rank third in scoring defense, so one might claim defense does not sell. But quarterback Andy Dalton ranks sixth nationally in pass efficiency and the Horned Frogs are 11th nationally in scoring offense, so the action is there. TV cameras showed huge blocks of empty seats during Saturday’s game in Fort Worth, Texas. Stanford can sympathize.
He covers the sky with clouds, he supplies the earth with rain, and maketh the grass grow on the hills. – Psalms 147:8