When your quarterback leads the team in rushing, as Andre Sloan El did last season for Emporia State, there’s cause for concern.
To make sure that doesn’t happen again, the Hornets brought in two running backs during the offseason — La’Darrian Page and Kevin Smart — and then went to work making last year’s top back, Adrian Abner, a new and improved version of his former self.
“We’ve got some guys who can do some different types of things,” running backs coach Gary Manuel said. “We got a really good downhill guy, a big physical kid and then we have some speed guys that can also run the ball downhill. I think we’ve got a good combination.”
The three backs have been competing during camp for the starting job, but on paper and on the field, Page has separated himself from the pack.
Page has had success in the MIAA before. He started his career at Missouri Western and ran for 1,254 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman, making the All-MIAA second team. He was also named the Mineral Water Bowl MVP.
Page left Missouri Western after his freshman season and transferred to Hutchinson Community College. At Hutch, Page was a first team junior college All-American, running for 1,340 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“He’s been successful everywhere he’s played football last time I checked,” Manuel said. “He brings a lot to the table. The guy’s been to battle and knows what it takes to win. He’s fast. He’s really fast, I mean, he can get it now.”
While Page, Abner and redshirt freshman Derwin Hall, also a track star, bring the speed, Smart is the perfect complement of power.
Smart was recruited out of high school as a running back to Northeastern State in Oklahoma by ESU coach Garin Higgins. Smart played two seasons for the Riverhawks as a safety and decided he wanted to return to his old position.
“I was ready to play running back again. I missed it,” Smart said. “That’s all I played in high school. This is the place I wanted to be. I liked Coach Higgins. I liked Coach (Sean) Clowers, and once I got up here and met the other coaches and players, I knew it was the right fit.”
Smart was also a great fit for the Hornets. Last year, they were missing a short-yardage power back and struggled in short-yardage situations. That’s where Smart, who’s 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, excels.
“Downhill,” Smart said in response to a question about his running style. “One hard cut and get as many yards as you can vertical. Just power running, that’s it, that’s my thing. We’ve got speed guys, and my job is to get my shoulders turned north and south and plow.”
Last season, Abner was strictly a speed guy, but he has tried to transform himself into a back who can do both speed and power. He gained 20 pounds in the offseason and didn’t lose any speed in the process.
“As a matter of fact, I got faster,” he said.
Abner showed glimpses of his talent during his freshman year. Against Nebraska-Omaha, he ran for a season-high 115 yards and a touchdown. But during the latter half of the season, Abner was slowed by a nagging high ankle sprain. He missed two games and then ran for only 54 yards in the final five games of the season.
Abner hasn’t been able to practice for much of training camp because of a hamstring injury, but he’s hoping the added weight makes him more durable during the season.
“Main reason I put on the weight is because I take a pounding during the course of a season, and a lot of times when I get hit, I can feel it,” Abner said. “I may not show it, but I feel it. I just wanted to put on some more weight, trying to at least get to 200.”
With Abner’s health problems, the Hornets didn’t have much of a running game during most of the conference season. In the final six games of the season, the best rushing performance by a running back was Brian Murphy’s 35 yards against Central Missouri.
With Page, a proven back in the league, such a lack of consistency should not be a problem. It’s no secret that for the Hornet offense to be successful and take some pressure off Sloan El, the running backs need to put up much better numbers. An improved offensive line should help, but Manuel believes his talented running backs should be able to create at times when there’s nothing there.
“As an offense, we’ve got to come out with fire and ready to go,” Manuel said. “Yeah, we know the game starts up front, but at the same time, we can set the tone in the back end. We can set the tone with how the game’s going to be played.”
mgdarren (anonymous) says...
Smart was the best back in Oklahoma 2 years ago. He rushed for 44 touchdowns & 2,500 yards his senior year.
He will be a great fit in Coach Higgins offense.
August 21, 2009 at 2:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )