Big Four Must Learn To Run

Posted: September 5, 2007
Updated: September 7, 2007

Some things in college football never change.

Here's one: If you can't run the ball effectively, you'd better be really, really good at something else, or you're not going to win very often.

Only three of the ACC's 12 teams ran the ball extremely well on the season's opening weekend, and they won by an average score of 32-7. Georgia Tech (Tashard Choice), Maryland (Keon Lattimore, Lance Ball) and Miami (Javarris James, Graig Cooper) all have exceptional tailbacks and/or a strong offensive line. Choice gained 196 yards on 26 rushing attempts in the Yellow Jackets' 33-3 victory at Notre Dame.

Two more ACC teams won their openers despite minimal production on the ground. How'd they do it? Boston College (54 rushing yards) got 408 passing yards from Matt Ryan, the league's best quarterback, in a 38-28 win over Wake Forest. Virginia Tech (33 rushing yards), which boasts the conference's top defense, scored a defensive touchdown in a 17-7 win over East Carolina.

Most teams don't have such luxuries.

And the Big Four? Well, none ran the ball well on Saturday, and three of the four lost. Only North Carolina, which faced the weakest opposition (Division I-AA James Madison), started the season 1-0.

Here's a quick look at the Big Four teams and their chances of turning things around on the ground.

DUKE

The Numbers: 28 rushing attempts for 15 yards in a 45-14 loss to Connecticut.

Warning Signs: The offensive line has been the heaviest anchor holding down Duke football dating back through the Ted Roof and Carl Franks eras, failing in both run blocking and pass protection on a regular basis. The tailbacks are tough, solid players, but they are not game-breakers.

Silver Lining: The Blue Devils have all five starters back on the offensive line, but because of injuries they haven't been able to work together as a unit so far this season. Right tackle Fred Roland is expected back for game two, after missing the opener while recovering from offseason back surgery.

NORTH CAROLINA

The Numbers: 34 rushing attempts for 100 yards in a 37-14 win over James Madison.

Warning Signs: UNC barely cracked triple digits against the weakest opponent on its 2007 schedule. The Tar Heels have one of the least experienced groups of tailbacks in the entire country, with only a single career carry entering this fall among the four players who are expected to see time at the position.

Silver Lining: Redshirt freshman Johnny White, who gained 49 yards on 12 carries against JMU, may have the kind of power/speed combination needed to succeed in the ACC. On the line, three returning starters (center Scott Lenahan, right guard Calvin Darity, right tackle Garrett Reynolds) could form a solid foundation.

N.C. STATE

The Numbers: 32 rushing attempts for 85 yards in a 25-23 loss to Central Florida.

Warning Signs: Starting tailback Toney Baker is lost for the season because of a knee injury he suffered against the Knights. The Wolfpack's top returning starter on the line, 335-pound right guard Curtis Crouch, has not shown the mobility he needs to thrive in the new offense. Overall, the line has an alarming lack of depth.

Silver Lining: Even without Baker, the Pack could have a quality one-two punch at tailback with Andre Brown and Jamelle Eugene. State also could get a lift if Jeraill McCuller, the team's projected starter at right tackle, can work his way back into the lineup after serving a suspension for his offseason arrest on DWI and other charges.

WAKE FOREST

The Numbers: 24 rushing attempts for two yards in a 38-28 loss to Boston College.

Warning Signs: Tailbacks Kevin Harris and Micah Andrews lacked explosiveness in the opener, and the Demon Deacons uncharacteristically didn't get any help from their receivers (on reverses, etc.) in the ground game, either. An experienced but shuffled offensive line actually had some problems opening holes last year, too, when a superb defense carried the load.

Silver Lining: Maybe coach Jim Grobe can figure it out. Last year, after injuries to other players at tailback, he moved wide receiver Kenneth Moore into the backfield and watched him shine. The Demon Deacons have excellent building blocks in All-ACC center Steve Justice and 6-4, 362-pound right guard Chris DeGeare.

16 Comments

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App beating UM or State or UNC or whoever is like an eclipse of the sun. Yes it can happen, and it will happen, just very rarely. My little nephew beat me at ping-pong once. He's now 1-75 against me. That's not shocking. People thinking that now App can hang with Div. 1, that's shocking. No, not shocking, just ridiculous.

And who in the heck brought up Fred Goldsmith as a relevant source? They beat Wake like a drum? Duh. Until last year, everybody beat Wake like a drum. They've got the worst winning percentage in ACC history. And that includes Duke.

bait taker
September 5, 2007 10:45 p.m.

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12 teams in the conference, Appalachian would probably beat UNC, NC State (came real close to beating last year), Virginia, & Duke. UNC might squeeze by. Quick teams and mis-direction teams always give UNC fits. Wake, Florida State and Miami might be toss-ups. BC, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech would probably win. If they didn't get worn down they could very easily go 6 & 6.

r u crazy too
September 5, 2007 9:20 p.m.

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Hopefully, one of the UNC tailbacks will get on track and show he is the best choice. I think it may take another back not yet on the team to get UNC where they want to be. That said, I think between the three or four players any one is capable of a good game or two. The offensive line is the key, and I think they will improve as the year goes on.

UNCalumnus
September 5, 2007 4:50 p.m.

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Let's take the App approach to figuring this out. If Michigan was truly the #5 team last weekend, and App State won, they must by extension be a top 4 team. Right? Better than everyone except USC, LSU and Florida.

But most would agree that's not true. App State played a hell of a game on Saturday. Michigan, maybe they aren't as good as projected (obviously) maybe they looked past App State (again, obviously) where as App State took this to be a signature, once in a lifetime opportunity. The Mountaineers are a very good team that played well. That having been said, a few breaks went their way on Saturday. They did block two field goals at the end; and yes I heard coach Moore on that topic; but even the best plans don't always work. Every play in the playbook is designed to score.

It was a very good team, playing with confidence going against a team that was unprepared and over confident.

jimbo56
September 5, 2007 4:46 p.m.

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Ahhhh, what am I saying. App is good, talented and well-coached. Maybe it's just a hard pill for me to swallow that a div 1-AA team might be every bit as good as my Wolfpack and other ACC teams.

I wouldn't say they are "better" than the ACC schools you mentioned. But I would say that maybe they are on par and competitive with them. App would win some of those games and lose some of those games. I won't concede that App would wipe the field with anybody in the ACC, except maybe Duke.

TruthBKnown
September 5, 2007 3:53 p.m.

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I think Appy mania has gotten out of control because of this one game. App gained a lot of respect, deservedly so.

I wouldn't say they are better than UNC or Wake... or Michigan. I'm still not convinced they are better than NC State just yet, although they would probably have beaten State last Saturday.

People need to realize that what happened at the Big House on Saturday is an anomaly. I remember a few years ago Weber State got up for a game against Carolina. Weber State was good, and they were fired up. But I don't think most people would annoint them better than half the ACC because they won that game.

TruthBKnown
September 5, 2007 3:25 p.m.

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I don't disagree with the points regarding key player injuries and possible team depletion over the course of a season. That could happen to any team. Here's an audio clip of former Duke (currently Lenoir-Rhyne coach) Fred Goldsmith--> http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/video?id=3003877 His quote: "When I was head coach at Duke, I told Jerry Moore I would not play them. They’ve beaten Wake Forest like a drum over the last 20 years. Appalachian is better than the University of North Carolina. They’re better than North Carolina State. They’re better than Duke. They’re better than Wake, probably better than Virginia, which would make them better than half the teams in the Big Ten right now.”

appgrad95
September 5, 2007 2:54 p.m.

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I don't like Michigan. I actually like App (my mom is an App grad). I watched their championship games and some playoff games and rooted for them. I was scared to death they might snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Michigan. But being realistic, I don't think they could hang with Division 1-A schools for an entire season. They can get up for one on a given week (especially fresh, like they are in week 1), but not for 12 straight weeks. Just being realistic.

TruthBKnown
September 5, 2007 2:42 p.m.

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What I'm saying is, App is not THAT MUCH better now than they were then, and that team lost to an ACC bottom-feeder (my Wolfpack). If App had to face the higher echelon of the ACC every other week, and not just the bottom feeders, they would find themselves with some losses and longing for the I-AA again.

Keep in mind that most of App's players were not even recruited by Division I-A schools. They are well-coached, and are doing well, but they just couldn't compete in Div. I-A week in and week out with more players and more talent. They would get beat up (physically) from week to week, some may get injured (happens to us all)... I just don't think they would do so great in division I-A. And I gave an example of a bad team they lost to. This week, they played over their heads, Michigan played below their heads (and may not be such a great team anyway), and they took advantage of a first year kicker and a little luck to block two kicks that STILL could have won the game for Michigan.

TruthBKnown
September 5, 2007 2:40 p.m.

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@Truth: It was Trey Elder (now relegated to backup QB), not Armanti Edwards who played in the NC State game, and that game wasn't as close as the final score made it look, either, I was there and saw State struggle. Armanti is a phenom...btw - I'm also a State fan and wish they had a QB like him.

appgrad95
September 5, 2007 2:15 p.m.

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