Aug. 14, 2009
Throughout the 2009 preseason, www.isubengals.com will take a look at each position as the Bengals ready for the season opener on September 5 against Arizona State down in Tempe, Arizona. Today, we look at the running back position.
Bengal Breakdown - Quarterbacks (8-12-09)
Being a running back can be a lonely thing at times. You just sit back in the backfield...watching...waiting...not wanting to give things away. Of course, if you were Ben Laporta in spring football, you went through a totally different type of loneliness. The "where the heck are all the other running backs?" loneliness. Well, after that bit of spring isolation, Idaho State has gone from one guy in Laporta, to eight, and while only one has an NCAA carry to his credit, a full stable is better than a one-horse cart any day.
Now, that full stable is a mostly untested stable, but untested and untalented are two totally different things. Speaking of different...ISU couldn't have a more diverse group back there. That diversity starts with the lone senior in the backfield, and the lone man to have an NCAA carry, and that's Clint Knickrehm. Despite playing with three other seniors last year, it was Knickrehm who led the team in rushing (456 yards) and touchdowns (eight). While thought of mostly as a punishing blocker (he is a two-time ISU Special Teams Player of the Year, mostly as a blocker), he has surprising speed, and he's down to 214 pounds, big enough to be a bruiser, but svelte enough to get past the first wave and make folks miss. Knickrehm is a do it all type of guy in that he can run, block, play of special teams, and probably tape an ankle as well, and that's why he is the typical John Zamberlin no-nonsense team-type guy.
While ISU lost three seniors in Jayson Bird, Kenyon Blue, and Ken Cornist, there are a few more John Zamberlin-type guys in the wings. Of the seven other backs, four have their eligibility clocks running, including a pair of intriguing transfers.
Jordan Scott was a late pickup for the Bengals, and perhaps the one with the most upside. A devilishly quick punt returner in junior college, Scott gained 488 yards last year in just six games and only 88 carries before getting injured, but he is good to go this year. He already has shown some breakaway speed, and he's pretty shifty, giving ISU a nice compliment to Knickrehm. The other transfer is Stew Tracy, who comes to ISU from Boise State. An older guy, but just a junior, Tracy has a Knickrehm-ish build, and can catch the ball out of the back field, and has shown some moves as he plays himself into football shape, and he is sneaky-fast. What Tracy brings to the offense is some big-game experience, and he already has shown to be a calming presence on the field.
Along with Knickrehm are two other returners who redshirted last year, including the previously aforementioned Laporta. Perhaps the quickest of all the running backs, he also is the most apt to just try and run over folks. Laporta and Knickrehm, both Idaho natives, sort of embody that Eastern Idaho "get-it-done no-matter-what" attitude, and that why Knickrehm is a fan favorite, and Laporta soon will be. And if fans love them, they would also love Ethan Monroe out of Lewiston, who has been slowed up by an injury in camp.
Monroe ran well in the spring game in his limited carries, and projects to see some time etiher in the backfield or on special teams, which is exactly how Knickrehm got his start.
With five solid core guys, you would think the three true freshmen would be outmatic redshirt candidates, but the coaching staff is going to let the camp play out, meaning Darrius Coleman, Skylar Morgan, and Jalani Phillips have all had ample chances to strut their stuff. Morgan is the known commodity for most folks in Idaho, coming out of Minico and running up and down the Holt turf several times in high school. His football IQ is ridiculously high, and he projects to be a star in his time at Idaho State. While that's fantastic, one running back doesn't a team make, and there is room on the star podium for others, and that's where Coleman and Phillips come in. Coleman was a late get for the Bengal coaching staff, and he looks like another late-get turned great-get. Another guy who knows the game very well, Coleman has shown flashes and reminds some folks of a young Josh Barnett. Phillips moved over from defensive back to running back just last week and has found a home, and he will work to add to his 184-pound frame to withstand the rigors of Big Sky football. Still, he shows to be pretty elusive early on, and will only get better.
Last year, the Bengals and their fans thought the running game was going to be the strength, but one-by-one running backs went down, and ISU ended up a little pass-happy. It shouldn't come as a surprise that ISU's only 100-yard game came in their only win of the season, showcasing how important the running game is for ISU.
Running Back (1 letterman returning, 3 lettermen lost, 2 redshirts, 1 JC transfer, 1 Division I transfer, 3 incoming freshmen)
Returning Lettermen
Player GM Att Yards Avg TD Long YPG
Clint Knickrehm 11 123 456 3.7 8 28 41.5
Departed Lettermen
Player GM Att Yards Avg TD Long YPG
Ken Cornist 8 81 395 4.9 3 21 49.4
Kenyon Blue 12 55 283 5.1 2 20 23.6
Jayson Bird 6 20 71 3.5 0 16 11.8
NOTES: The first of two major scrimmages for the Bengals takes place tomorrow at 4:00 pm on the South Practice Field. The team will run three four-play series from the -20, the -40, the +40, and the +20, and finish with a two-minute drill. Fans are invited, and the scrimmage should actually start closer to 4:30 pm due to warm-ups and some pre-practice drills.
