The Pac-10 may not pound you all day like your big brother, but
with a passing game that spreads the field, the running game will
hit you where it hurts.
“We’ve played those (Big Ten and Big XII)
schools,” UCLA offensive coordinator Kelly Skipper said of
the perceived difference between Midwest conference and West Coast
football. “Everybody’s playing the same type of
football where they are using a variety of formations and different
personnel groupings to try to create mismatches.”
Stanford coach Buddy Teevens, who spent the last several years
in the pass-happy SEC, appreciated what Pac-10 running backs have
to offer.
“It’s nice to be in a league like this with
balance,” said Teevens. “Here there is a wide-open
style as well but it is a nice mix.”
The nicest might be Arizona’s junior tailback Clarence
Farmer who led the Pac-10 last year with 1,229 yards rushing. He
was second only to UCLA’s DeShaun Foster with 111.7 yards per
game. Like Foster, the Arizona MVP has ideal size at 6 feet, 1
inch, 215 pounds.
Farmer’s main competition as the Pac-10’s premier
running back comes from Oregon’s Onterrio Smith. Smith and
former tailback Maurice Morris were the only duo to rush for 1,000
yards each in Oregon history. The junior broke the 1,000 yard mark
although he started only one game. This year, Smith hopes to gain
all 2,000 by himself.
Like Morris, Stanford’s Kerry Carter shared tailback
duties last season. As Brian Allen’s backup, Carter gained
456 yards despite missing four games because of a separated
shoulder. The question for the 6-foot-2-inch, 235-pound senior will
be if he can get the ball in Teevens’ pass-happy offense.
“The offense is pass-based but you have to run the ball to
win. The scheme is more wide open and that creates running lanes so
you may see more big plays,” said Carter who has worked on
his catching skills.
Tailback duties are still being shared at UCLA where junior Akil
Harris and Manuel White Jr. will line up in the backfield. White, a
6 foot, 3 inch, 241-pound grinder, has learned to double as a
fullback. Behind Foster, Harris rushed 386 yards last season,
averaging 4.9 per carry.
While Harris is more of a finesse runner, White pounded out 305
yards last season and showed he has a soft touch as well, catching
five passes for 64 yards. Redshirt freshmen Tyler Ebell, Jason
Harrison and Wendell Mathis will also see time.
“DeShaun was the man,” White said.
“We’re not DeShaun but we bring our own
aspects.”
Oregon State’s Steven Jackson showed his potential last
season as a special teams player returning seven kickoffs with an
average of 34.3 yards per return. This season the sophomore hopes
to develop after backing up Ken Simonton last season.
With an Ebell-like build, Cal senior Joe Igber hopes to make the
most of his 5 feet, 8 inch frame. He had a disappointing season in
2001 with only one 100-yard game.
“Size is not an issue,” former Oregon offensive
coordinator and current Cal head coach Jeff Tedford insisted.
“The difference between them (Igber and backup Terrell
Williams compared to Stanford’s Morris and Smith) is speed.
That can break a game open.”
Midway through the season Igber fractured his clavicle and
Williams stepped in. A sophomore, Williams figures to play a role
this year as well, after gaining 105.2 yards per game in his five
starts.
USC’s senior Justin Fargas will make his debut after
transferring from Michigan and sitting out last year under NCAA
rules. He beat out senior Sultan McCullough in spring ball.
McCullough is the fastest man on the team, but gained only 410
yards last season as the the team’s leading rusher because of
strained abdominals. It was the lowest yardage by a leading rusher
at USC in nearly 20 years.
Washington needs better production out of junior Rich Alexis.
Alexis’ yards per carry dropped from 6.2 to 3.1 from his
freshman to sophomore season as he battled a shoulder injury.
Arizona State is looking for a replacement for Delvon Flowers.
They will consider Mike Williams, who had only 38 carries last
season, as well as redshirt freshmen Hakim Hill and Cornell
Canidate.
Washington State is in a similar situation having lost Dave
Minnich to graduation. They signed three junior college running
backs in the winter.
“Everybody’s got a good back,” Skipper said.
“That’s what makes this conference so tough.”