Go Gophers Rah
Section 238 Row 21
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Now that Hasan Lipscomb will not be a Gopher in 2009, we have 6 RB’s listed in our depth chart. Here is a brief summary of each (in alphabetical order):
Duane Bennett became the starting RB in 2007 after Amir Pinnix suffered an ankle injury. As a redshirt freshman, he started 7 games and had 107 carries for 442 yards (4.13 ypr). This included a 100-yard game against Michigan. In the first two games of 2008 (before his injury) Bennett rushed 32 times for 140 yards (4.4 ypr). He is also a great receiving RB with 30 receptions for 270 yards (9 ypc) in the 12 games in which he has seen action. I thought I had heard that he’s bulked up, but his bio still shows him at 204 lbs.
R.J. Buckner is a 4th-year junior who has recruited at defensive back but switched to RB in 2007. He has recorded zero rushing yards in his 2 seasons at RB, so, I suspect he will see little playing time.
DeLeon Eskridge took Bennett’s place as the primary starter as a true freshman in 2008. He started nine games (and appeared in all 13) in 2008. He rushed 184 times for 678 yards (3.7 ypr). This included 2 100-yard games. He also had 29 receptions for 181 yards (6.2 ypc).
Shady Salamon started 2 games in 2008 (Montana State and Iowa), but had at least 3 carries in 5 other games. Totaled 181 yards on 49 carries (3.7 ypr). Also had 9 receptions for 91 yards. Best game was in relief of Bennett against Bowling Green in which he rushed for 64 yards.
Jay Thomas is a GopherHole favorite with a family that is very supportive of Gopher football. His role has really seemed to shift from RB to a special teams player. In 2006 and 2007, he rushed for a grant total of 77 caries for 440 yards, but in 2008 he was only handed the ball 7 times. In the past 2 years, he has returned 19 kickoffs for 482 yards and also had 9 tackles on special teams last year.
Kevin Whaley is a highly regarded redshirt freshman who sat out 2008 due to a gunshot wound. He rushed for 6,301 yards in high school and was named to the Virginia all-state 1st team twice. Coaches and fans were impressed by his performance in spring practice.
My opinion is that Bennett is the presumed starter until someone takes that role away from him. His yards per carry as a freshman were higher than Eskridge’s and he is an outstanding receiver. I am guessing that he will get 20 carries during each of the 1st 2 games and that Whaley and Eskridge will get 7 or 8 carries each during those games to see which one emerges as the better runner.
In the end, I think that Bennett will get most of the carries in 2009 and will be very reliable and consistent, but that Whaley will emerge as a big-play threat and will get plenty of playing time as well. I was hopeful about Salamon, but it was clear that Eskridge is the better RB.
Overall, I think we are MUCH stronger at RB in 2009 than we were last year. We lose zero starters and Bennett returns and Whaley could be very fun to watch. Even with an injury, we have plenty of depth to be improved over last year and -hopefully- our new offensive scheme will allow for the emergence of a strong running game to better balance out our offense.
Duane Bennett became the starting RB in 2007 after Amir Pinnix suffered an ankle injury. As a redshirt freshman, he started 7 games and had 107 carries for 442 yards (4.13 ypr). This included a 100-yard game against Michigan. In the first two games of 2008 (before his injury) Bennett rushed 32 times for 140 yards (4.4 ypr). He is also a great receiving RB with 30 receptions for 270 yards (9 ypc) in the 12 games in which he has seen action. I thought I had heard that he’s bulked up, but his bio still shows him at 204 lbs.
R.J. Buckner is a 4th-year junior who has recruited at defensive back but switched to RB in 2007. He has recorded zero rushing yards in his 2 seasons at RB, so, I suspect he will see little playing time.
DeLeon Eskridge took Bennett’s place as the primary starter as a true freshman in 2008. He started nine games (and appeared in all 13) in 2008. He rushed 184 times for 678 yards (3.7 ypr). This included 2 100-yard games. He also had 29 receptions for 181 yards (6.2 ypc).
Shady Salamon started 2 games in 2008 (Montana State and Iowa), but had at least 3 carries in 5 other games. Totaled 181 yards on 49 carries (3.7 ypr). Also had 9 receptions for 91 yards. Best game was in relief of Bennett against Bowling Green in which he rushed for 64 yards.
Jay Thomas is a GopherHole favorite with a family that is very supportive of Gopher football. His role has really seemed to shift from RB to a special teams player. In 2006 and 2007, he rushed for a grant total of 77 caries for 440 yards, but in 2008 he was only handed the ball 7 times. In the past 2 years, he has returned 19 kickoffs for 482 yards and also had 9 tackles on special teams last year.
Kevin Whaley is a highly regarded redshirt freshman who sat out 2008 due to a gunshot wound. He rushed for 6,301 yards in high school and was named to the Virginia all-state 1st team twice. Coaches and fans were impressed by his performance in spring practice.
My opinion is that Bennett is the presumed starter until someone takes that role away from him. His yards per carry as a freshman were higher than Eskridge’s and he is an outstanding receiver. I am guessing that he will get 20 carries during each of the 1st 2 games and that Whaley and Eskridge will get 7 or 8 carries each during those games to see which one emerges as the better runner.
In the end, I think that Bennett will get most of the carries in 2009 and will be very reliable and consistent, but that Whaley will emerge as a big-play threat and will get plenty of playing time as well. I was hopeful about Salamon, but it was clear that Eskridge is the better RB.
Overall, I think we are MUCH stronger at RB in 2009 than we were last year. We lose zero starters and Bennett returns and Whaley could be very fun to watch. Even with an injury, we have plenty of depth to be improved over last year and -hopefully- our new offensive scheme will allow for the emergence of a strong running game to better balance out our offense.
