Our 2009 Rushing Situation

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Here are the game-by-game numbers from rushers with at least 7 attempts each game (or the leading rusher when lacking someone with 7 attempts :():

Syracuse
Bennett: 16 carries, 78 yards (4.88 ypr)
Eskridge: 8 carries, 29 yards (3.63 ypr)
AFA
Eskridge: 7 carries, 53 yards (7.57 ypr)
Bennett: 7 carries, 27 yards (3.86 ypr)
Cal
Eskridge: 7 carries, 21 yards (3.00 ypr)
Bennett: 7 carries, 16 yards (2.29 ypr)
Northwestern
Bennett: 21 carries, 89 yards (4.24 ypr)
Wisconsin
Eskridge: 14 carries, 60 yards (4.29 ypr)
Purdue
Whaley: 8 carries, 79 yards (9.88 ypr)
Bennett: 9 carries, 56 yards (6.22 ypr)
Eskridge: 12 carries, 44 yards (3.67 ypr)
Penn State
Whaley: 6 attempts, 11 yards (1.83 ypr) :(
Ohio State
Gray: 11 carries, 88 yards (8.00 ypr)
Whaley: 7 carries, 31 yards (4.43 ypr)
Michigan State
Bennett: 14 carries, 36 yards (2.57 ypr)
Whaley: 13 carries, 43 yards (3.31 ypr)
Illinois
Whaley: 8 carries, 41 yards (5.13 ypr)
Eskridge: 9 carries, 39 yards (4.88 ypr)
SDSU
Whaley: 16 carries, 65 yards (4.06 ypr)
Hoese: 9 carries, 32 yards (3.56 ypr)
Iowa
Whaley: 11 carries, 38 yards (3.45 ypr)
Gray: 7 carries, 23 yards (3.29 ypr)

Here are some observations
  • We never really established a lead RB. In the beginning of the season, Bennett seemed to be the #1 guy and in the last few games, Whaley seemed to be the #1 guy.
  • We lacked a 100-yard rusher so far this year (still one game left ;)). This was the 1st season since 1993 (16 years) without a 100-yard rusher.
  • Eskridge had two 100-yard games last year (114-Montana State and 124-Illinois).
  • I know our rushing numbers werent good, but what do you expect when the team isn't giving any one guy 10 or more touches in 1/3 of our games.
  • Running teams (ie teams that "pound the rock") generally hand the ball off to a single RB at least 20 times per game; we only did that once - it happened to be our best victory (in terms of the opponent's season record).
  • Last year, a single RB had at least 18 carries in 7 games; 2009 this only happened once :confused:
  • Shady Salamon had 49 attempts in 2008 but 0 in 2009 - I think he has been eliminated from "the stable."
  • After his 2.57 yards per carry in the MSU game, Bennett has not had many carries (average of 4.25 carries per game in the past 3 games)
  • Overall, the yards per rush for the season for the RB's looks like: Whaley (4.22), Eskridge (4.11) and Bennett (3.84). I'm surprised at Eskidge's being higher than Bennett's - but I think Bennett is put into more short yardage (obvious run) situations).
  • My hope is that we can clearly establish Whaley as our primary RB and then bring in Bennett when the situation calls for 3 yards in a cloud of dust (and Hoese when its 1 yard in a cloud of dust).

Any guesses on who gets the most touches and yards in the Insight Bowl?
My guess is a fairly even split in touches between Whaley and Bennett with Whaley getting more yards per carry (otherwise known as "more of the same).

I would love to see one RB get 20 +/- touches and 100+ yards in the Insight Bowl, but I don't know if I see that happening when we couldn't do it against worse rushing defenses. Still - I can hope.

Go Gophers!
 

The Illinois numbers stick out to me. Why didn't we run the ball more in that game? All I can remember is Weber throwing incomplete passes down field off of play-action over and over.

I would expect Whaley to get most of the carries in the bowl. No other RB came close to his number of carries over the second half of the season. I agree that the team should settle on a number 1 back and give him 20+ carries, I just don't know if Whaley is that guy. We may have to wait for one of the new recruits to emerge in 2010 or 2011.
 

Eskridge doesn't get a lot of love here, but I've always liked his ability to read his blocks. He's a more patient runner and I don't know if that fits in this offense, but he I believe he can be a productive Big 10 running back. Work horse? Who knows.

He's another guy who could have used a redshirt year, but was pressed into action because of the lack of depth at running back.
 

Sounds like a good object to use in class as the "dunce cap"
 



and Hoese when its 1 yard in a cloud of dust
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We wouldn't want to try anything else in those situations, would we?? Didn't we run Hoese up the middle on 3rd and 1 against Iowa, get stuffed, call timeout and come back out to run Hoese up the middle again on 4th and 1 to no avail...
 

I believe in a one / two punch running game, with a primary ball carrier receiving at least 20 carries per. This stable of backs is tough for fans to figure because they're awfully inconsistent. Eskridge comes out one game and runs fast and tough and the next he seems easily knocked off his feet. Whaley runs with attitude and quickness / speed but if you watch replays closely he often selects the wrong hole or doesn't see one that's been opened. So who has the vision, toughness and speed to take the job? It's there for whomever grabs it.

I also think it's necessary to develop a short yardage plan and admit that, although I remain a staunch supporter of the coach, it has been disappointing to see what I consider failure in this area of the game. Develop a jumbo (and I mean jumbo) package designed to slam the ball into the end zone from the one or two, or pick up the short first down. There must be players on this team who blocked / carried the ball during high school but outgrew a regular backfield spot. It seems like a no-brainer to me. My oldest son's freshman squad had a package like that that utilized an offensive and defensive lineman. The Jackhammer got the job done in great style and there is no reason it would not work at an advanced level (please see Mike Ditka's Super Bowl team).
 

Threefinesweethams said:
The Illinois numbers stick out to me. Why didn't we run the ball more in that game? All I can remember is Weber throwing incomplete passes down field off of play-action over and over.

I would expect Whaley to get most of the carries in the bowl. No other RB came close to his number of carries over the second half of the season. I agree that the team should settle on a number 1 back and give him 20+ carries, I just don't know if Whaley is that guy. We may have to wait for one of the new recruits to emerge in 2010 or 2011.
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I'm not making excuses for our play calling, but I think we ran so little in the Illinois game because we got down 14-0 and then 28-7 by halftime.

I think part of the reason we are seeing so many split carries is because Whaley is definitely our best runner, but I am not sure he is built for carrying the ball 20 times a game yet.

What I would suggest the Gophers do is let Whaley lead the team in carries (15ish). Have Eskridge spell Whaley and also be our short yardage back, and have Bennett be primarily our 3rd down back. He is a good receiver and I think our best blocker.

It would probably break down like this (ideally)
15 carries for Whaley
8 carries for Eskridge
2 carries for Hoese
2 carries for Bennett
(whatever amount of carries that Gray gets in the Wildgopher).
 

Last year, a single RB had at least 18 carries in 7 games; 2009 this only happened once
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But yet this year we switch to a pro style power offense. "pound the rock" what gives? the only thing pounding was webers head during plays
 



Just to show you how putrid our offense was in 2008 (especially rushing), we actually significantly improved running the ball this season (avg 77 yards/game in 08 and 97 yards/game in 09) and 5 more rushint TD's in 09.
 

maxwellsmart said:
I believe in a one / two punch running game, with a primary ball carrier receiving at least 20 carries per. This stable of backs is tough for fans to figure because they're awfully inconsistent. Eskridge comes out one game and runs fast and tough and the next he seems easily knocked off his feet. Whaley runs with attitude and quickness / speed but if you watch replays closely he often selects the wrong hole or doesn't see one that's been opened. So who has the vision, toughness and speed to take the job? It's there for whomever grabs it.


Regardless of what happens in the Bowl Game I'm hopeful that the back who grabs the job next year isn't currently on the roster.
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For as bad as our running game appeared to be last season, I don't think a freshman RB is going to beat out a 3rd yr. SO, a JR, and a 4th year JR. I don't think those guys are great, I just think that is rare.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
For as bad as our running game appeared to be last season, I don't think a freshman RB is going to beat out a 3rd yr. SO, a JR, and a 4th year JR. I don't think those guys are great, I just think that is rare.
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I agree - and I think that's the case for most, if not all, of our positions.
 



rudy said:
I agree - and I think that's the case for most, if not all, of our positions.
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I think RB is the position where a freshman is most likely to start and succeed. Position is based more on instincts than learning technique than any other.
 

nc2mn said:
I think RB is the position where a freshman is most likely to start and succeed. Position is based more on instincts than learning technique than any other.
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I can agree with that. It is one of the only positions in the NFL where a rookie can come in and succeed. Typically, the only area where RB's need maturation is pass blocking. Of course, learning to read defenses and wait for blocks etc. are nice skills to develop as well.
 


nc2mn said:
I think RB is the position where a freshman is most likely to start and succeed. Position is based more on instincts than learning technique than any other.
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I agree with that, I just think it's going to be real hard for a freshman to come in and beat out Whaley. I hope it happens, because that would be an instant upgrade, but I am actually expecting a pretty nice season out of Whaley.
 

Studwell55 said:
Whaley + 25 pounds = I'm interested.

Otherwise...meh.
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Agreed, absolutely. Power is mandatory, not a luxury. Since we haven't possessed that quality the position is up for grabs, likely to a veteran (especially if he does what Studwell suggests weight-wise), but it wouldn't surprise me to see a mature freshman with size take hold and send the others toward more time on the pine.

Even if we don't find a starting RB with size and power, we'd still better install a legitimate jumbo package complete with the biggest beast we have who can carry a ball and lower his shoulder.
 

You need a line to open holes to have a running back pick up yds. Look at the Vikes, are you saying that AP isn't a good back because he gets 19 yds.?????????????
 

littlebigboy said:
You need a line to open holes to have a running back pick up yds. Look at the Vikes, are you saying that AP isn't a good back because he gets 19 yds.?????????????
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I posted a reply to this, but do not see it up so will rewrite and apologize if you all see this response twice.

I'm not talking about the Vikes, so let's not make this about AP and a pro football team. What I'm saying is that Whaley should have been in the end zone against Penn St, not knocked into the fifth row sideline on impact. And I'm saying all RB's have to make their own room at some point, especially in the B10 with its power oriented offenses / defenses. No offensive line I've ever seen opens a hole every snap. Small guys who run tough still have a hard time doing their part in that situation. So to me that leaves the door open for a veteran who adds muscle and power or a new guy who comes in bigger, but still has the speed, vision and awareness to play at this level.
 

Isn't it too early to tell wether or not we will need a freshman to step up next year? The variable is we do not know how much Whaley will improve by then, or Eskridge for that matter. It would be nice to have a bigger guy for some short yardage stuff. But for all we know Whaley might be a all we need. He showed some flashes this year of what he can do.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I'm not making excuses for our play calling, but I think we ran so little in the Illinois game because we got down 14-0 and then 28-7 by halftime.
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It probably wasn't a good idea to come out and throw 3 passes (in a 3 and out) the first time we touched the ball against the Big Ten's worst rush defense. Unlike most of our fans I actually like Fisch but this is the one game I think he actually outsmarted himself.
 

For me, the jury is still out regarding Fisch. What I saw last season wasn't inspiring, but I don't throw people under the bus until they've opened the door, have both feet flapping in the breeze and one pinkie on the handhold. So, hopefully Fisch will make adjustments and become the kind of OC we need.

Regarding minibeaver's post, I'll agree that Whaley had his moments, but he was also the guy I referred to earlier in this thread who frequently missed the holes his line made available. Again, I hope, but will not be surprised if a genuine power back successfully grabs the spot.

Back to the most important point: Whaley or no Whaley, we still need to develop the traditional jumbo package complete with a hippo-like lead blocker and a fullback-style ball carrier who is willing to line up and follow the other guys big butt into the end zone.
 

I too am seeing more opportunity with a power lead blocker than we've seen in maybe twenty years, with the defenses assembled for speed and not point of attack. Personally I'd love to see a big TE and FB leading the way for a power runner off tackle, insta five yards IMHO. If they cheat, well you've got some mighty fine size to protect the QB as you look for a reciever to punish their cheating with.
 

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