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2009 tOSU Running Backs discussion (official thread)

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matcar;1447460; said:
+1. While I don't necessarily think we'll need a 25+ carry/game kid, I don't doubt that Boom could do it. You hit the nail on the head...he's a bruiser and he runs to punish others (kinda like Emmitt Smith did). I think he'd be fine with 25 carrys/game.

So, all that said, I hope he gets a lot of touches, but I hope Saine, Berry, & Hyde get plenty as well.
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Yeah, especially after reading JT's comments about having two backs split time like in the NFL. I just think Boom can be that guy, if needed. I can't wait to see Hyde and hopefully Saine this year tho.
 
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Boom's best asset as of now is his vision. He has consistently shown that he will find the hole and hit it hard. I love that from a back...especially when the offensive line is still gelling which requires more vision from the backfield as well as quick decision making and hole hitting. This year with a much more cohesive line Boom will have the opportunity to develop a distinct style...however I do not think he will get 25+ carries a game due to the offensive style and the other backs pushing for carries. Pittman averaged 18.2 carries a game his last season...I think you can expect to see between 13 and 17 for Boom depending on the opponent. If he improves his 4.9 ypc clip to 5.4 ypc, with 15 carries a game extrapolated over 13 games I expect around 1000 yards this season from Boom. That is much more than servicable.

If we look at Pittman's freshman campaign, that is about the amount of carries we can expect to be split between Saine and Jamaal Berry. He was averaging around 10 carries per game by the end of the season as he supplanted Leidell Ross as the starter. I honestly expect that by the end of the year Berry will get the bulk of those 10 carries with Saine being split off as a recieving threat in an H-back or slot role. His (Berry's) production can be great if he uses the vision we've all seen in the high school tapes.

That gives about 25 carries a game so far, and Tress has averaged around 35 carries a game as a head coach here. The remaining 10 or so carries are in flux as we see a progression in offensive style. Maybe some get eaten up in the "long handoff" now called the swing/bubble screen. I think that they will be split between Pryor runs and goaline rushes from most likely Herron or Hyde. Maybe some handoffs/reverses to Lamaar? Maybe Jordan Hall gets involved? Like Tressel says, no matter how much the offense changes, we will always have a running game simply because Woody would roll over in his grave if we abandoned the I-formation. And with the talent coming in at running back I'm in no rush to see the end of the power I in Ohio State's arsenal.

Those are just my thoughts though, and they'll probably change around after seeing the spring game. It's a shame we won't see any of the freshman taking some handoffs in the spring game but I am excited to see Saine's progression.
 
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Youngsters on the way
Running backs coach Dick Tressel said last week that freshmen Jamaal Berry and Carlos Hyde will have a chance to make an immediate impact when they arrive in the summer.

Both are from Florida and could add different dimensions to the mix that includes veteran tailbacks Dan Herron and Brandon Saine. Berry is smaller (5 feet 11, 195 pounds) but explosive; Hyde (6-1, 230) is a tailback in a fullback body.

Tressel was asked whether Herron and Saine were aware that competition is on the way.

"I think our guys are aware of that," he said. "If you've been here a couple years, you're very aware of that. The world today in recruiting is everybody is looking around (asking), 'How many guys you got? I want to play right away.'

"They're looking for that, and I feel like telling them, 'Hey, don't worry about the guys in front of (you), because they'll move on. It's the guy behind you that you better be worried about, because we're going to go get another great one, too, if we can.' And I think they understand that."
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BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : OSU notebook: Buchanan pursues three kicking jobs
 
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BUCKYLE;1447456; said:
:roll1:

I've been up for almost a half hour.

I think Boom is a 25+ carry a game back. Kid's a bruiser, regardless of size. I remember everyone saying the same things about Pitt until he lowered his shoulder and knocked the illini's mouth piece ten yards down field.
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*cough* iowa *cough*

:biggrin:
 
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BB73;1447438; said:
You're welcome.

I guess I should only make posts when someone asks me a direct question.
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Do you have any naked pictures of Scarlett Johansson?

From what I've seen, here's my unsolicited opinion (comparison):
Boom Herron - Antonio Pittman (runs hard, stronger than size would indicate, good vision)
Brandon Saine - Lydell Ross (tremendous physical skill, lacks vision)

Granted, Saine has had trouble shaking the injury bug, but he hasn't shown much after a promising start. I hope he turns it around because his size/speed combo is enticing. I think Berry is gonna be too good to keep off the field and will see 6-10 touches a game. Hyde may fill the short yardage bruiser roll. I think Hall redshirts.

I think ideally, the carries break down something like this (per game) on average:
Boom: 15-18
Berry: 6-10
Saine: 4-6
Pryor: 8-12
Others: 2-3

That spreads it around enough to keep legs fresh and hopefully healthy.
 
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Is anyone as excited about the running game as I am?

I know, a team just doesn't replace a Beanie Wells.

That said, now that there's not really a feature back in the backfield, the running attack can be more versatile. Starting with the running ability of Pryor. My guess is most defenses will primarily concentrate on him, leaving some room for Boom Herron to make an impact. Not to mention the versatality and quickness Berry brings into the equation.

With Pryor being more polished as a passer, does anyone like the potential of OSU's running game actually being better than last year?
 
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TBuck_;1450567; said:
I know, a team just doesn't replace a Beanie Wells.

That said, now that there's not really a feature back in the backfield, the running attack can be more versatile. Starting with the running ability of Pryor. My guess is most defenses will primarily concentrate on him, leaving some room for Boom Herron to make an impact. Not to mention the versatality and quickness Berry brings into the equation.

With Pryor being more polished as a passer, does anyone like the potential of OSU's running game actually being better than last year?
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I definitely think it could be more productive. If for no other reason than the offense may be more suited to Pryor's strengths. Maybe TP and a back rush for/near a thousand yards this season. That would be pretty sweet.
 
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TBuck_;1450567; said:
I know, a team just doesn't replace a Beanie Wells.

That said, now that there's not really a feature back in the backfield, the running attack can be more versatile. Starting with the running ability of Pryor. My guess is most defenses will primarily concentrate on him, leaving some room for Boom Herron to make an impact. Not to mention the versatality and quickness Berry brings into the equation.

With Pryor being more polished as a passer, does anyone like the potential of OSU's running game actually being better than last year?
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I'm excited at the potential versatility of our backfield, but I'm still not sure what to think of the offensive line yet.

We'll have Herron, who has good vision and showed decent speed and power.

Saine is very good at catching balls out of the backfield, but has yet to show that he can consistently run between the tackles. If he develops more agility, he can be a big threat.

Hyde is a bruiser. Goal line/short yardage back.

Berry is a shifty guy with above average speed and deceptive power. I'm excited for Berry, but I think Hyde will have a more immediate impact due to our current personnel.

There are others. We have pretty much every type of back on the roster, and if we do a committee approach we could really keep defenses on their toes with the combination of such a diverse backfield and Pryor throwing.

But it all comes down to the offensive line production.
 
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BUCKYLE;1450590; said:
I definitely think it could be more productive. If for no other reason than the offense may be more suited to Pryor's strengths. Maybe TP and a back rush for/near a thousand yards this season. That would be pretty sweet.
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Yea, I deffinately think TP could have a much bigger year in rushing and passing yardage. The guy did have 600+ yards on the ground last year. I think a thousand rushing yards is possible. I think Boom Herron could approach the 1k yards mark too if the passing game is improved.

I hear Boom has pretty good hands, in terms of catching swing passes. Is this true?
 
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TBuck_;1450600; said:
Yea, I deffinately think TP could have a much bigger year in rushing and passing yardage. The guy did have 600+ yards on the ground last year. I think a thousand rushing yards is possible. I think Boom Herron could approach the 1k yards mark too if the passing game is improved.
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If Pryor can learn when to tuck it and run.. watch out. Add that with his development as a passer and he will be scary. I don't want to even think about how he'll be next year. :lol:
 
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