Pac-10 Position Breakdown: Running Back – Arizona Wildcats
After offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes installed his innovative spread offense in 2007, fans called the Wildcats’ attack the “AirZona Offense”. While there is no doubt that Arizona has flourished in the passing game since Dykes’ arrival, the running game has been just as impressive. One of the Pac-10’s best one-two punches at running back returns to the Old Pueblo this fall. Head coach Mike Stoops has assembled a talented backfield, rich with depth and versatility.
Is it possible for a tailback to rush for a “quiet” 1,153 yards and 13 touchdowns? Junior Nic Grigsby did just that in 2008. While other Pac-10 runners got all the accolades, the nimble Grigsby finished last season as the conference’s 4th leading rusher. His 1,153 yards place him 9th in school history for yards in a season. His 13 rushing touchdowns are 3rd in school history for a single-season. The 5-10, 190 pound speedster averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2008 and scored at least one TD in 10 of his 13 games played.
Nic Grigsby celebrates a trip to the endzone
Grigsby suffered from fumbling issues at times last season but he showed improvement towards the end of 2008. He has tremendous vision and the ability to hit the hole with great acceleration. Grigsby seems to be at full speed right when he receives the handoff. He is an undersized back, but can be very effective as long as he isn’t asked to carry the ball 25+ times a game. Grigsby will enter fall as the number one tailback.
Joining Grigsby in the Wildcats backfield is sensational sophomore Keola Antolin. The 5-8 186 pound Las Vegas native will look to build on a tremendous freshman campaign. Last season, Antolin rushed for 525 yards and 10 scores in a backup role. His 10 TD’s are a school-record for a freshman tailback in a single-season.
Antolin’s breakout performance may never have happened if not for Grigsby’s fumbling problems. After Grigsby was pulled against Cal, Antolin electrified the Wildcat faithful with 149 yards rushing and 3 TD’s. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry that day, and Arizona won the game easily. From that point on, Grigsby and Antolin shared carries.
Against Oregon, Antolin tied a school record with 4 rushing TD’s in a game. He was named Pac-10 Player of the Week twice in 2008. Antolin also returned kicks, averaging 21.5 yards per return and may factor into special teams again this season.
Like Grigsby, Antolin is undersized, but he uses his compact build to hide between his offensive-line before darting through an opening. He is a shifty runner that has multiple gears. He is more quick than fast, but is still a threat to score at any time. The combination of Grigsby and Antolin proved to be successful last season, and should be again in 2009.
The Wildcats talent at running back does not end with Grigsby and Antolin. The coaching staff is excited about one back in particular who could bring an element to the running game that Sonny Dykes offense has been missing. Redshirt freshman Greg Nwoko is a big, physical bruiser that fits goal-line situations perfectly.
At 6-2 220 pounds, he gives Arizona a power running game that is otherwise unachievable. Grigsby and Antolin are limited in short yardage situations. With Nwoko in the mix, Arizona has a back for every down and distance. The Pflugerville, Texas native looked very impressive in spring drills and will have an opportunity to make a big impact for Mike Stoops’ club in 2009.
One other name to watch for is true freshman RB Daniel Jenkins. Jenkins was one of the Wildcats best recruits for 2009 and may be the fastest running back on the team. At 5-9, 175, he is cut out of the Grigsby mold, and possesses excellent open-field skills. The Rancho Verde, CA product was rated as a 4 star all-purpose back by Rivals.com. He may get a look as a return man as well.
Other running backs that will provide depth in 2009 are true freshman Kylan Butler and senior Nick Booth.
My Take
Running back is a big strength for the Arizona offense in 2009. Sonny Dykes may want to throw it more when a quarterback emerges, but for now, the Wildcats have a couple of stud runners that deserve the ball. With the offensive line in pretty good shape, Grigsby and Antolin should match last year’s production.
Im looking for Nwoko to be used a lot in short distance situations. In the past, TE Rob Gronkowski had to come up with tons of 3rd down catches to keep drives alive. Now, Nwoko gives the ‘Cats a chance to convert 3rd downs on the ground.
Overall, look for the Wildcats backfield to be one of the most productive units in the conference.
I keep seeing national polls and pre-rankings putting the Wildcats in the 60’s. I do not get it. The defense was excellent last year and should be better. We have two experienced backs that can handle the ball – combined for 2000 yards, etc., we have good kicking, a go-to tight end in difficult 3rd down situations considered the best in the nation. And yes, the QB situation is unknown but as it turns out it was the Dykes offence that made Tuitama look good (ie no NFL draft, etc.). Same polls show AZ going 4-8. I see the cats going 8-4 with 2010 season looking like a top 10 team. Some say spring was not impressive by either QB. Well, give me a break, they played every day against arguably one of the best defenses in the US. That matters.
What am I missing that would keep pushing the cats so far back? I know one thing, I am betting every game with money on the cats and taking all the points the pollster want to give away. I see AZ as a dangerous team.
Im in complete agreement. This team being ranked in the 60’s says more about the national media’s lack of knowledge about the Pac-10 than anything else. I wouldn’t worry though, if UA plays up to it’s potential you should cash in quite a bit this year. Your right about the defense too, Im very high on first year starting safety Robert Golden to go along with what the Cats already have. Stay tuned for more on that when we get to defensive back breakdowns!
I think the Cats perception is based off of people still not trusting Mike Stoops and losing their three best offensive players. Looking at a blind ballot, they’re an 8-5 team that lost to New Mexico and lost their three best offensive players. However, you ignore the fact they lost the five by a combined 28 points.
The Cats season comes down to establishing a QB and how they handle their road schedule.
Hoeveel kan ik lenen? (hypotheek). Wat worden mijn maandlasten? (hypotheek) … Hoeveel hypotheek heb ik nodig? Hoe hoog is de boete die ik nu zou moeten
Hypotheken? Heel veel hypotheek informatie: verschillende hypotheekvormen, hypotheekrentes, nationale hypotheek garantie, hoe een hypotheek te vergelijken.
Lenen zonder BKR toetsing gaat vandaag heel gemakkelijk. Binnen een paar uur geld lenen zonder BKR toetsing doet u hier, lees snel verder
Lenen zonder BKR toetsing gaat vandaag heel gemakkelijk. Binnen een paar uur geld lenen zonder BKR toetsing doet u hier, lees snel verder
Hoewel migraine op elke leeftijd voor het eerst kan optreden, begint dit type hoofdpijn meestal tussen de tien en veertig jaar. Bij de meeste mensen treedt
Migraine is een bonzende hoofdpijn die meestal voorkomt aan één kant van de schedel. De pijn is heftig en houdt 4 tot 72 uur aan.
@chels I know what you mean, its hard to find good help these days. People now days just don’t have the work ethic they used to have. I mean consider whoever wrote this post, they must have been working hard to write that good and it took a good bit of their time I am sure. I work with people who couldn’t write like this if they tried, and getting them to try is hard enough as it is.
Great blog, Just wanted to comment that i can not connect to the rss stream, you might want install the right wordpress plugin for that to workthat.
Superb publish. Saved it.
Awesome article man, many thanks for sharing....
This really solved my problem, thank you!
Fall seven times and stand up eight.
Patience is power with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.
While I really like the post, I think there was an mistake close to the beginning of the first paragraph.
Good afternoon, This is an outstanding post, but I was wondering how do you suscribe to your RSS feed?
I am constantly searching online for tips that can aid me. Thx!
A thoughtful insight and ideas I will use on my website. You’ve obviously spent a lot of time on this. Congratulations!
I like this data and it has given me some desire to succeed, so thanks. =)
very nice post. Thanks for posting
I can see that you are an expert at your field! I am launching a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me.. Thanks for all your help and wishing you all the success in your business.
^^ yeh that is so true. I have to agree with you
very nice post. Thanks for posting
I generally do not post in Blogs but your blog forced me to, amazing work.. beautiful
While I still like this post, I think there was an mistake close to the beginning of the second paragraph.
I like this information and it has given me some desire to succeed, so thanks. =)
While I really like this article, I think there was an spelling error close to the beginning of the third paragraph.
While I have to disagree on some of the information, but this was a great post. I look forward to viewing more of your work.
Turns out a lot of the online products are not really worthy the buy. the only thing left on the internet that’s not abused is a knowledge we could pass from 1 to another. great going with this article, for real
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
keep up this good work. Excellent post
Your blog page is really superb. I love looking through it in spite of this, the text seems to be somewhat strange while using chrome internet broswer
I disagree with the overall premise of your article but I still think its really informative. I still really like your site. Keep up the good work.
While I really like this post, I think there was an spelling error close to the end of the third paragraph.
While I still like this post, I think there was an mistake close to the end of the second paragraph.
I like this info and it has given me some desire to have success, so thank you. =)
I disagree with the premise of your article but I still think its really informative. I still really like your other posts. Keep up the great work.
i was reading throught some of the posts and i locate them to be plumb interesting. sorry my english is not exaclty the really best. would there be anyway to transalte this into my language, spanish. it would actually better me a lot. since i could compare the english interaction to the spanish language.