Pac-10 Position Breakdown: Running Back – Oregon State Beavers
On September 6th 2008, Oregon State head coach Mike Riley watched helplessly as Penn State hammered the Beavers 45-14. Rarely can something good come out of such an embarrassing defeat, but OSU’s offensive strategy changed from that point forward. Riley realized that he had to put the ball in the hands of a 5-7 190-pound freshman as much as possible, and that’s exactly what he did.
Super sophomore Jacquizz Rodgers enters 2009 on just about every pre-season award list imaginable. The Richmond (TX) native is a Doak Walker Award candidate, a pre-season All-American, and he’s being mentioned on most pre-season Heisman watch lists.
The highly entertaining Rodgers is coming off of a fantastic freshman season where he ran for 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns despite not playing a full season. He averaged 113.9 rushing yards per game, finishing second in the Pac-10 and 12th nationally.
He also caught 29 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown. Rodgers became the Pac-10’s all-time leading rusher among freshmen, as well as becoming the first freshman in conference history to win the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year Award. Almost every major publication in the country named Rodgers a Freshman All-American at the end of the season. He was a third team All-American selection by the Associated Press and Rivals.com.
'Quizz Rodgers stuns the USC Trojans
A strong argument could be made that ‘Quizz Rodgers was the biggest impact freshman in Oregon State history. The rest of his career may determine the validity of that claim, but he has certainly given Beavers fans a lot to be excited about. Last season, Rodgers ran for 100 yards in 8 games before injuring his shoulder against Arizona.
His compact 5-7 frame allows him to hide behind the offensive line and then explode through tiny creases before the defense can react. He can pivot on a dime, and changes direction as quickly as any tailback in college football. ‘Quizz also has great vision, and can read his blocks extremely well. Most importantly, he is a true gamer that can carry the ball 30+ times a game despite his size.
It should surprise no one that Jacquizz Rodgers has become an elite college running back. His height may have affected the way some schools recruited him, but ‘Quizz is a bonafide high school football legend. His numbers at Lamar Consolidated High School (TX) are flat-out incredible.
Rodgers rushed for 8,245 yards during his prep career, which is the 6th highest total in Texas state history. He broke the state record with an astonishing 136 touchdowns in his career, and now stands alone in the tradition-rich history of Texas high school football. These statistics helped land Rodgers the nickname of “Mr. Touchdown”.
Jacquizz Rodgers chose the perfect time to explode onto the national stage last season, and it happened on a Thursday night at Reser Stadium against #1 USC.
Rodgers carried the ball 37 times for 186 yards against the Trojans vaunted defense. The rest of the Beavers combined to rush for -10 yards on eight carries. USC would finish the 2008 season as the #1 rated defense in the country for total yards and points allowed, as well as the #4 defense for rushing yards allowed. But none of it mattered that Thursday, as Rodgers darted past the likes of Maualuga, Cushing, Matthews and Mays.
His longest run of the game was only 15 yards, but he did most of the damage by breaking numerous tackles with shiftiness and incredible lower body strength. The game was a triumph for the Beavers and it introduced the nation to a new college football star.
‘Quizz carried the ball 259 times last season, and he might have to log even more carries in 2009. The Beavers are relatively thin at running back, especially after would-be senior Jeremy Francis left the team.
Sophomore Ryan McCants enters 2009 as the main backup to Rodgers. One year ago, it looked as if things would be the other way around with McCants garnering much of the preseason attention. Mike Riley named McCants the starter heading into 2008, and some close to the OSU program even compared him to former Beaver Steven Jackson.
Ryan McCants prepares for contact
At 6-1 230 pounds, McCants will provide Oregon State with a bigger, downhill back. The Corona (CA) native started three games in 2008, rushing for 337 yards and two touchdowns on 85 attempts (4.0 YPC). On April 17, McCants injured his knee severely enough that it requires surgery. If all goes well, he should still be available for the season.
Freshman Jovan Stevenson may be the main backup option if McCants does not recover from his injury. The 5-11 184 pound back out of Tucson (AZ) made a great impression on Mike Riley and Co. and appears ready to contribute right away.
Stevenson carried the ball six times and led the Beavers with 40 yards rushing in the spring game. He also showcased his reliable hands, catching fou balls for 31 yards. At Sunnyside High School (AZ) he was a two-time All-State performer, running for 1,470 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior.
Other backs competing for time are: redshirt freshmen Clayton York and Jordan Jenkins, true freshman Ashton Jefferson, and sophomore Josh Parish.
My Take
I wonder if any Big 12 schools are kicking themselves right now for not offering ‘Quizz a scholarship. For all the great runners to come out of Texas high school football (LaDainian Tomlinson, Cedric Benson, Earl Campbell, etc), Jacquizz Rodgers has more touchdowns than any of them. He reminds me a little bit of Maurice Jones-Drew because of his deceptive lower body strength. He runs with a lot more power than people give him credit for.
Rodgers is going to have to carry the load this year, because McCants’ condition is still unclear and no one really knows what to expect from the other backs. Hopefully, we see a fully healthy ‘Quizz for the whole season because it would be interesting to see the type of numbers he could put up with 300+ carries.
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