Running Back Situation

[irishpat183]

I think the main point that the previous poster was making is that Kelly made comments in is press conference specifically pointing at the glaring hole at running back. He talked about moving Riddick not as a certainty but as a threat almost so that Huggins would get the point. Now Huggins can think to himself, not only does Coach Kelly tell this to me in private but he also has broadcast it in public. Now Huggins doesn't think that he's just another guy to Kelly and that Kelly is not worried about offending any other RB's tied to ND (Roberson, Wood, Gray, McDaniel).

Great point. None of ND's current backs impress me. Wood is a homerun threat, but that's it. He's really not an "every down" back. Riddick is great with the ball in his hands (return man), but again, not an "every down" back. (although I think he could help us at RB and start TJ Jones at Slot). Huggins would be the best RB in our backfield DAY ONE. That's a lot to think about, as a freshman, you could walk in and get solid PT??

But something tells me RU wins in the end....But here's to hoping!!

 

[Irish Man3]

Great point. None of ND's current backs impress me. Wood is a homerun threat, but that's it. He's really not an "every down" back. Riddick is great with the ball in his hands (return man), but again, not an "every down" back. (although I think he could help us at RB and start TJ Jones at Slot). Huggins would be the best RB in our backfield DAY ONE. That's a lot to think about, as a freshman, you could walk in and get solid PT??

But something tells me RU wins in the end....But here's to hoping!!

Have you ever seen Cameron Roberson play? He has impressed coaches throughout the year as the scout team running back. I agree that none of us fans understand how impressive or unimpressive this guy is, but it's because we haven't seen him not because he hasn't produced.

Cierre came a long way at the end of the season after Armando went down. Home run threat? How many runs over 40 yards did he have this year? Almost 100% the answer is one. This was his first year playing college football. Give him some time to prove himself before we claim that he's not an evert down back.

 

[DillonHall]

Have you ever seen Cameron Roberson play? He has impressed coaches throughout the year as the scout team running back. I agree that none of us fans understand how impressive or unimpressive this guy is, but it's because we haven't seen him not because he hasn't produced.

Cierre came a long way at the end of the season after Armando went down. Home run threat? How many runs over 40 yards did he have this year? Almost 100% the answer is one. This was his first year playing college football. Give him some time to prove himself before we claim that he's not an evert down back.

Exactly, and don't forget about Jonas Gray, who I still believe is very talented...if only he could hold onto the ball. Some of you guys can idealize a high school player, but I'm not foolish enough to believe that he'd be better than Wood or Gray next year.

 

[woolybug25]

Great point. None of ND's current backs impress me. Wood is a homerun threat, but that's it. He's really not an "every down" back. Riddick is great with the ball in his hands (return man), but again, not an "every down" back. (although I think he could help us at RB and start TJ Jones at Slot). Huggins would be the best RB in our backfield DAY ONE. That's a lot to think about, as a freshman, you could walk in and get solid PT??

But something tells me RU wins in the end....But here's to hoping!!

I dont buy that on several levels. First of all, Cierre has only one season under his belt, he wasnt even the starter the whole year (Armando), so I find it more than premature to start writing him off already. Most rb's in college need time to develop. RB's like Lattimore (South Carolina) who are studs from the start are abnormal. It rarely happens.

Also, I would also argue that Huggins would not be the annointed starter from the start. Making that claim off watching him play against HS talent is off base. Go watch Cierre's HS highlight film and you will see what I mean. He was electric, just like Huggins. Cierre was on the same level as Huggins when he was a recruit. He was considered a top ten rb prospect by every recruiting site.


This is all a moot point though, because Huggins is gonna end up at Rutgers anyway.

 

[BGIF]

... But, If I were Huggins looking at that situation from afar, I'd be thinking that if they have to resort to moving Riddick back to RB, I could come to ND and make a difference. Riddick (IMO) simply doesn't have enough bulk to survive at the RB position. ...

DillonHall already gave you some but here's somemore RBs, a couple from other schools, a couple of recruits from 2011, and a bunch of ND players past and present. The ND guys on this list own the bell cow (most carries) at ND. Keep in Pinkett carried the ball 40 times in one game, Ferguson 39 in one game. Pinkett averaged 222 carries/year for 4 years. Denson averaged 213 carries/yr as a 4 year starter. Denson was 8 pounds lighter than Riddick as a freshman until Denson bulked up to 202 (4 pounds heavier than Riddick as freshman). By the way Riddick played at ND as a 198 pounder. Huggins is 8 pounds LIGHTER.

In the spread offense the RB isn't going to carry 220 times a season. He isn't going to carry the ball 40 times a game. He isn't going to carrry the ball 8 straight times like 6-0, 184 Mark Green did.

Isiah Pead was a 5-11, 185 recruit to Cinncinnati in 2008. In '09 he ran for 806 yds on 121 carries, 6.7 ypc under Kelly. He played in 13 games averaging 9.3 carries/game. Last season Pead bulked up to 202 (4 pounds heavier than Riddick is now but with 3 years of conditioning).

The 9 carries/game are similar to the touches Rocket used to get playing in Holtz smash mouth running game at 175 pounds. Riddick is 24 pounds heavier than Rocket.



The recruits HT, WT are from Rivals, as are the same data (High School Recruit data) down to Darius Walker. Julius Jones down HT, WT are from ND Media and are the numbers they played as at ND.
Jacquizz Rodgers 5-7 188
Noel Devine 5-8 180
Jordan Todman 5-9 190

Justice Hayes 5-9 175
Amir Carlisle 5-10 181
Savon Huggins 6-0 190
Cam McDaniel 5-11 192
Theo Riddick 5-11 185
Cierre Wood 6-0 192
Armando Allen 5-9 181
Darius Walker 5-11 197
Julius Jones 5-10 190
Autry Denson 5-10 182
Allen Pinkett 5-9 183
Vagas Ferguson 6-1 194
Jerome Heavens 6-0 194

 

[jason_h537]

I would also argue that Huggins would not be the annointed starter from the start. Making that claim off watching him play against HS talent is off base. Go watch Cierre's HS highlight film and you will see what I mean. He was electric, just like Huggins. Cierre was on the same level as Huggins when he was a recruit. He was considered a top ten rb prospect by every recruiting site

Wait, so we can't assume recruits will be All-Americans?

 

[Rhode Irish]

For what its worth, I really like Cierre Woods. I think even with Huggins in the fold Cierre would be our #1 (not the same as an every down back, but on the field for the majority of snaps). I think he has the potential to be electric and I like him out of the shotgun on draws, the zone-read play and catching the ball in the flat with the ability to get it upfield quickly. The key is to get him some space with which to operate.

Where I really think Huggins could help is as the "closer" - the guy who you run down a defense's throat late in the 3rd quarter when you're sitting on a 2 score lead and you want a clock-eating drive down the field for the back-breaking score; or when you get it back up a score with 5:00 to go and need to run for 2 first downs to win the game. He seems like the type of back that can sustain that punishment of running a bunch of times in a row, but talented enough to not just dive into the line for 3 yards every time. Perfect for that role, and possibly ready for it this fall.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Random meditational bullsh*t by me: Kelly's comment about Riddick could have been both Honest and Strategic at the same time. He is not opposed to playing a multidimensional game of legerdemain when it comes to luring things in or making people begin to think differently.

The Honest side of this is: Riddick is our best candidate for RB time if we don't get another, Gray doesn't step up, McDaniel is considered too raw, and we're down to two guys [Wood & Roberson---one of whom we don't know yet if he can block in game conditions.] The premises of that thought process aren't completely daft and Kelly is always thinking of such contingencies [makes me wonder if he was once CIA].

The Strategic part of this is: he is sending a message straight at a recruit [Huggins] that we have need at RB. Recruits want to be secure about such things. Remember in the spring game, with Koyack still considering whether Kelly would use the TE much: Kelly opened up flinging the ball to everyone who had TE printed on their forehead and Koyack "signed".

This could also be a signal to the next opponent that they have something else to prepare for---I don't put anything past Kelly on these sorts of things. I think he's out-manuevering you on sixteen different roads all the time. Anyway, that's my feverish vision. Quite crazy, probably.

 

[Rocket89]

YouTube - Cierre Wood 2010 Highlights (Can't Be Touched)

The odds are pretty good that Huggins won't look like that as a true freshman.

I don't really understand why Cierre Wood is viewed like a dainty youngin' who can't handle the load in Kelly's offense. He was the same size as Huggins coming out of high school and put on almost 30 pounds during his redshirt year. If you recall, Kelly wanted him to LOSE weight and keep his speed levels high, so now he's around 210.

I thought Wood ran really hard and got better and stronger as the year wore on. He certainly has the shake and bake, and the speed too, but he started lowering his head and picking up tough yards too.

He's only the fourth running back since 1996 to average 5 yards or more per carry (minimum 100 attempts), and he was clearly getting better with more experience.

Why aren't more people ecstatic about him? I think he's going to very special. Notre Dame has a rich history of running backs, but I think he'll definitely be one of the best of the past 20 years or so.

 

[NDinFL]

Kudos Rocket! I absolutely agree with you...
Cierre has the potential to be a game breaker with the combination of speed, power, and elusiveness that he has. I also agree that we should give him the carries going into next year, so he can prove himself more and more.

 

[IrishLax]

YouTube - Cierre Wood 2010 Highlights (Can't Be Touched)

The odds are pretty good that Huggins won't look like that as a true freshman.

I don't really understand why Cierre Wood is viewed like a dainty youngin' who can't handle the load in Kelly's offense. He was the same size as Huggins coming out of high school and put on almost 30 pounds during his redshirt year. If you recall, Kelly wanted him to LOSE weight and keep his speed levels high, so now he's around 210.

I thought Wood ran really hard and got better and stronger as the year wore on. He certainly has the shake and bake, and the speed too, but he started lowering his head and picking up tough yards too.

He's only the fourth running back since 1996 to average 5 yards or more per carry (minimum 100 attempts), and he was clearly getting better with more experience.

Why aren't more people ecstatic about him? I think he's going to very special. Notre Dame has a rich history of running backs, but I think he'll definitely be one of the best of the past 20 years or so.

I, for one, totally feel the way you do. Once he gets better vision and starts hitting his holes harder he could be electric. And remember, Cierre has potentially 3 more years of eligibility left.

 

[ACamp1900]

I was one of the few on this kids bus at this point last year... I have total faith in Wood... it's more a numbers thing now and in the future as to why I think we need more bcak there not a lack of faith in Wood or Riddick...

 

[Old Man Mike]

Wood is going to be fine, but I'm still a breath short of ecstasy. I am deliriously happy on how much he RAPIDLY improved on pass protection and that made me a fan. But I would really like to see him get better on recognizing where the "three-yard" hole is when the other options are no-gain. He can really gash it, that's for sure. In the broken down tough sledding though..... ummm, I think there's room for improvement. And I believe that this is why Big Robert's coming-out-party was so important there at the end. I see no reason why Cierre cannot do this upgrade, but would like to see the runs be both spectacular gashes and the tough-to-read three yarders.

 

[tadman95]

Wood is going to be fine, but I'm still a breath short of ecstasy. I am deliriously happy on how much he RAPIDLY improved on pass protection and that made me a fan. But I would really like to see him get better on recognizing where the "three-yard" hole is when the other options are no-gain. He can really gash it, that's for sure. In the broken down tough sledding though..... ummm, I think there's room for improvement. And I believe that this is why Big Robert's coming-out-party was so important there at the end. I see no reason why Cierre cannot do this upgrade, but would like to see the runs be both spectacular gashes and the tough-to-read three yarders.

Agreed. There's a time to gash and there's a time to square up and run north and south. This isn't high school, everybody is quicker and faster and those high school moves don't work as well.

 

[amgarvey]

YouTube - Cierre Wood 2010 Highlights (Can't Be Touched)

The odds are pretty good that Huggins won't look like that as a true freshman.

I don't really understand why Cierre Wood is viewed like a dainty youngin' who can't handle the load in Kelly's offense. He was the same size as Huggins coming out of high school and put on almost 30 pounds during his redshirt year. If you recall, Kelly wanted him to LOSE weight and keep his speed levels high, so now he's around 210.

I thought Wood ran really hard and got better and stronger as the year wore on. He certainly has the shake and bake, and the speed too, but he started lowering his head and picking up tough yards too.

He's only the fourth running back since 1996 to average 5 yards or more per carry (minimum 100 attempts), and he was clearly getting better with more experience.

Why aren't more people ecstatic about him? I think he's going to very special. Notre Dame has a rich history of running backs, but I think he'll definitely be one of the best of the past 20 years or so.

Thank you for bringing that link to the discussion. While I would like to get huggins, I LOVE Cierre Wood. He has some kinks to work out, but the kid has 3 years of eligibility left and is sick already. When was the last time we had a playmaker like that in the back field? While it was nowhere near his longest run of the year, I think my favorite was at 1:03. He's pulling out all kinds of tricks, and the move he puts on that dude at 1:09 shows the kind of "suddenness" that among starters only he and Riddick possess IMO. It reminds me of that crappy movie "Jumper". They just appear in a different place.

 

[CurtisCandy]

I have a seat solidly reserved on the Wood bandwagon!

I saw some things out of that kid last season that suggests to me that he has MAJOR potential. He's quick, he demonstrated toughness and some of his open field moves are just sick.

With a little more game maturity, and as others have mentioned, some seasoning that will tech him how to spot the open holes quicker, I think this kid can be one of the elite backs in the nation.

It's only January, and I'm so excited for this season to start, I can barely contain it, and Cierre Wood is one of the big reasons I can't wait to watch what our boys do on the field.


...Plus I have a huge man-crush on Manti, and I relish watching him make young men with the wrong colored jerseys on cry like little girls.

 

[tadman95]

I hope Wood really turns great. I may be remembering wrong but I seem to remember he was a 5 star, # 5 overall recruit, #1 RB recruit until he committed to us. Then he just starting dropping. I didn't follow close enough see how is senior year went and maybe there were some issues, I just think he got penalized for committing to us Notre Dame.

 

[rtrn2glory]

I remember reading Coach Hinton rave about Wood from the beginning of spring ball last year. He saw something in him right away and I think we started to see a glimpse of what he was talking about at the end of the year. A previous poster made a great comparison in regards to Coach Kelly's second and third year at Cincy where his running backs saw significant improvement...I can only hope we see similar results next year. Plus, piggy backing off what others have already said, I would not bank on a true freshmen coming in and being a huge impact. I think we forget sometimes how different the competition jumps from high school to big time college. Few and far between can come in, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and make a big impact.

 

[Rocket89]

Wood is going to be fine, but I'm still a breath short of ecstasy. I am deliriously happy on how much he RAPIDLY improved on pass protection and that made me a fan. But I would really like to see him get better on recognizing where the "three-yard" hole is when the other options are no-gain. He can really gash it, that's for sure. In the broken down tough sledding though..... ummm, I think there's room for improvement. And I believe that this is why Big Robert's coming-out-party was so important there at the end. I see no reason why Cierre cannot do this upgrade, but would like to see the runs be both spectacular gashes and the tough-to-read three yarders.

I think he improved tremendously on running down hill and lowering his head as the year went on. You could tell in the first handful of games that he was like, "crap I can't juke and run away from everybody" and he was struggling with the college level of speed.

He's not going to be like Hughes, and I'm 110% okay with that. Never thought Hughes ran that hard anyway, especially for a 230+ pound player. He's not going to run people over like Bettis or Brooks, and that's okay too.

I look at this way, in a lot of respects he's further along than Armando Allen was at the same age, and people were pretty excited having Allen as the guy coming into 2009. And head-to-head he outperformed Hughes, the senior, down the stretch and in the bowl game.

All of these are good signs. Very good signs. I think he'll be averaging 5.5 to 6 yards a carry if not in 2011, then in 2012. If that means he dances in the backfield sometimes instead of hitting the hole hard, so be it. After all, you can't average 5.5 or higher without lowering your head and picking up those tough 3 or 4 yards when there isn't a big hole to run through.

 

[CanadianIrish]

I am a huge backer of Wood, and have been for a while. This kid is going to be special, and I am not concerned about RB for the near future. If we don't get one this year that hurts depth, but we're set with Wood. We just need a big time recruit next year.

 

[rtrn2glory]

Give Hughes his props, he won the USC game for us almost on his own on that last drive.

 

[Rocket89]

Give Hughes his props, he won the USC game for us almost on his own on that last drive.

Very true, but that was also set up by a nice 26 yard run from Wood that brought the ball to the USC 40.

 

[rtrn2glory]

Not gonna argue with ya bout that, one things for sure if Hughes had another year of eligibility we would have very little concerns about the RB position, BUT that is not the case.

 

[BGIF]

YouTube - Cierre Wood 2010 Highlights (Can't Be Touched)

The odds are pretty good that Huggins won't look like that as a true freshman.

...

Neither did Wood.

Wood is a sophomore with two season of college S&C. He didn't play as a "true freshman".



Player Bio: Cierre Wood - University of Notre Dame Official Athletics Site

2009 (FRESHMAN): Did not see any game action as rookie running back.

 

[rtrn2glory]

Neither did Wood.

Wood is a sophomore with two season of college S&C. He didn't play as a "true freshman".



Player Bio: Cierre Wood - University of Notre Dame Official Athletics Site

This tells us that we cannot assume if we get huggins that he will be an impact player as a true freshman...depth yes, but impact i'm not so sure.

 

[Rocket89]

Neither did Wood.

Wood is a sophomore with two season of college S&C. He didn't play as a "true freshman".



Player Bio: Cierre Wood - University of Notre Dame Official Athletics Site

Yeah, wasn't that my point?

Some of the posters were saying Huggins would come in and likely be the #1 running back in 2011, and specifically that Wood wasn't an everydown back and all that nonsense.

My point being, Wood put on a ton of weight and like you said, he's 2 years deep into a college S&C program. Wood and Huggins were essentially rated the same coming out of high school, and Huggins will only have a short summer and 3 weeks of practice to try and compete.

He'd be a great pickup for the future, but his odds of starting or even being a backup as a true freshman are pretty small.

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

Wood's carries:

WMU - 11
Navy - 8
Tulsa - 16
Utah - 18
Army - 14
USC - 15
Miami - 12


I think Cierre can definitely be a feature back. Roberson and Gray will provide that different dimension. In a way, Allen getting hurt helped for next year because it pressed Wood into action and he proved he could carry a good part of the load. Let's not forget that we probably won't be relying on the running game quite as much in year 2 of Kelly's offense.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Wood is going to be awesome. How can people be down on him? Didn't watch the games or something?

 

[RyCo1983]

Love the signature...

 

[PLACforever]

Wood is going to be awesome. How can people be down on him? Didn't watch the games or something?

That picture made me lol.