Running Back Situation

[irishpat183]

To Tommy: I think that everyone is very excited about Cierre and everybody hopes that what you say is going to be true. But there are a whole lot of folks who don't think that it is YET true. For those folks, the running back situation is not yet "set-in-stone" for the next three years, despite how much we all would like it to be. Every person of ND fandom will rise in a hallelujah chorus if Cierre becomes the back we occasionally glimpse --- the lightning gasher with the take-it-to-the-house "IT" factor.

Thank you. Wood hasn't shown anything yet....yet. He's got great explosiveness, but hey, if he can't hit the right hole, what good does that do?? My stance, is that I'm not impressed with our RB situation. Now, can Wood step up and take the spot? Hell yeah. And I hope he does. But I actually think Huggins can come in and start, because of the uncertainty at RB. Wood just looks like a 3rd down back to me, that's all. Nothing against the guy.

 

[Rocket89]

Wood hasn't shown anything yet??

Seriously, I continue to be flabbergasted by the people who somehow aren't impressed with him. Especially considering how non-explosive, pedestrian, and more or less bad the Notre Dame running game has been for the past 8 to 10 years.

So, he's not an All-American, but he just had a terrific season as a true sophomore in his first year on the field. Most of us were impressed and excited to see what Allen could do this year, no? Well, all Wood did was be more productive than a senior with 4 years of experience.

He's the fastest running back we've had in years, he broke off the longest TD run we've seen in a long, long time, and he continued to get better and stronger as the year wore on.

I'd be more concerned about him dancing around, not hitting the hole hard enough, or his lack of vision if he was averaging 4 yards a carry or less...you know like most Irish first-year running backs. But he put up 5.1 YPC...better than anything during the Weis era with at least 100 carries.

Cierre Wood just can't be this underappreciated, can he?

 

[JeremyND07]

Wood hasn't shown anything yet??

Seriously, I continue to be flabbergasted by the people who somehow aren't impressed with him. Especially considering how non-explosive, pedestrian, and more or less bad the Notre Dame running game has been for the past 8 to 10 years.

So, he's not an All-American, but he just had a terrific season as a true sophomore in his first year on the field. Most of us were impressed and excited to see what Allen could do this year, no? Well, all Wood did was be more productive than a senior with 4 years of experience.

He's the fastest running back we've had in years, he broke off the longest TD run we've seen in a long, long time, and he continued to get better and stronger as the year wore on.

I'd be more concerned about him dancing around, not hitting the hole hard enough, or his lack of vision if he was averaging 4 yards a carry or less...you know like most Irish first-year running backs. But he put up 5.1 YPC...better than anything during the Weis era with at least 100 carries.

Cierre Wood just can't be this underappreciated, can he?

I agree!!! CW has potential to be a GREAT back and showed a lot of potential this year! I believe him staying healthy is the key for us having another average year or a BCS year! He has break away speed and his pass blocking improved a lot!

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Wood hasn't shown anything yet??

Seriously, I continue to be flabbergasted by the people who somehow aren't impressed with him. Especially considering how non-explosive, pedestrian, and more or less bad the Notre Dame running game has been for the past 8 to 10 years.

So, he's not an All-American, but he just had a terrific season as a true sophomore in his first year on the field. Most of us were impressed and excited to see what Allen could do this year, no? Well, all Wood did was be more productive than a senior with 4 years of experience.

He's the fastest running back we've had in years, he broke off the longest TD run we've seen in a long, long time, and he continued to get better and stronger as the year wore on.

I'd be more concerned about him dancing around, not hitting the hole hard enough, or his lack of vision if he was averaging 4 yards a carry or less...you know like most Irish first-year running backs. But he put up 5.1 YPC...better than anything during the Weis era with at least 100 carries.

Cierre Wood just can't be this underappreciated, can he?

apparently so.... I really don't think the Theo comments made by BK are because of Cierre, I really think he is just looking for ways to make the offense more dynamic. Would you want to be on the other side of the ball if both Cierre and Theo were in the backfield? I think not.

 

[Rocket89]

Brian Kelly freakin' loves Cierre Wood.

I totally understand people's apprehension with the depth at running back. We'd all like to see a third veteran option or someone who has carried the rock before.

But as far as Wood's talent and potential and his ability to be a very good No. 1 running back in college, I don't doubt it.

If we go with the adage that "Wood hasn't proved anything" than neither has Riddick, Eifert or TJ Jones. Is anyone saying that about those players? I don't think so.

 

[Riddickulous]

Hopefully Brian Kelly realizes that he needs to run the football more and gives two running backs 10+ carries a game, like we saw with Cierre Wood and Robert Hughes late in the season.

Roberson or Gray? Who wins the change-of-pace/power RB spot, getting 10-15 carries a game?

 

[irishpat183]

Wood hasn't shown anything yet??

Seriously, I continue to be flabbergasted by the people who somehow aren't impressed with him. Especially considering how non-explosive, pedestrian, and more or less bad the Notre Dame running game has been for the past 8 to 10 years.

So, he's not an All-American, but he just had a terrific season as a true sophomore in his first year on the field. Most of us were impressed and excited to see what Allen could do this year, no? Well, all Wood did was be more productive than a senior with 4 years of experience.

He's the fastest running back we've had in years, he broke off the longest TD run we've seen in a long, long time, and he continued to get better and stronger as the year wore on.

I'd be more concerned about him dancing around, not hitting the hole hard enough, or his lack of vision if he was averaging 4 yards a carry or less...you know like most Irish first-year running backs. But he put up 5.1 YPC...better than anything during the Weis era with at least 100 carries.

Cierre Wood just can't be this underappreciated, can he?

Well, again, its not like I don't see potential in Wood. He is fast, and has big play potential. But that's not all a good RB is about. He didn't hit 100 yards in any game and only rushed for three TD's and in 6 games he averaged less than 4 yards a carry. Thank god for those games against Western Mich, Army, and Purdue that boosted his YPC to 5.1. Not exactly greatness. And he's almost a non-factor in the passing game. the Tulsa game is the only game he did anything catching the football. Again, not bashing, just not really convinced yet.

 

[Irish To The Core]

I just don't see the "Cierre Wood has not shown anything" bandwagon that seems so popular just now. The kid averaged 5.1 ypc and has ripped off more big runs than any rb ND has had for many years. It is true that he was a liability in pass protection at the beginning of the year, but did any of you notice how he had improved his blocking by season's end? The biggest area for improvement for Cierre imo is protecting the ball...but this young guy has shown that he can and will work on his weak spots. He most definitely HAS shown me something.

Wood with a healthy Jonas Gray gives us a nice one-two punch. With Roberson also in the mix and McDaniel also available, moving Theo back to rb is more about depth. If Suggins commits to ND then Theo stays put. In that case we will have a pretty strong rotation with Wood seeing the most reps.

 

[Rocket89]

Well, again, its not like I don't see potential in Wood. He is fast, and has big play potential. But that's not all a good RB is about. He didn't hit 100 yards in any game and only rushed for three TD's and in 6 games he averaged less than 4 yards a carry. Thank god for those games against Western Mich, Army, and Purdue that boosted his YPC to 5.1. Not exactly greatness. And he's almost a non-factor in the passing game. the Tulsa game is the only game he did anything catching the football. Again, not bashing, just not really convinced yet.

"Not exactly greatness."

I think that was a telling comment from you. No one is saying Wood was great on the field this past season. If you're going to phrase the argument in that way, of course Wood hasn't "proved anything."

So what if he didn't get 100 yards in a game this season, neither did any of the other running backs. He was second string for half the year and plays in a spread system where he's typically not going to get a lot carries...rushing for 100 yards doesn't mean all that much.

Also his 3 rushing touchdowns...led the running backs. Of course, it's not that great of a number, but compare it with his teammates. He's also improved his receiving skills and blocking skills as the season went on. And yes, once again, he led the running backs in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. And that was with competition and about the same amount of playing time with Allen who was considered one of the best receiving running backs in school history. So, 20 receptions isn't "great" but given that it's a spread system, still lead the backs in that category, and he was dymanic with the ball in his hands at times, well that's pretty good for a kid in his first year on the field.

And I won't deny that he typically looked good against the weaker teams, but what of the USC and Miami games?

And what about the 329 total rushing yards to close out the season during the 4 game winning streak? Not impressive?

If we're going to straight up compare him to the best running backs in college football, then he isn't knocking any All-American doors. But how about when you compare him to the other Irish running backs? And that whether you want to admit it or not, he put together one of the best true sophomore or first year seasons of the last 15 years or so?

If all you think Wood is just a fast runner with big play potential and refuse to accept that he's got good strength and power, improved a lot as the year went on and had a historically good season for a first-year player, then I don't know what to say.

Maybe....be prepared to be surprised next year I guess?

 

[jason_h537]

Well, again, its not like I don't see potential in Wood. He is fast, and has big play potential. But that's not all a good RB is about. He didn't hit 100 yards in any game and only rushed for three TD's and in 6 games he averaged less than 4 yards a carry. Thank god for those games against Western Mich, Army, and Purdue that boosted his YPC to 5.1. Not exactly greatness. And he's almost a non-factor in the passing game. the Tulsa game is the only game he did anything catching the football. Again, not bashing, just not really convinced yet.

I think the problem is with your wording. Saying he hasn't shown anything is wrong because he has shown flashes of greatness but he still has work to do. He needs to be more physical, he has to protect the ball more, he has to know when to hit a hole and not just dance. He is a work in progress but he has shown something

Another thing that was mentioned about Roberson winning the scout MVP over Hendrix was that Roberson always got praised by the staff. Whenever Hendrix was praised it was because the coaches were asked about his progress. I think Roberson clearly has something that fans should be excited about

 

[irishpat183]

"Not exactly greatness."

I think that was a telling comment from you. No one is saying Wood was great on the field this past season. If you're going to phrase the argument in that way, of course Wood hasn't "proved anything."

So what if he didn't get 100 yards in a game this season, neither did any of the other running backs. He was second string for half the year and plays in a spread system where he's typically not going to get a lot carries...rushing for 100 yards doesn't mean all that much.

Also his 3 rushing touchdowns...led the running backs. Of course, it's not that great of a number, but compare it with his teammates. He's also improved his receiving skills and blocking skills as the season went on. And yes, once again, he led the running backs in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. And that was with competition and about the same amount of playing time with Allen who was considered one of the best receiving running backs in school history. So, 20 receptions isn't "great" but given that it's a spread system, still lead the backs in that category, and he was dymanic with the ball in his hands at times, well that's pretty good for a kid in his first year on the field.

And I won't deny that he typically looked good against the weaker teams, but what of the USC and Miami games?

And what about the 329 total rushing yards to close out the season during the 4 game winning streak? Not impressive?

If we're going to straight up compare him to the best running backs in college football, then he isn't knocking any All-American doors. But how about when you compare him to the other Irish running backs? And that whether you want to admit it or not, he put together one of the best true sophomore or first year seasons of the last 15 years or so?

If all you think Wood is just a fast runner with big play potential and refuse to accept that he's got good strength and power, improved a lot as the year went on and had a historically good season for a first-year player, then I don't know what to say.

Maybe....be prepared to be surprised next year I guess?

Fair enough. My initial comment was just that I'm not impressed with our current backfield, and I really believe that a kid like Huggins could come in and start for us. I wasn't really looking to offend the Wood fan club.

And I hope Wood shuts me up next year. I'll gladly eat a healthy plate of crow.

 

[tommyIRISH23]

Fair enough. My initial comment was just that I'm not impressed with our current backfield, and I really believe that a kid like Huggins could come in and start for us. I wasn't really looking to offend the Wood fan club.

And I hope Wood shuts me up next year. I'll gladly eat a healthy plate of crow.

Think what you want about Wood, but Huggins would no way walk into South Bend and start. High school running backing usually aren't very polished, they are just more athletic then their competition. The speed of the college game takes time to adjust too (that's why most high school RB's that play early do a lot of dancing bc they would juke defenders our of their jockstraps in high school, but as they get older they become much more decisive when choosing their holes), and he'd have to gain some weight. Also, high school RB's aren't asked to do a lot of pass blocking, and usually take 1/2 a season at least to be efficient enough to get significant time. Learning a college offense also take's a lot of work and repetitions. Brian Kelly's offense ,which is easy to compared to a lot of other programs, is a total different animal then any high school offense..

If Huggins chooses to come to ND, he may get time, but he has a long way to go before even being in the discussion as a starter.