Okie35
7/27/2009, 12:36 PM
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1. Oklahoma
Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray combined to rush for 2,222 yards and 34 scores last season, and with both players back in the fold, the Sooners get the nod as the top backfield in the country. Murray is one of college football’s most electrifying all-around players, boasting a 28.2-yard average on kickoff returns and 33 total touchdowns in two seasons. He earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season while rushing for 1,002 yards and 14 scores, along with catching 31 passes for 395 yards and four scores. Brown is a tough between-the-tackles runner at 5'11", 215-pounds and finished tied for fourth nationally last season with 20 rushing touchdowns. Mossis Madu experienced a breakout year last season, rushing for 475 yards and six touchdowns. With Brown and Murray firmly entrenched as the workhorses, Madu is expected to see time as a slot receiver. Redshirt freshman Jermie Calhoun is the future of the Sooner backfield. He ranked as the No. 8 prospect in 2008 Athlon Consensus 100 and possesses an intriguing mix of power and speed. Despite the loss of four starters on the offensive line, it’s hard to imagine that the Sooners will take a step back on offense — especially with the top backfield in the nation.
2. Georgia Tech
Any doubts about the option offense working in the ACC were quickly erased last season. The Yellow Jackets ranked fourth nationally with an average of 273 rushing yards per game en route to a 9–4 season. Jonathan Dwyer had a monster year in his first go-round as a starter, rushing for 1,395 yards — fourth-most in Georgia Tech history — adding 12 touchdowns and collecting nine 100-yard games. He became the third player in school history to earn the ACC Player of the Year award and has earned first-team preseason All-America honors from Athlon Sports. Roddy Jones enjoyed a solid freshman season, rushing for 690 yards — including 214 against Georgia — and four scores. After sitting out a year as a transfer from Louisville, Anthony Allen is poised to make an impact. Allen rushed for 20 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards in two seasons as a Cardinal, and his 6'0", 225-pound frame should help the Yellow Jackets inside the red zone. Lucas Cox, Marcus Wright and Embry Peeples combined for 334 yards last season and will provide quality depth.
3. California
As long as Jahvid Best could stay healthy last season, the Golden Bears knew they had one of the rising stars in college football. Despite playing with an elbow injury most of the year, Best tallied 1,580 yards to stretch the Golden Bears’ string of 1,000-yard rushers to seven consecutive seasons. He posted 15 rushing touchdowns, earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors and set a school record with a robust 8.1 yards per carry. His 131.7 rushing yards per game led the Pac-10 and ranked third nationally. He closed out the year on a tear, gashing rival Stanford for 201 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 311 yards and four scores against Washington and carrying the Golden Bears to an Emerald Bowl victory over Miami with 186 yards and two touchdowns. Should Best miss any snaps due to injury, the Golden Bears won’t suffer much of a drop-off with Shane Vereen. Last season, Vereen caught 27 passes for 221 yards and added 715 yards and four scores on the ground. With Best and Vereen returning, the Golden Bears should have no trouble pushing their streak of 1,000-yard rushers to eight seasons.
4. Penn State
With Javon Ringer, Shonn Greene and Chris Wells stealing the running back spotlight in the Big Ten, it was easy to overlook Evan Royster. He impressed in limited work as a freshman in 2007 but emerged as one of the top rushers in the nation with a full workload in 2008. Royster rushed for 1,236 yards — which ranked among the top-10 single-season performances in school history — and 12 touchdowns. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and ranked 14th nationally with an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Stephfon Green announced his presence to the college football world more than a year ago with a huge spring game and built off that momentum to become the perfect complement to Royster. The speedy 5'10" Green rushed for 578 yards, including 132 on nine carries against Temple, while catching 15 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown. Brent Carter and Brandon Beachum add quality depth to the offense; the two combined for 243 yards last season.
5. USC
With the Trojans breaking in a new quarterback, the rushing attack could be featured more prominently this season. Fortunately for Pete Carroll, there are — as always — plenty of talented and capable options in Los Angeles. Joe McKnight rushed for 659 yards, caught 21 passes and ranked third in the nation among running backs with an average of 7.4 yards per carry last season. He appears to be on the verge of a breakout year. Despite splitting carries with two other players, McKnight earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors last year. Stafon Johnson led the team with 705 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last season, while C.J. Gable added 617 yards and eight scores. Adding depth will be talented sophomore Marc Tyler, speedy redshirt freshman Curtis McNeal and junior Allen Bradford, who missed most of last season with a hip injury. Fullback Stanley Havili is an underrated receiver out of the backfield — he’s caught 62 passes in three seasons — and an effective lead blocker for the stable of quality tailbacks.
Next Up:
6. Oklahoma State
7. LSU
8. Clemson
9. Alabama
10. Wisconsin
LINK (http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/17216/2009-best-units-running-backs)
1. Oklahoma
Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray combined to rush for 2,222 yards and 34 scores last season, and with both players back in the fold, the Sooners get the nod as the top backfield in the country. Murray is one of college football’s most electrifying all-around players, boasting a 28.2-yard average on kickoff returns and 33 total touchdowns in two seasons. He earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season while rushing for 1,002 yards and 14 scores, along with catching 31 passes for 395 yards and four scores. Brown is a tough between-the-tackles runner at 5'11", 215-pounds and finished tied for fourth nationally last season with 20 rushing touchdowns. Mossis Madu experienced a breakout year last season, rushing for 475 yards and six touchdowns. With Brown and Murray firmly entrenched as the workhorses, Madu is expected to see time as a slot receiver. Redshirt freshman Jermie Calhoun is the future of the Sooner backfield. He ranked as the No. 8 prospect in 2008 Athlon Consensus 100 and possesses an intriguing mix of power and speed. Despite the loss of four starters on the offensive line, it’s hard to imagine that the Sooners will take a step back on offense — especially with the top backfield in the nation.
2. Georgia Tech
Any doubts about the option offense working in the ACC were quickly erased last season. The Yellow Jackets ranked fourth nationally with an average of 273 rushing yards per game en route to a 9–4 season. Jonathan Dwyer had a monster year in his first go-round as a starter, rushing for 1,395 yards — fourth-most in Georgia Tech history — adding 12 touchdowns and collecting nine 100-yard games. He became the third player in school history to earn the ACC Player of the Year award and has earned first-team preseason All-America honors from Athlon Sports. Roddy Jones enjoyed a solid freshman season, rushing for 690 yards — including 214 against Georgia — and four scores. After sitting out a year as a transfer from Louisville, Anthony Allen is poised to make an impact. Allen rushed for 20 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards in two seasons as a Cardinal, and his 6'0", 225-pound frame should help the Yellow Jackets inside the red zone. Lucas Cox, Marcus Wright and Embry Peeples combined for 334 yards last season and will provide quality depth.
3. California
As long as Jahvid Best could stay healthy last season, the Golden Bears knew they had one of the rising stars in college football. Despite playing with an elbow injury most of the year, Best tallied 1,580 yards to stretch the Golden Bears’ string of 1,000-yard rushers to seven consecutive seasons. He posted 15 rushing touchdowns, earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors and set a school record with a robust 8.1 yards per carry. His 131.7 rushing yards per game led the Pac-10 and ranked third nationally. He closed out the year on a tear, gashing rival Stanford for 201 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 311 yards and four scores against Washington and carrying the Golden Bears to an Emerald Bowl victory over Miami with 186 yards and two touchdowns. Should Best miss any snaps due to injury, the Golden Bears won’t suffer much of a drop-off with Shane Vereen. Last season, Vereen caught 27 passes for 221 yards and added 715 yards and four scores on the ground. With Best and Vereen returning, the Golden Bears should have no trouble pushing their streak of 1,000-yard rushers to eight seasons.
4. Penn State
With Javon Ringer, Shonn Greene and Chris Wells stealing the running back spotlight in the Big Ten, it was easy to overlook Evan Royster. He impressed in limited work as a freshman in 2007 but emerged as one of the top rushers in the nation with a full workload in 2008. Royster rushed for 1,236 yards — which ranked among the top-10 single-season performances in school history — and 12 touchdowns. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and ranked 14th nationally with an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Stephfon Green announced his presence to the college football world more than a year ago with a huge spring game and built off that momentum to become the perfect complement to Royster. The speedy 5'10" Green rushed for 578 yards, including 132 on nine carries against Temple, while catching 15 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown. Brent Carter and Brandon Beachum add quality depth to the offense; the two combined for 243 yards last season.
5. USC
With the Trojans breaking in a new quarterback, the rushing attack could be featured more prominently this season. Fortunately for Pete Carroll, there are — as always — plenty of talented and capable options in Los Angeles. Joe McKnight rushed for 659 yards, caught 21 passes and ranked third in the nation among running backs with an average of 7.4 yards per carry last season. He appears to be on the verge of a breakout year. Despite splitting carries with two other players, McKnight earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors last year. Stafon Johnson led the team with 705 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last season, while C.J. Gable added 617 yards and eight scores. Adding depth will be talented sophomore Marc Tyler, speedy redshirt freshman Curtis McNeal and junior Allen Bradford, who missed most of last season with a hip injury. Fullback Stanley Havili is an underrated receiver out of the backfield — he’s caught 62 passes in three seasons — and an effective lead blocker for the stable of quality tailbacks.
Next Up:
6. Oklahoma State
7. LSU
8. Clemson
9. Alabama
10. Wisconsin
LINK (http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/17216/2009-best-units-running-backs)