madillsoonerfan5353
10/22/2010, 12:39 PM
....Kicks? I think he will be good, but I would hate to see him get blown up? He is pretty small at 175?
:gary:
NORMAN, Okla. -- Word began to spread in August about Oklahoma freshman Roy Finch.
The muscular 5-foot-8, 170-pound running back with the cat-quick moves was immediately compared to former two-time All-Big 12 running back Quentin Griffin (1999-2002), the Sooners' fifth all-time leading rusher.
"Quentin to me is a high standard," offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said this past week. "I thought that guy was pretty special.
"Not that Roy is that kind of a player yet, but he has similar skills as far as change of direction. But he's awfully young -- and he's got one performance."
That performance only accentuated the buzz that began anew when Finch returned to practice the week after the Texas game. He was finally back at full speed after sustaining a hairline foot fracture late in preseason camp.
Finch made his debut with three carries for 35 yards on an 89-yard drive in the second quarter of last week's 52-0 rout of Iowa State and finished with 92 yards on 16 zigzag carries.
"No disrespect to our two seniors [DeMarco Murray and Mossis Madu]," Wilson said. "But [Roy] the other night played as good as they did."
Finch, who earned a spot in a crowded rotation and may return kicks this week at Missouri, said a lot was going through his mind before last week's kickoff.
"I was anxious and a little bit nervous at the same time," he recalled. "I just wanted to go out there and execute my plays and do the little things Coach emphasized."
Quarterback Landry Jones had to tell him where to line up a couple of times, but once Finch had the ball in his hands the comparison to Griffin was evident, and that's no accident.
Finch and Griffin are similar both in style and stature, although Griffin was thicker and Finch appears somewhat quicker.
Finch has modeled his shifty running style along the lines of former favorite player Reggie Bush when the multi-threat star was at USC.
"I used to stay after [high school] practice and work on my cuts," Finch said. "And during the off-season I went to a lot of camps and had a personal trainer who worked with me on my lateral ability.
"I'm a smaller guy. In college, it's a lot tougher going up the middle. Linebackers are 6-3, 6-4 and 250, and I weigh 175 pounds. I try to follow the big guys up front and make cuts off them."
Center Ben Habern is one of those big guys up front.
"Roy adds a whole dimension to our offense," Habern said.
"The way he moves and cuts is huge.
"DeMarco is fast and can make those moves, but DeMarco is more of a power runner who will stick his head in there. You throw Roy in there and a lot of times defenses can't see him because he's so quick and side-to-side.
"It's cool watching him on film and seeing him break those 15-20 yard runs, because he can make people miss and get out into the open."
Finch said the week after the Texas game was pivotal.
"If I wasn't able to play after [that game] I was going to redshirt," he said. "The week leading up to Iowa State, I went out [to practice] and just went full speed to see how well I could cut, and look at my vision and stuff like that."
It was evident to Finch and everyone else that he was ready and there was no need to wait until next season to spring the change-of-pace runner.
Coach Bob Stoops, who said Murray was the first player to tout Finch during a summer conversation, has always believed that if a freshman is ready, there's no point in holding him back. When Wilson and running backs coach Cale Gundy said Finch's style could be an immediate plus, Stoops said, "Play him."
Finch might have gone to USC if he were recruited by the Trojans.
Although he made his reputation in Florida at Niceville High School, Finch played at Edmond (Okla.) North High School as a sophomore (1,200 all-purpose yards). He remembered the excitement of going to OU games during those days, when he became acquainted with Gundy's success in turning out top backs that were an integral part of the offense.
"When you look at the running backs here," Finch said, "every one of them has been really good. I wanted to take my talents and bring it to a university where coaches could bring out the best in me."
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/21/2567564/finch-puts-swerve-in-ou-running.html#ixzz136tw6SXa
:gary:
NORMAN, Okla. -- Word began to spread in August about Oklahoma freshman Roy Finch.
The muscular 5-foot-8, 170-pound running back with the cat-quick moves was immediately compared to former two-time All-Big 12 running back Quentin Griffin (1999-2002), the Sooners' fifth all-time leading rusher.
"Quentin to me is a high standard," offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said this past week. "I thought that guy was pretty special.
"Not that Roy is that kind of a player yet, but he has similar skills as far as change of direction. But he's awfully young -- and he's got one performance."
That performance only accentuated the buzz that began anew when Finch returned to practice the week after the Texas game. He was finally back at full speed after sustaining a hairline foot fracture late in preseason camp.
Finch made his debut with three carries for 35 yards on an 89-yard drive in the second quarter of last week's 52-0 rout of Iowa State and finished with 92 yards on 16 zigzag carries.
"No disrespect to our two seniors [DeMarco Murray and Mossis Madu]," Wilson said. "But [Roy] the other night played as good as they did."
Finch, who earned a spot in a crowded rotation and may return kicks this week at Missouri, said a lot was going through his mind before last week's kickoff.
"I was anxious and a little bit nervous at the same time," he recalled. "I just wanted to go out there and execute my plays and do the little things Coach emphasized."
Quarterback Landry Jones had to tell him where to line up a couple of times, but once Finch had the ball in his hands the comparison to Griffin was evident, and that's no accident.
Finch and Griffin are similar both in style and stature, although Griffin was thicker and Finch appears somewhat quicker.
Finch has modeled his shifty running style along the lines of former favorite player Reggie Bush when the multi-threat star was at USC.
"I used to stay after [high school] practice and work on my cuts," Finch said. "And during the off-season I went to a lot of camps and had a personal trainer who worked with me on my lateral ability.
"I'm a smaller guy. In college, it's a lot tougher going up the middle. Linebackers are 6-3, 6-4 and 250, and I weigh 175 pounds. I try to follow the big guys up front and make cuts off them."
Center Ben Habern is one of those big guys up front.
"Roy adds a whole dimension to our offense," Habern said.
"The way he moves and cuts is huge.
"DeMarco is fast and can make those moves, but DeMarco is more of a power runner who will stick his head in there. You throw Roy in there and a lot of times defenses can't see him because he's so quick and side-to-side.
"It's cool watching him on film and seeing him break those 15-20 yard runs, because he can make people miss and get out into the open."
Finch said the week after the Texas game was pivotal.
"If I wasn't able to play after [that game] I was going to redshirt," he said. "The week leading up to Iowa State, I went out [to practice] and just went full speed to see how well I could cut, and look at my vision and stuff like that."
It was evident to Finch and everyone else that he was ready and there was no need to wait until next season to spring the change-of-pace runner.
Coach Bob Stoops, who said Murray was the first player to tout Finch during a summer conversation, has always believed that if a freshman is ready, there's no point in holding him back. When Wilson and running backs coach Cale Gundy said Finch's style could be an immediate plus, Stoops said, "Play him."
Finch might have gone to USC if he were recruited by the Trojans.
Although he made his reputation in Florida at Niceville High School, Finch played at Edmond (Okla.) North High School as a sophomore (1,200 all-purpose yards). He remembered the excitement of going to OU games during those days, when he became acquainted with Gundy's success in turning out top backs that were an integral part of the offense.
"When you look at the running backs here," Finch said, "every one of them has been really good. I wanted to take my talents and bring it to a university where coaches could bring out the best in me."
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/21/2567564/finch-puts-swerve-in-ou-running.html#ixzz136tw6SXa