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The football team handed the ball off to its running backs 468 times last season. But 310 of those went to the all-time leading rusher Branden Oliver, who is currently in a San Diego Chargers uniform.
Don’t expect one ball carrier to have two-thirds of the carries this season.
The Bulls have three running backs – juniors Anthone Taylor and Devin Campbell, as well as sophomore Jordan Johnson – who will all see time out of the backfield this season.
“All three are unique and they do provide our system with an added advantage,” said head coach Jeff Quinn. “With Anthone, Devin and Jordan, each of them has a place in our offense. We have plays in situations for them, designed to feature those guys. You’re going to see them coming in and out.”
Although the Bulls will likely use a committee of running backs, Quinn said Taylor have emerged as the front-runner.
“The thing I like about Anthone right now is [that] the best cut for a running back is no cut,” Quinn said at the Bull’s Aug. 12 media day. “He’s staying on his tracks. He understands his courses. He’s staying disciplined. He’s not jumping around and getting fidgety and anxious. And then when he gets that little crack in that seem, boom, he’s putting his foot in the ground and he’s going north and south.”
Quinn said Taylor took a long run in for a touchdown during a scrimmage, whereas a younger, less experienced player might not have had the patience to let the play develop.
Taylor said the running backs have been focusing on finishing out plays. Running backs coach Matt Simon stresses players should run through “small cracks” in the defense, according to Taylor.
“We want to be able to run through the trash and traffic in the game and be able to get as much [yards after contact] as we can because we know nothing is going to be given to us,” Taylor said. “Sometimes we might have big holes, but at the end of the day, we got to be able to run through cracks.”
Taylor, who has been watching Oliver’s film, hopes to model is game after the former Bull.
“When he was on the field, he made those defensive guys fear him, fear him being able to cut, being able to just put his pad on and just be aggressive,” Taylor said. “I just want to have that same kind of influence on the defense as a running back.”
Quinn said Taylor’s patience, strong running and ball protection are “why right now he’s going to get that first snap.”
Despite his experience last season and Quinn’s endorsement, Taylor does not believe he has secured his spot as the featured back.
“Every day I come out and work like the next guy could be the starter,” Taylor said. “I just come out there and I work hard and I try to establish that presence … These young guys push me to work as hard as I do on the field.”
Taylor served as Oliver’s primary backup last season, rushing for 399 yards and three touchdowns on 82 carries with an impressive 4.9 YPC (yards per carry).
Taylor showed a glimpse of his potential as the primary when he filled in for an injured Oliver against Stony Brook last season. He finished with 118 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-23 five-overtime victory.
Campbell also has experience filling in for Oliver. As a freshman in 2012, Campbell ran for 502 yards and two touchdowns – including a 160-yard effort against Ohio – as Oliver missed five games, due to injury.
With Oliver healthy last season, Campbell was often used as a receiver. Campbell caught 19 passes for 200 yards – good for third on the team – compared to carrying the ball only 11 times.
Campbell expects to be involved in the passing game, but also see increased carries out of the backfield.
“[My role as a receiver is] not going to change,” Campbell said. “That was my role last year. I just have another aspect added to it. The coaches trust me more.”
Johnson can have a major impact for the offense despite never playing a down for the team.
The former Sweet Home High School quarterback redshirted in 2012 and missed last season due to an elbow injury. Johnson proved he was fully healthy in the Bulls’ annual Blue-White spring game, totaling 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Johnson showed off his explosiveness in the scrimmage, particularly on a 43-yard touchdown run right up the middle of the defense.
“I’m just going to go out there every day and try to compete and when they call my name, I’m just going to give it everything I got, 110 percent and try to produce the best way I can,” Johnson said.
Johnson said although the running backs are competing when they step onto the field, there are “enough balls to go around for anybody in our offense, not just the backfield,” adding the Bulls have “receivers, tight ends and other types of skill groups that can fill in that void.”
The Bulls are changing their method by having three running backs, as opposed to having the one workhouse they found in Oliver. That setup had been the norm in the NFL, but now, multiple running backs are becoming more common.
Simon, who instructs the Bulls’ running backs, used to be a coach in the NFL. Quinn said Simon has experience the switch from one running back to three before.
“It’s not just one guy, it’s three guys,” Quinn said. “And I think all those guys are going to have a chance to step up and perform.”
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