Running Backs
Running back should be a huge strength for the team this year.
Of course running back SHOULD have been a huge strength for the team last year.
But we finished 115th in the country in rushing offense, averaging a paltry 75.25 yards per game.
The same three headed monster returns from last year, with an infusion of young talent pushing them from behind. All of the returning starters have increased their bench by a whopping 100 pounds. Hughes and Allen are no longer freshmen, and Aldridge is allegedly healthy for the first time since his junior year of high school.
But we need to see improved offensive line play for any of this talent to result in an improved running game. We'll cover that at length when we get to the O-line preview.
Robert Hughes Sophomore, 5'11" 237 lbs. Returning Starter
2007 Stats (1 game started):
Rushing: 53 rushes, 294 yards 5.5 avg 4 TD
Receiving: 3 receptions, 17 yards, 5.7 average 0 TD
Hughes only started one game last year, but his performance in the final two games of the season earned him top honors on my preview list.
Hughes is an extremely agile big back, who has good vision and excellent change of direction. He's also got a surprising burst. He lacks top end speed, but has enough giddy up to gain 20 yards before the defensive backs can catch him.
Hughes is excellent at running through contact, with a good pad level that makes him difficult to take down at the point of attack.
He was the first freshman since Allen Pinkett to rush for over 100 yards in consecutive games.
Hughes is the favorite to win the starting position going into San Diego State, but Aldridge's development and return to health make this battle the most exciting of fall camp, as Coach Weis has refused to name a starter coming out of spring.
James Aldridge Junior, 6'0" 225 lbs. Returning Starter
2007 Stats (5 games started):
Rushing: 121 rushes, 463 yards, 3.8 avg 0 TD
Receiving: 5 receptions, 30 yards, 6.0 avg, 0 TD
Aldridge was a 5-star recruit out of high school, but suffered an injury in his senior season of high school. That injury lingered through his freshman and sophomore seasons, but his athleticism and natural ability got him on the field as a freshman behind Darius Walker and the starting nod last year for most of the season.
Aldridge has been a passable running back thus far, but has not shown break away ablity or a nose for the end zone. Watching him on tape, there is not much mechanically wrong with his technique, it just appears that he is incapable of making the sudden cuts and quick bursts that made him such a highly touted recruit.
Weis is claiming that Aldridge is 100% healthy for the first time since he's been at Notre Dame, which means that this year could be the breakout season for Aldridge.
Also, most players come into their own their junior year. Freshman year is about learning the playbook. Sophomore year is about learning how to play. Junior year is when you stop thinking and start playing instinctively. If Aldridge can make that mental leap and return to top physical form, there is no doubt on my mind that he will be the feature back on this team.
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