Today, it is time for part 4 of the team overview on a position by position basis. As mentioned previously, the order of each position group was determined by the position groups sporting the greatest overall improvement from a season ago. So far, linebacker, cornerback, and quarterback have been discussed. Today the position of interest is running back.
Last year, the Oklahoma State running game suffered due to an inexperienced offensive line, an immobile quarterback (after the Walsh injury), and a lack of breakaway ability between the tackles. There is little question that Tyreek Hill's world class speed was a very nice weapon for the offense in terms of flattening out the defense and getting to the corner, but after Walsh went down to an injury, the team's inability to punish people inside allowed defenses to cheat on Hill to the edge. As a result, he was seldom able to get loose in the open field.
Desmond Roland was a nice college running back, a willing hammer between the tackles, but neither he nor Jeremy Smith before him really afforded the offense the big play threat in the running game. Their straight line speed was adequate, but neither one had the acceleration necessary to separate from defenders at the second level in space to get to the third level of the defense. Big plays were only there if they were blocked. This was a significant change for the OSU running game from Joseph Randle and Kendall Hunter. Both of those backs had the ability to beat a linebacker or safety who was filling a hole in order to get loose in the secondary. Randle had great body control and light feet without exceptional quickness or speed. Hunter had excellent vision, balance, and acceleration that allowed him to disrupt pursuit angles in close space. He had that 'make-you-miss' element to his game that really no back since him has had at OSU.
Last year the depth situation was pretty poor for the Cowboys. When the offense had to morph with the injury to JW Walsh, there really wasn't a running back that could be added to the mix that could carry the run game and create explosive plays and extended drives (getting 7-10 yards on plays blocked for 2-4). Desmond Roland gave great effort and provided leadership in hammering out tough yards between the tackles, but he didn't have the skill set to consistently make guys miss or outrun pursuit. His backfield mate (Tyreek Hill) didn't have the best instincts for a running back in terms of having the ability to see a hole develop between the tackles and then accelerate through it. He had fantastic top end speed, but didn't excel in being patient enough to run inside. The early season move to place him at running back with JW Walsh in some veer based concepts was really smart. It's a shame the world did not get to see more of that offensive package, because it would have created some fantastic highlight reel plays for Hill on the edge, Walsh inside, and some deep play action bombs to Washington and Seales. (Perhaps it was all for the best though as it gave the offense a jump start on the Rudolph era.)
This year, the Cowboys are much better off at running back than last year, and it's not really close. The additions of Chris Carson, Jeff Carr, and Todd Mays have provided an influx of skills that were sorely lacking at the position in 2014. Rennie Childs returned motivated, put in hard work, and it has really shown up throughout the spring and summer camp. There is even some quality walk-depth that was not available a year ago. The only disappointment was the second knee injury for workout warrior Sionne Palelei.
Looking to this season, there is much more reason to expect success in the running game, and it is a multi-faceted explanation. Sticking strictly to the running backs themselves, everything begins with the ability to extend running plays beyond what is blocked with a combination of vision, lateral agility, power, and acceleration.
Last year, the Oklahoma State running game suffered due to an inexperienced offensive line, an immobile quarterback (after the Walsh injury), and a lack of breakaway ability between the tackles. There is little question that Tyreek Hill's world class speed was a very nice weapon for the offense in terms of flattening out the defense and getting to the corner, but after Walsh went down to an injury, the team's inability to punish people inside allowed defenses to cheat on Hill to the edge. As a result, he was seldom able to get loose in the open field.
Desmond Roland was a nice college running back, a willing hammer between the tackles, but neither he nor Jeremy Smith before him really afforded the offense the big play threat in the running game. Their straight line speed was adequate, but neither one had the acceleration necessary to separate from defenders at the second level in space to get to the third level of the defense. Big plays were only there if they were blocked. This was a significant change for the OSU running game from Joseph Randle and Kendall Hunter. Both of those backs had the ability to beat a linebacker or safety who was filling a hole in order to get loose in the secondary. Randle had great body control and light feet without exceptional quickness or speed. Hunter had excellent vision, balance, and acceleration that allowed him to disrupt pursuit angles in close space. He had that 'make-you-miss' element to his game that really no back since him has had at OSU.
Last year the depth situation was pretty poor for the Cowboys. When the offense had to morph with the injury to JW Walsh, there really wasn't a running back that could be added to the mix that could carry the run game and create explosive plays and extended drives (getting 7-10 yards on plays blocked for 2-4). Desmond Roland gave great effort and provided leadership in hammering out tough yards between the tackles, but he didn't have the skill set to consistently make guys miss or outrun pursuit. His backfield mate (Tyreek Hill) didn't have the best instincts for a running back in terms of having the ability to see a hole develop between the tackles and then accelerate through it. He had fantastic top end speed, but didn't excel in being patient enough to run inside. The early season move to place him at running back with JW Walsh in some veer based concepts was really smart. It's a shame the world did not get to see more of that offensive package, because it would have created some fantastic highlight reel plays for Hill on the edge, Walsh inside, and some deep play action bombs to Washington and Seales. (Perhaps it was all for the best though as it gave the offense a jump start on the Rudolph era.)
This year, the Cowboys are much better off at running back than last year, and it's not really close. The additions of Chris Carson, Jeff Carr, and Todd Mays have provided an influx of skills that were sorely lacking at the position in 2014. Rennie Childs returned motivated, put in hard work, and it has really shown up throughout the spring and summer camp. There is even some quality walk-depth that was not available a year ago. The only disappointment was the second knee injury for workout warrior Sionne Palelei.
Looking to this season, there is much more reason to expect success in the running game, and it is a multi-faceted explanation. Sticking strictly to the running backs themselves, everything begins with the ability to extend running plays beyond what is blocked with a combination of vision, lateral agility, power, and acceleration.
