Rating the state's RB's

[Guest Vanilla Rice]

Bullwriter has a point.  When you are constantly getting the ball and constantly getting focused on by the defense, you are going to get banged up a lot.  That is why the RB position has probably the least longevity in the NFL.  There are a lot of things you don't see as fans too.  thing such as getting poked in the eyes and getting hit under the pile (yes that does happen and it's not dirty teams that do it....everyone does).  That explains why a lot of RB's wear the eyeshields these days.

[beastiebull]

Hall is good but the competition he faced was a different class than FSU, UF, or Miami.   He had his best games against the likes of UAB, Army and TCU.  In other words, some very weak defensive teams.

[Guest Vanilla Rice]

I sort of agree with you Beastie Bull.  Don't get me wrong, Hall is a good back.  But you also have to look at the fact that Hall also got a lot of carries last year.  He got all those carries because the passing offense wasn't very good.  If you look at Miami and FSU they run a very balanced offense.  But yes, some of those defenses in Conference USA are pretty weak.  Army is pretty weak.  Andre is a good college back though.  

[BullDoug]

Vanilla, Halls ypc average is higher than any returning back in the nation per SBien.  Imagine Hall behind an ACC quality OL and in a balanced attack.  I see a ypc 10-15% improvem't and 1500 yards.  Washington probably is the best but Hall is only a hair behind him and definitely better than the UF & UM starters.  Its a shame we lost T.Jones to grades or test scores.

As for Hall missing a quarter here & a quarter there, that's typical RB wear n tear.  Give Andre a QB and group of WRs that can catch ball & IMO he's a top 10-12 RB in the nation and a 3rd round NFL draft pick.  He explodes thru an open hole in the line with the best RBs I've seen with exception to Dickerson, Smith and Payton as far a college backs go.

[CoolBull1]

Sure wish we had one more year of Andre Hall...just starting to get used to him.   He would really gather some attention with another year like last and I feel pretty confident he'll do even better this year.

[Cubanbull]

Hall avg. less than 20 carries a game last year. He was the only among the top 10 rushers who carried less than 24 carries a game.

Peterson from Okl carried 30 times a game, Benson from Tex 28, deAngelo from Memphis 25

Obviously Ponton or Simpson will need to carry some of the load this year also

[Apis Bull]

Sure wish we had one more year of Andre Hall...just starting to get used to him.   He would really gather some attention with another year like last and I feel pretty confident he'll do even better this year.

Unfortunatley, that's the nature of college football.  Maybe we'll have a stud starting QB for the next 4 years.

[Bullpride08]

Vanilla, Halls ypc average is higher than any returning back in the nation per SBien.  Imagine Hall behind an ACC quality OL and in a balanced attack.  I see a ypc 10-15% improvem't and 1500 yards.  Washington probably is the best but Hall is only a hair behind him and definitely better than the UF & UM starters.  Its a shame we lost T.Jones to grades or test scores.

As for Hall missing a quarter here & a quarter there, that's typical RB wear n tear.  Give Andre a QB and group of WRs that can catch ball & IMO he's a top 10-12 RB in the nation and a 3rd round NFL draft pick.  He explodes thru an open hole in the line with the best RBs I've seen with exception to Dickerson, Smith and Payton as far a college backs go.

Here's the NCAA official rushing statistics.  Andre Hall's position will blow you away.

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/natlRank.jsp?div=4&rpt=IA_playerrush&site=org

He was the 9th leading rusher despite barily playing in the TTU game, and having almost 60 less rushes than the rest of the top 10 last year.  In fact, given his stats had Andre Hall had the same amount of carries as Deangelo Williams (who's smaller than Hall), he would have rushed for over 2,050 yards, and would have been the national rushing leader.  

From that top 10 list only JJ Arrington and Wolfe of NIU had more ypc then Hall.  Only Wolfe returns.  Of last year's top 15 rushing leaders, 6 return, and Hall's the 4th leading returning rusher in the nation.

Here's the 2004 list of all-purpose yards.

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/natlRank.jsp?div=4&rpt=IA_playeraprun&site=org

Hall's ranked 8th here, and his stats compare favorably with Reggie Bush.  I subscribe to the argument that yeah Hall didn't play against the comp that say UF played against, but he also didn't have a line filled with all-americans, or a balanced passing attack to take some heat off him.

Hopefully this year Ponton will assert himself because we'll need him to get some carries and get experience for 06'.

[Brad]

Hopefully this year Ponton will assert himself because we'll need him to get some carries and get experience for 06'.

Yeah and also on the hopefully list is that as Hall gets keyed on, we can locate some receivers in the 2005 offense.  Getting the ball out to Peyton et al, will certainly open up the box for AH.

[Guest Vanilla Rice]

Wow, someone actually thinks Hall is as good as Dickerson and Payton.  Let's not get too carried away here.  

I know I'm bringing up a topic that is off the charts here, but the best athletes ever to come through this program are (in no particular order) Kenyatta Jones, Shurron Pierson, Ant Henry, and Kawika Mitchell.  Perhaps the BEST athlete out of them all was Shurron.  What that guy did was a freak of nature.