RB Situation

[smazza]

"Franks was asked to list the strength of each back.

Williams: "Physical strength, and he knows what to do every play, and he's going to try to do it as hard as he can every single play. I trust him. He holds on to the ball."" - from tbo.com

I say Leavitt starts Williams the first two games.

It's not the QB position.  Especially if they run a 2 back set.  It really doesn't matter who gets the start or who gets the first couple of carries.  The guy that is most productive will be the feature back.

I have found the quotes from the coaches very interesting the last couple of days.  We are hearing a lot about the productivity of Ford and Taylor scoring TDs and moving the ball.  Even Tyson Butler was mentioned as having a big run in last night's scrimmage.  When they speak of Williams, they speak of his toughness and reliablility.  Those are pretty good reasons to start a guy when your going into a situation of an opening game and then a hostile, big game environment like Auburn.  I want the ball in the hands of a guy that isn't going to fumble on the opening drive simply because of nerves.  It really wouldn't be fair to a guy like Ford or even Samuels to have their first real big college carry to be in a hostile environment against a really tough D like Auburn.  Let the guys get a few series under their belt and get hit a few times.  Then let them do their thing.  If we would have done the same thing with Denson a few years ago, we may have had a real shot at winning vs PSU.  We should have started Julmiste in that environment.  Instead we threw a guy that hadn't played in 2 years into the fire against a tough D and a hostile crowd of 110,000.  He made a few early, nervous mistakes and we spotted them a couple of quick scores.   Maybe the coaches have learned something from that experience.

Bottom line is that whoever is most productive will get the majority of the carries.  No need to put extra stress on Freshman that are already nervous in a hostile environment.

the featured back will be grothe

[smazza]

As I have stated in other posts, I fully expect Williams to start the first 2 games.  Outside of running, blocking is a huge part of the RB's job, and Ben is currently the best blocker.  I expect him to start against Auburn and the staff putting in the other backs once the initial craziness has died down.

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ford must not be all that

[Bull Dozer]

Williams will be the starter but he wont get the majority of the carries.  I

[Matt]

its no secret that williams is probably has the least amount of physical skill of anyone in our backfield...but he has a lot of the other things that make great football players.

plus, he can protect grothe in the pocket.  i like our flexibility at the RB position this year.

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

i like to make a point about levitt.....he typically has a fair amount of loyalty to players who have been there, however he has no problem in pulling the trigger during a game to put in who is going to give the team a better chance to win......IE-Pat taking over, Grothe Taking over, Teachey...just to name a few starters who quickly became backups....

That's my point.  His loyalty to players sometimes scares me.

He will eventually pull the trigger, but sometimes it seems like he needs to do it quicker.  He has some sort of obsession with not letting younger guys think they're very good.

Without the Julmiste injury in game one, you've got to wonder how many games we would have lost last season before he made the switch to Grothe.  Benching a Senior for a Freshman??  Leavitt may have waited until halfway through the season -- if not longer -- to make that switch.

I just hope he doesn't pull that with the RB's this year.

[Guest]

There was an article in today's Tampa Trib on this...

4 Bulls Making A Run To Start

By BRETT McMURPHY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 23, 2007

TAMPA - For the past few months, Ben Williams, Moise Plancher, Mike Ford and Aston Samuels have been battling for an opportunity.

The opportunity to walk onto the Raymond James Stadium turf as the University of South Florida's starting running back for the Sept. 1 season opener against Elon.

As it turns out, it probably won't matter.

'You usually need to have two or three guys because of the fact injuries occur,' USF running backs coach Carl Franks said. 'Guys get nicked up, it usually happens, so you better have two or three guys.

'Every year I've been coaching, somebody will walk out there and start. But if you have enough depth, whoever plays the best, whoever gets on a roll, stays in there more.'

Franks said if the Bulls' opener was tomorrow, Williams would start. But because the Elon contest is still nine days away, the players will continue to make their cases.

Read more...

[USF Bulls Football]

I like the idea of a two back set. I love Ben's heart, but thats all it is. Ive heard Plancher compared to Andre Hall, so I think he, along with Ford need to be involved a lot. Quick bursts from Plancher, and then BIG hits from Ford... Go Bulls!

[Guest]

Williams knows the system and is a GREAT blocker... that is probably why he's still #1 on the depth chart.  Ford needs some time to learn the playbook, but he is probably the better runner.  I hope he can learn to develop his blocking skills quickly.

[Guest]

Oh, continuing from the Trib story I linked to above:

Franks was asked to list the strength of each back.

Williams: 'Physical strength, and he knows what to do every play, and he's going to try to do it as hard as he can every single play. I trust him. He holds on to the ball.'

Plancher: 'A great low center of gravity, ability to change direction in a small, confined space. He can slip a lot of tackles.'

Ford: 'His physical body. He's a big guy that has great feet, good quickness.'

Samuels: 'Speed.'

[E.T.]

I have heard that Williams is a much better RB that we saw in 2006.

Amazing how deep this group is and will be in 2008 .. and beyond.

Not having RB a need position in recruiting will help us target OT's & QB's.

Go BULLS !!!