The Running Back U Tradition

Tony Dorsett is the most recognized name when college football fans talk about the history of Pitt running backs.  But, since the start of this century it seems like when the starting running back graduates there is one ready to step in to take their place.  Am I saying they are all Tony Dorsett (1973-76), no not even close because there will only be one Dorsett who had career numbers of 1,163 carries, 6, 526 yards and 59 Touchdowns. Dorsett also added 42 receptions for 415 yards and 4 Touchdowns.

Now there was a little lull after Dorsett until 2000, but there were a few during those periods at PITT including Craig Heyward (1984-87).  Heyward piled up 691 carries for 3,086 yards and 24 Touchdowns.  He also added 61 receptions for 638 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Next up would be Curtis Martin (1991-94) who ran it 518 times for 2,643 yards and 15 touchdowns and added 89 receptions for 749 yards and 2 touchdowns. And at the turn of the century Pitt had Kevan Barlow (1997-2000) who had 486 carries for 2,324 yards and 20 touchdowns and added 36 receptions for 500 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Now to the reason I am mentioning all of this is some how the Pitt coaching staffs have consistently been able to find running backs in High School and make them into top tier running backs since 2000.  And it all started with Brandon Miree (2002-03) who transferred from Alabama and carried the ball 329 times for 1,516 and 10 touchdowns with Pitt and he added 27 receptions for 253 yards and a touchdown receiving.  And that transitioned to Lerod Stephons-Howling (2005-08) who had 429 carries for 1959 yards and 15 touchdowns as well as 52 receptions for 454 yards and a touchdown.  Which then transitioned to Lesean McCoy (2007-08) during the same time period and he had 584 carries for 2,816 yards and 35 touchdowns and added 65 receptions for 549 yards and a touchdown.  This tandem led to the tandem of Dion Lewis (2009-10) and Ray Graham (2009-12). Lewis carried the ball 544 times for 2,860 yards and 30 touchdowns as well as 52 receptions for 405 yards and 1 touchdown.  Graham had 595 carries for 3,271 yards and 32 touchdowns and gathered in 98 receptions for 799 yards and 4 touchdowns.

And that just brings us to the current stable of running backs that Pat Narduzzi has at the ready.  The leader of this stable is obviously James Conner(2013-Present) who has 542 carries and 3022 yards and 41 touchdowns as well as hauling in 22 receptions for 279 yards and 2 touchdowns in his career.

Now we all know that Conner is a RS Junior this season and selfishly as a fan and I know all fans are thinking this, we hope he stays at Pitt next season as well.  But, we all know that he may take a look at the draft next spring so as we take a look beyond this season at Running Back you are also looking at this season.  As we have seen each and every running back step in and show why they are all valuable assets to the success of this team’s running game for the next few seasons.

And that all starts with last season’s leading rusher Qadree Ollison (Sophomore) with 212 carries for 1121 yards and 11 touchdowns as well as 14 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. Now, Ollison will most likely be used as the power back and short yardage back, but we know he has the ability to be the feature back during any given game.  I would compare Ollison to David Johnson of the Arizona Cardinals.

The next back with experience in that stable is Darrin Hall (Sophomore) who has 85 carries for 339 yards and 2 touchdowns.  But, where I see him as most valuable is through the air, but in his short career he only has 6 receptions for 32 yards. Every time I see Hall on the field I hope that they are calling some sort of screen pass or wheel route out of the backfield because he just seems like that type of back who will make people miss when he gets into the open field. If I had to compare him to an NFL back it would probably be a Darren Sproles type.

As we continue our journey into the stable we come to a back who took another giant step onto the college football scene against Marshall and that is Chawntez Moss (Freshman) who in his 1st season has 21 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown.  Moss seems to be the feature back in waiting as he doesn’t seem to have the size yet to be a power back, but he does have the speed to break away from defenders in the open field.  If I had to choose an heir apparent to when Conner does play his final game at Pitt (this season or next) it would definitely be Moss.  I would probably compare what I have seen early from Moss to Lamar Miller in the NFL.

Those are the four main backs who will get the bulk of the work out of Pitt’s stable this season and will show why the running offense will be in good hands for the season’s to come.  Now, we also can’t forget about the fullback George Aston who has just been a touchdown machine when they get inside the 5 yard line and he has been a major benefactor from 1st Season Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada’s offensive style.

The other running backs not mentioned because they haven’t played a role this season, but could play one in future seasons are Rachid Ibrahim (RS JR), Kyle Vreen (Fr.) and Shawn Wood (Fr.).

Now, it appears Pitt continues to be set at running back for the next few seasons and have a track record to be able to go out and recruit to keep the stable of running backs full with top tier backs.

Now, when we take a look at the other side of the ball, particularly in the secondary that is a less than desirable situation. But, that is a different story for another article.

*Player Statistics from http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/