Coming into this season, Louisville is looking to replace their three leading rushers from last season, two of which were from the running back spot. With a stable of young talent and fewer designed runs for the quarterback, things could get interesting at the RB position come fall.
In 2018, the Louisville Cardinals will have to replace most of their production in the rushing game from last season. The way they’ll attempt to do that will make the offense look pretty different than it has in years past.
Last season, the Cards struggled to get a lot of production from their running backs, but I don’t think that’ll be the case this season. I think a lot of the reason the running backs weren’t very consistent last year is because of how they were utilized. Having such a dynamic QB meant that the line, nor the backs, never really knew where the ball was going until the play began to develop. I know that, at times, this may be an advantaged to the offense but, often times, it looked like the running back was surprised to get the ball which resulted in a slow start to the play.
This season I would expect things to be very different in that regard. While we’ll still see some read-option, I would expect a lot more of a power running style. By this, I mean I’d expect to see the Cards line up in a bit of an I formation whether it be from the pistol or under center. In doing this, I think it’ll allow the running backs to get a bigger head of steam, and it will make it easier for them to run downhill. This tends to be the case in a traditional Petrino-coached offensive scheme. If the Cards can succeed in doing this, then it would open up the rest of their offense.
The Cards are losing a couple of solid running backs and great team players with Reggie Bonnafon and Malik Williams both graduating. Although this stings a little bit, a couple of Cards had very productive springs and showed they were ready to compete for carries this fall. Among other guys, Tobias Little impressed me a lot of with how physical he was running the football and also showed an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Another player who impressed me was redshirt freshman Maurice Burkley. While he may not see a ton of time this season, he showed great vision and ran as hard as anyone in the Cards’ backfield. It’ll be interesting to see if he can work his way up a little bit on the depth chart this upcoming season.
The Depth Chart
1. The Expected Starter
Dae Williams – RS Sophomore
As excited as I am to see Puma Pass take the reigns of the offense, I may be even more excited to see Dae Williams be the feature back in the Louisville ground game.
If Williams can stay healthy, I expect him to have a monster season. After tearing his ACL in spring practice last season, Williams surprised coaches and fans when he returned halfway through the year and was able to get significant touches.
The most impressive thing to me about Dae is just how physical he is as a runner. In the college game, you see a lot of speed guys and scat backs running outside the tackles. When Williams is in the backfield, it’s awesome to see a guy who can run downhill and look to bowl people over.
No matter where the initial point of contact is, he always seems to gain a few extra yards and drag guys with him to the ground. This style of play can certainly wear on a defense, especially when the guy running the ball is 6 foot 2, 230 pounds.
While he’s certainly a bruiser, he also has the vision and quickness to break longer runs. In limited action last year, he also showed the ability to catch the ball of the backfield, which is definitely a big plus for the offense, allowing coach Petrino to confidently draw up screen passes and swing passes throughout the game.
Although his touches were limited, Dae has shown incredible productivity, averaging over 6 yards per carry, in season where he was nowhere near 100%. While I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect him to do this for an entire season, if he can land somewhere in that ballpark then it’ll bode very well for his statistics and the rest of the Cardinals’ offense.
Here’s to hoping that Mr. Williams enjoys a very healthy and a very successful year toting the rock for the Cards.
2. Most Likely to Challenge
Tobias Little – RS Sophomore
While Dae Williams definitely looks to be the starter in this group, I think the battle for the number 2 spot on the depth chart may be among the most interesting of position battles on the team come fall.
As Bobby has shown the last couple of years, he’s definitely not afraid to split the carries between 2 or 3 backs throughout the season. That’s why it’s definitely worth noting who the second and third string guys may be come fall as we’ll be sure to see them out on the field pretty often this season.
In my opinion, I could definitely see Tobias Little getting a serious amount of carries this season. While he’s listed as a fullback on the depth chart, Little possesses the size and ability to play both fullback and running back. After a solid spring in which he was the most talked about player on offense aside from Pass and the wide receivers, Little showed the ability to be the Cards lead back.
Similar to Dae Williams, Little has a very punishing style of running the football as he looks to bowl over anybody willing to get in his way. If he is #2 on the depth chart come fall, he and Dae Williams will be a load of a one two punch that opposing defenses will surely get sick of.
A former linebacker for the Cards, Tobias Little is just a physical specimen of a human being. Weighing 250 pounds and being 6 foot tall, Little uses every inch of his frame to pack on just solid muscle. He’s a very physical football player and anytime I get to see him pick on defenders while carrying the ball sounds great to me.
2A. Most Likely to Challenge
Colin Wilson – Sophomore
Here’s where it gets interesting.
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure that Colin Wilson won’t be number two on the depth chart come fall. Before tearing his ACL against Murray State last season, Wilson showed an excellent ability to read his blocks and get upfield quickly.
Although he can run with some power, Wilson is a lot more of a speed back compared to the other two running backs above. Along with his speed, Wilson has shown a fantastic ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
This versatility is something that every coach looks for in a young back, and it’ll surely help him on the field sooner rather than later. If he can stay healthy, I’d expect Wilson to get more and more playing time throughout the year and ultimately get a fair amount of carries.
If you recall, Wilson was a big get for the Cards on the recruiting trail, and was expected to get some carries before injuring his wrist in fall camp last season. In the playing time that he did get, Wilson looked every bit the part of a highly ranked recruit.
More than anything, I’d love to see Wilson stay healthy for an entire season as it would certainly bode well for the Cards backfield in the future.
I’m excited to see what Wilson has to offer in his first full season.
Incoming Freshman
While the Cards are losing a couple of guys to graduation, they’re also getting an exciting new addition to their backfield. Hailing from the state of Florida, running back Javian Hawkins is looking to compete for playing time come this fall. He’s an electrifying player with the ball in his hands, and has the speed to outrun just about anybody on the field, but also has the physicality to run through arm tackles and other weak hits.
In high school, Hawkins also showed a great ability to catch the football. Whether out of the slot or out of the backfield, he showed an ability to go get the ball and was exceptional at running after the catch. I’m very excited to see how Bobby will utilize this great athlete, whether it be this season or next.
Other Names to Know
Maurice Burkley – RS Freshman
Burkley is a very intriguing player in my opinion. Weighing in at 200 pounds while only being 5 foot 9 should say a lot about how stout this guy is.
On top of physically looking the part, Burkley looked pretty solid when given the rock in the spring game. He got plenty of carries during the spring game and showed an ability to run downhill but also show a burst of speed when needed.
His running style reminds me a lot of former Card Brandon Radcliffe. They both seem to run with a little bit of a chip and their shoulder and they also share a bit of a physical resemblance.
At some point in the season I’m sure one of the other backs will get dinged up for a game or two and it might force Burkley to see some game time. I’m sure he’ll be more than ready if his name gets called.
Other names to watch for the Cards include junior Trey Smith, who has yet to get a chance to contend for serious snaps after being on campus for three years. Incoming freshman Hassan Hall, who could play running back, but most likely will move to defense. As well as Tutu Atwell, who many believe will play slot receiver, but has the speed and athletic ability to play in just about every position on offense.
The Cards bring back a strong backfield, but with all the injuries suffered last season, the loss of Malik Williams and Reggie Bonnafon, as well as losing Jeremy Smith to transfer, Bobby Petrino and his staff will have to get the running back situation figured out.
Last season the Cards struggled throughout parts of the season as opposing defenses were able to focus sloely on Lamar Jackson, due to the inability to run the ball out of the backfield. If the offensive staff can’t figure out how to get the most out of their talented backs, they could be in for more trouble in 2018-19.
One of the things that made Cards teams of the past so fun to watch on offense was how well balanced they were. Not only could they throw the ball all over the field, but they also had the ability to run it for seemingly fives yards a pop every time with their running backs. Hopefully Bobby can figure out a way to get the same kind of production out of this young backfield, because if he can then it will greatly help out the young quarterback under center in Puma Pass.