Part 7 - Running Backs



The 2011 season turned out to be quite a roller coaster, as Jake Heaps entered the season as an entrenched starter, but struggled more and more as the year wore on. Enter Riley Nelson, and the Cougars managed a ten-win but turbulent season behind the once again split leadership. Now Heaps has transferred, and Nelson finally gets his chance as a senior to have the team all to himself, as the Cougars embark on their second year as an independent. The coming season features a more challenging schedule, particularly on the road, so the Cougs have their work cut out for them.

When considering players who would have started all season but were injured along the way and players who started at least six games, BYU has 13 full-year starters coming back in 2012. There are 6 returning starters on offense, while 7 starters return on defense, along with 8 other players who also started at least one game at some point during the 2011 season. There are also 2 return missionaries back who were multi-year starters prior to leaving.

Running Backs:

Two departing seniors who combined for just under 900 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns have graduated and moved on. Those two familiar players are J.J. DiLuigi and Bryan Kariya. Both players made major contributions to the team without ever being a feature back. As juniors and seniors each played in a running back committee system. With the loss of experienced leaders at the position, the Cougars will need to rely on up and coming talent, some with playing time and some without, to fill a two deep at the running back position in 2012.

Personnel:

BYU has no starting players back at running back when a starter is defined as having started 6 games in a single prior season.

Other running backs who return with experience include Michael Alisa, Joshua Quezada, Iona Pritchard, David Foote, and Zed Mendenhall. Alisa is a junior and practically a starter, having played in 12 games last year while starting 4, recording 85 carries for 455 yards and 3 touchdowns, to go with 5 catches for 55 yards and 1 touchdown. Alisa is the leading returning rusher yardage wise except for Riley Nelson. Quezada enters his junior season having played in every game last year, notching 86 carries for 298 yards and 1 touchdown with 4 catches for 21 yards. Now a redshirt sophomore, Pritchard redshirted due to injury last season after playing extensively at linebacker and fullback prior to his mission. A redshirt senior, Foote played in every game last year, with 13 carries for 146 yards and 7 tackles and 1 fumble recovery on special teams. The senior Mendenhall played in every game last year primarily as a blocker, with 2 catches for 7 yards.

Running backs who have been on the team but without playing time are redshirt freshmen Adam Hine, Nate Carter, and Colby Hansen, who each redshirted in 2011.

Newcomers at running back include incoming scholarship freshmen Jamaal Williams and fullback Jherremya Leuta-Douyere; freshmen walk ons Levi Te'o and Brett Heldt; and sophomore rugby transfer Paul Lasike.

Projected Starters:

The 2012 spring prospectus lists a two deep at running back and fullback. The listed starter at running back is unsurprisingly Michael Alisa. Alisa came on strong last year to jump start what had been a tepid running attack. Many have compared his running style to that of Harvey Unga, except that Unga weighed about 30 more pounds. Alisa is primed to have a big year as Unga-lite. Listed as his backup is Joshua Quezada. The Juice had a disappointing campaign last year while playing injured after a very solid freshman season. If healthy, look for Quezada to bounce back. Both players should get a lot of touches. Zed Mendenhall, meanwhile, is listed as the starter at fullback, with Iona Pritchard listed as his backup. While it might look that way on paper, Mendenhall will likely serve as the blocking fullback, as Cougar coaches have publicly mentioned a Manase Tonga-like roll for Pritchard, who is coming off a year ending leg injury. Alisa, Quezada, and Pritchard should get the majority of touches, while Adam Hine, Paul Lasike, and perhaps Jamaal Williams or others battle for additional opportunities.

Outlook:

There's a lot to prove for the running back corps. Alisa had some flashes of brilliance last year, but still rushed for less than 500 total yards. Clearly there is some talent, but it is young and hasn't spent a lot of time on the field. Fortuitously for BYU, tailback is perhaps the position where experience is least important. Alisa and Quezada have both shown in the past two years that they are capable; now they have to show they can shoulder an increased roll in the offense. The players providing depth have a ton of talent, in particular Adam Hine, who was widely recruited because of his outstanding athleticism. Meanwhile, reports on Paul Lasike have been very positive as he seeks to transition from rugby to football. They may not be battle tested, but there are a lot of gifted players waiting in the wings. The aggregate should lead BYU fans to be cautiously optimistic about the running backs moving into 2012. It will be one of the younger units on the team, but with plenty of potential.

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You can read Part 6, Wide Receivers/Tight Ends, here: http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=8742119

Part 5, Offensive Line, here: http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=8737148

Part 4, Special Teams, here: http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=8730648

Part 3, Defensive Line, here: http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=8724450

Part 2, Linebackers, here: http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=8719026

And Part 1, Defensive Backs, here: http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=8714262