best Big East RB

onlooker · 08-03-06, 02:55 AM

Blue Ribbon Yearbook on Steve Slaton.

It took Steve Slaton (5-10, 190) a little while to get going last year, but by season's end, the sophomore was one of the best backs anywhere, even if he was just a few months removed from high school. He finished with 1,128 yards rushing, 17 touchdowns and a 5.5 yards-per-carry average. Slaton was amazing in the overtime win against Louisville, rushing for 188 yards and scoring a school-record six touchdowns.

In the Sugar Bowl, he went 52 yards for a score on the Mountaineers' first series, scored another touchdown in the second quarter and set a Sugar Bowl record with 204 rushing yards. Slaton has tremendous speed and the ability to turn a routine play into a long touchdown. He is also well suited for the WVU screen passing game and scored twice through the air in '05.

"I think anybody will tell you that you want speed everywhere on your offense," Rodriguez said. "If you get a fast guy going one-on-one, you have a chance for a big play. I think you'll see Steve with a better feel for the offense this year."

That should be trouble for opponents.

Blue Ribbon Yearbook on Mike Bush.

It's simple, really. Whenever senior Michael Bush (6-3, 250) gets a couple yards to gather momentum, defenses are in big trouble. He's not a nifty back or one who's going to dazzle you with his footwork, but pity the fool who gets a high-churning knee in the jaw while trying to tackle him.

Bush led Louisville with 1,143 yards last year and scored 23 times. He also averaged 12.0 yards on 21 receptions. There can be no question he is one of the nation's most dangerous backs.

"We need to run it through Michael," Petrino said. "He can carry it a number of times and gets better as the game goes on. Everyone is counting on their safeties to make a lot of tackles these days, but in the third quarter, when they get a little tired, they may have different ideas than tackling him."

Petrino wants to make sure Bush is fresh for plenty of second-half work, so he's going to make ample use of sophomore George Stripling (6-0, 190) and senior Kolby Smith (5-11, 215) earlier in the game, the better to unleash Bush on a tired defense.

Blue Ribbon Yearbook on Ryan Lenoard.

Fullback Brian Leonard's decision to return for his senior season, rather than join the NFL, was a big moment for Schiano, who applauds Leonard's commitment to the program and ability to work with sophomore tailback Ray Rice (5-9, 195), whose emergence last year took away some of Leonard's carries.

"I am very, very happy with the talent we have at running back," Schiano said. "And we've got a kid coming in [Kordell Young] who is very, very talented."

Brian Leonard (6-2, 235) gained 740 yards last year ands scored 11 times. He also led the Knights with 55 receptions and hit the end zone on six occasions as a receiver. Leonard is a selfless player whose blocking helped Rice excel, and he has the potential to be a valuable part of an NFL offense. First, he'll be a main cog in the RU attack.

"If anybody had a question about his commitment to the program, he answered it by not going out," Schiano said. "His coming back was huge for us. Having the top player on our football team coming back says we have a chance to do special things."

Leonard rushed for more than 100 yards twice last year and finished the season with 144 all-purpose yards against Arizona State, including 98 in the passing game, a career high.

Blue Ribbon Yearbook on Delone Carter.

Look out for freshman Delone Carter (5-10, 200), who rushed for 2,788 yards and 49 touchdowns last year at Copley Senior (Ohio) High School. He has excellent speed and the ability to knock some people over, too.

bigboydan · 08-03-06, 06:09 PM

who do you think is the best back in the big east ?

pags11 · 08-04-06, 02:43 AM

I'd say Slayton with Bush being a close second...