Is this the deepest RU has ever been at RB?

[RCTrooper]

Is 2015 the deepest RU has ever been at RB? To whit, we have 3 RBs who can consistently get 100 yards a game against the BiG. That's probably not something you could have ever said in our history. Consider our most talented backfields in the last 20 years:

2015- James/Martin/Hicks/Goodwin (not to mention Peoples)

2006- Rice/Leonard/Young

1995- Willis/Presley/Bosch

 

[KnightsofChrome]

Yes!

 

[rutgersal]

absolutely

 

[Saint Puppy]

If not the deepest - definitely up there.

 

[mikebal9]

Only if James is truly healthy.

 

[mdk01]

I think there have been some 3 deep backfields that compare, but never a 5 deep. Beyond that, we'd normally be seeing some speculation about whether an incoming freshman like Snorweah makes the 3 deep. This year it's almost universally assumed he's a red shirt.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Yes!

The is the deepest ever at HB.

 

[R U Crazy]

I would say no.


Rice/Leonard and any other 3 running backs would be #1.
Leonard was a proven "injury free" #1 RB when Rice took over.
If this years RB stay healthy then I would slot them at #2 ahead of Willis and Presley


Rice (2005 - 2007): 1120 rushing yards, 1794 rushing yards, 2012 rushing yards
Leonard Total Yards from Scrimmage 2003 - 2006: 1368 yards, 1250 yards.....with Rice...1308 yards, 717 yards



PJames best numbers is 800+ rushing yards (2 years ago).

 

[RUsojo]

NOT EVEN CLOSE! We're talking about a guy who can't make it half way through the season in Paul James, a third year player who has switched positions multiple occasions in Goodwin, a small back from PA who has almost no sample size in People's, and two true sophomores - again with no sample size.

Ray Rice/Brian Leonard is hard to top. Though used differently in their final season, that's Cedric Benson/Cadillac Williams, Lawrence Maroney/Marion Barber caliber.

That is what REAL DEPTH looks like people. There is one real proven player and he doesn't stay healthy. The two freshman MIGHT be good, but throw out a bowl game performance and there is next to zero samples size available. The others? Well, those two unproven guys jumped them... Throw in Kordell young as a very little something extra and RR/BL et all blow this group out of the water. We really have no idea what we have yet with this group.

 

[Rokodesh]

Rice was better than all of them clearly, but we never went 5 deep while he was here.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

No one asked who was better, the question is if this the deepest.

 

[Ru2bnj]

I really like what I saw of the two young RBs...Hicks and Martin last year. They should be better this year. They are pretty explosive and can run inside or outside. They both seem to have good vision and are tough. I think this is the deepest RB group at RU...certainly in my memory.

 

[srru86]

Rice/Leonard and any other 3 running backs would be #1.

I like our guys but have to agree with this. Hope we are proven wrong.

 

[mikefla]

even without James..,,deepest I can recall......

 

[RUich]

I can't even remember any RB's behind Rice/Leonard. Goes to show how durable they both were I guess. But, we did see real depth last year. When James went down, we just seemed to reload like so many of the top programs. I like our prospects this year. I can see a true rotation of fresh legs with virtually all of them getting their snaps to keep the defenses back on their heels. We may well need to do this if our passing game isn't all that good.

 

[JPhoboken]

I think there have been some 3 deep backfields that compare, but never a 5 deep. Beyond that, we'd normally be seeing some speculation about whether an incoming freshman like Snorweah makes the 3 deep. This year it's almost universally assumed he's a red shirt.

Snorweah has already said he doesn't see any way he isn't red shirting.

 

[RUChoppin]

Deepest, yes. Best? Yet to be determined.

Rice/Leonard were both beasts (against a weaker schedule, to be fair, but still hugely productive), but there really wasn't much behind them depth-wise.

James/Martin/Hicks/Goodwin/Peoples/Snorweah... that's easily more depth than we've ever had at the position. Talented backs are looking to other roles to find playing time, or are pretty much guaranteed to redshirt to wait their turn. We've never had that. If James can stay healthy, he can be a special back... but even then, we have so much competition at the position, we'll very likely be seeing Martin/Hicks/Goodwin taking some carries away over the course of the season, so his overall yardage output would be less than if he were the sole RB.

 

[ron313]

Is 2015 the deepest RU has ever been at RB? To whit, we have 3 RBs who can consistently get 100 yards a game against the BiG. That's probably not something you could have ever said in our history. Consider our most talented backfields in the last 20 years:

2015- James/Martin/Hicks/Goodwin (not to mention Peoples)

2006- Rice/Leonard/Young

1995- Willis/Presley/Bosch

never mind us, the rbs are the deepest the Big Ten has EVER seen. EVER.

EVER.

 

[S_Janowski]

Nothing against them, but I don't think Goodwin or Peoples add to our depth. Peoples really struggled against the big boys, just doesn't have the body. I think their carries will be very limited especially in BIG play. So you're left with an injury prone Paul James and 2 sophomores with limited carries so far. Tons of potential for the year ahead especially if James stays healthy but to say its the deepest rotation we've had yet is premature I think.

 

[vkj91]

Nothing against them, but I don't think Goodwin or Peoples add to our depth. Peoples really struggled against the big boys, just doesn't have the body. I think their carries will be very limited especially in BIG play. So you're left with an injury prone Paul James and 2 sophomores with limited carries so far. Tons of potential for the year ahead especially if James stays healthy but to say its the deepest rotation we've had yet is premature I think.

People's stats disagree.
Also, people need to understand difference between talent and depth. Yes BL and RR were both NFL backs but who was next? We have actually won games utilizing James, Martin , hicks, and Goodwin. Only the most downtrodden would deny they can all play.

 

[RUChoppin]

Paul James - Averaged 5.6+ ypc his first two years, and was averaging 4.4 ypc before his injury last year. Has not seen B1G competition yet.
Josh Hicks - Averaged 6.6 ypc against conference opponents and UNC. Two 100+ yard games.
Robert Martin - Averaged 5.2 ypc against conference opponents and UNC. One 100+ yard game.
Desmon Peoples - Struggled more than the first three, but had a strong outing against OSU (5.5 ypc, 83 yards, 2 TD)
Justin Goodwin - Struggled a bit last year, especially in conference games. Also had a strong outing against OSU (5.8 ypc, 64 yds)
Charles Snorweah - 3* prospect who will redshirt this season.

When was the last time we had a RB who redshirted because there just weren't going to be any carries for him? It may be that there aren't any carries for Peoples and Goodwin, if James stays healthy.

So far, this group hasn't come close to comparing to the productivity of Rice/Leonard - but there's definitely more depth.

 

[zappaa]

Hicks and Martin provided us with the definition of sample size.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

I would say no.


Rice/Leonard and any other 3 running backs would be #1.
Leonard was a proven "injury free" #1 RB when Rice took over.
If this years RB stay healthy then I would slot them at #2 ahead of Willis and Presley


Rice (2005 - 2007): 1120 rushing yards, 1794 rushing yards, 2012 rushing yards
Leonard Total Yards from Scrimmage 2003 - 2006: 1368 yards, 1250 yards.....with Rice...1308 yards, 717 yards



PJames best numbers is 800+ rushing yards (2 years ago).

Who were those 3 others that make them the deepest? If those other 3 never got carries they can't be the deepest.

 

[RUMorrisC]

Who were those 3 others that make them the deepest? If those other 3 never got carries they can't be the deepest.

 

[RUMorrisC]

This season offensively comes down to the OL. If the OL comes through we can run the ball with our talented backs, and allow our green QBs the time to manage the game. Same with the defense. Comes down to the DL. If we can pressure the opposition QB with a 4 man rush we make it easier for our increasingly talented back seven

 

[Arizona Knight]

NOT EVEN CLOSE! We're talking about a guy who can't make it half way through the season in Paul James, a third year player who has switched positions multiple occasions in Goodwin, a small back from PA who has almost no sample size in People's, and two true sophomores - again with no sample size.

Ray Rice/Brian Leonard is hard to top. Though used differently in their final season, that's Cedric Benson/Cadillac Williams, Lawrence Maroney/Marion Barber caliber.

That is what REAL DEPTH looks like people. There is one real proven player and he doesn't stay healthy. The two freshman MIGHT be good, but throw out a bowl game performance and there is next to zero samples size available. The others? Well, those two unproven guys jumped them... Throw in Kordell young as a very little something extra and RR/BL et all blow this group out of the water. We really have no idea what we have yet with this group.

You are clearly downplaying Hicks and Martin. I don't need to see a full season out of either to see they are/will be legitimate starting quality RB's at this level. Paul James if he could ever last a full season could be an All American.

The there is a drop off to the Goodwin, Peoples, Kordell Young types. I agree that 2006 is deeper only because Rice, Leonard and some kid out of the stands would still be better because Rice was that good.

 

[Bamm Bamm Rubble]

We've got the deepest backfield in the country. Screw the star system, our guys are proven. Paul James can very well be the best back in the country if he bounces back from his injury and stays healthy. He won't get enough touches on the ball to get the recognition, but can be the standout on a very productive running back cast. It does come down to the OL.

 

[fbc1866]

I like our backfield, but the QB helps the running game. Now, its good to be this deep. This might be the deepest due to the fact that we have 5 capable backs.

 

[MoobyCow]

Rice was better than all of them clearly, but we never went 5 deep while he was here.

I have a hard time saying we are 5 deep. Neither Goodwin, or Peoples have shown to be able to be the #1 guy, despite getting opportunities. Sure, they are on the roster, but there was a significant drop in production when they were starting. We do seem to be legitimately 3 deep though.

 

[bryanjints]

I have a hard time saying we are 5 deep. Neither Goodwin, or Peoples have shown to be able to be the #1 guy, despite getting opportunities. Sure, they are on the roster, but there was a significant drop in production when they were starting. We do seem to be legitimately 3 deep though.

I would agree with this. Goodwin and peoples are great backups to have but are not starters. So then the question becomes is James/Hicks/Martin deeper than Rice/Leonard/Young. Those 3 averaged 5.5 ypt which is very impressive. Hicks and Martin are definitely better than Young. But neither has shown they are on the same level as Rice or BL. When you throw in that James hasn't played a full season in 7 years I think the nod goes to the 2006 team. But with a full season out of James this year's team will make some national noise as to how good our depth is.

I think the biggest point in this discussion that's been overlooked is that if James weren'ti injury prone Goodwin wouldn't be a RB and Peoples probably wouldn't be either. So we have 5 rbs because our stud is injury prone. If RR or BL were injury prone the 2006 team had enough talent that 2 guys could have also played RB but it wasn't needed.

 

[RUChoppin]

"Deeper" does not have to mean "better" - and I think people are confusing the two. Saying that our current stable of backs is "deeper" than in 2006 is a fair statement - who was the #4 option in 2006? The #5? The #6?

We were fortunate to have Rice/Leonard stay healthy all year in 2006 - but having a elite, healthy one-two punch is not the same as having depth. If Rice/Leonard were hurt in successive weeks, we'd have had Kordell Young and... who? There were no other RBs on the roster, and the only other FBs were Jean Beljour and a freshman Jack Corcoran.

 

[S_Janowski]

People's stats disagree.
Also, people need to understand difference between talent and depth. Yes BL and RR were both NFL backs but who was next? We have actually won games utilizing James, Martin , hicks, and Goodwin. Only the most downtrodden would deny they can all play.

Peoples was overmatched in BIG10 play last year. We should have seen Hicks and Martin 1-2 games earlier. I see his carries being very limited and don't think he has the body or speed to be that effective against the BIG10 teams.

If James is healthy and Hicks and Martin pick up where they left off last year I think this is the deepest rotation. Just too early to tell and have to let the year play out.

 

[MoobyCow]

"Deeper" does not have to mean "better" - and I think people are confusing the two. Saying that our current stable of backs is "deeper" than in 2006 is a fair statement - who was the #4 option in 2006? The #5? The #6?

It has to mean better to an extent, otherwise you just count the number of players on the roster as depth. We have more guys with experience on this team but depth has to also be related to the expected drop-off after each player.

 

[Kbee3]

I have a hard time saying we are 5 deep. Neither Goodwin, or Peoples have shown to be able to be the #1 guy, despite getting opportunities. Sure, they are on the roster, but there was a significant drop in production when they were starting. We do seem to be legitimately 3 deep though.

I watched a repl

It has to mean better to an extent, otherwise you just count the number of players on the roster as depth. We have more guys with experience on this team but depth has to also be related to the expected drop-off after each player.

I think it's certainly true that we have more rbs returning this year that have had 100 yard games at RU
than ever before....and it's not even close.

 

[MoobyCow]

I think it's certainly true that we have more rbs returning this year that have had 100 yard games at RU
than ever before....and it's not even close.

That is probably true.
Other recent(ish) players at RU that had 100 yard games that I wouldn't necessarily consider quality RB depth:
Jordan Brooks
Savon Huggins
Mohammed Sanu
Jeremy Deering
Jordan Thomas
Kordell Young
De-Antwan Williams

 

[RUChoppin]

It has to mean better to an extent, otherwise you just count the number of players on the roster as depth. We have more guys with experience on this team but depth has to also be related to the expected drop-off after each player.

Sure - but in 2006, we had just two guys, and a true frosh at #3... and then nothing. Now, the 2 guys were exceptional and managed to stay healthy - which was a big benefit to us - but we did not have depth that year. We only had 2 RBs on the roster (Rice and true frosh Young), and a FB who could be switched over to RB if Rice went down (and we weren't deep at FB, either).

In 2015, we have James... then two quality sophomore backs behind him... then two more backs who have seen significant time over the last two seasons... then a freshman who is redshirting. That's 6 RBs on the roster, 4 of which will be fighting for PT behind James as the starter and 1 that is redshirting because the field is too crowded (there was no way Young was redshirting in 2006 as the only other RB on the roster - he was needed immediately to have any type of depth behind Rice).

While the top 2 have not shown (yet?) that they can match Rice/Leonard in productivity, there's much more of a depth safety net in 2015 than we had in 2006. We were very fortunate in 2006 to avoid injuries at RB, QB, OLine, and TE... because there wasn't a lot of depth at any of those positions.

 

[MoobyCow]

Sure - but in 2006, we had just two guys, and a true frosh at #3... and then nothing. Now, the 2 guys were exceptional and managed to stay healthy - which was a big benefit to us - but we did not have depth that year. We only had 2 RBs on the roster (Rice and true frosh Young), and a FB who could be switched over to RB if Rice went down (and we weren't deep at FB, either).

In 2015, we have James... then two quality sophomore backs behind him... then two more backs who have seen significant time over the last two seasons... then a freshman who is redshirting. That's 6 RBs on the roster, 4 of which will be fighting for PT behind James as the starter and 1 that is redshirting because the field is too crowded (there was no way Young was redshirting in 2006 as the only other RB on the roster - he was needed immediately to have any type of depth behind Rice).

While the top 2 have not shown (yet?) that they can match Rice/Leonard in productivity, there's much more of a depth safety net in 2015 than we had in 2006. We were very fortunate in 2006 to avoid injuries at RB, QB, OLine, and TE... because there wasn't a lot of depth at any of those positions.

I'm not arguing 2006 was deeper. All I am arguing is that the talent at each level of the depth chart is a consideration. I consider us 3 deep if PJ is healthy. After that the drop off is just too large for me to consider it real depth. We showed the last two years that our offense is considerably worse when when those guys start. If our offense stalls with #4 in there I don't really care how much playing time he has had.

 

[RUChoppin]

So, I guess that means you agree that 2015 is the deepest we've ever been (which I believe, too). I also believe that we had a better quality stable of backs in 2006 (until proven otherwise).

As to the offense stalling with #4 or #5 in there... we didn't even have a #4 on the roster in 2006. If Rice/Leonard/Young all went down... we'd have probably needed to put someone like Jabu or Tiquan in at RB, with no experience at pass blocking or taking handoffs. Even with the drop off after Martin/Hicks, Peoples/Goodwin are still better than switching in another positional player and hoping for the best.