What About Hicks?
- Thread starter RutgersMO
- Start date
Joining Flood at his next coaching stop.
Seriously, camp just opened. It's open competition...the cream will rise to the top. No one will be handed a starting job or a spot on the 2 deep.....this ain't your Kyle Flood's Rutgers Team anyone.
Seriously, camp just opened. It's open competition...the cream will rise to the top. No one will be handed a starting job or a spot on the 2 deep.....this ain't your Kyle Flood's Rutgers Team anyone.
He better get his act together.
We just lost RB Peoples who left the program ( ongoing concussion ) and Paul James graduated.
We are getting thin a RB which was a strong part of our offense.
Last year when Cioffi got suspended and Hunt injured before the Army, Hicks played safety in that game and had an interception, fumble recovery, and was probably our best DB.
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In a season where little has gone right, the move worked to perfection. Hicks had six tackles, a fumble recovery and a game-sealing interception late in Rutgers' 31-21 win over Army at Michie Stadium.
"I probably couldn't have enough good things to say about Josh Hicks, who goes from being the MVP of our bowl game last year as a tailback and somebody who is a tremendous player at running back and tells me that he will play anywhere on the team if he can help the football team win," Flood said. "I will always appreciate that."
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In a season where little has gone right, the move worked to perfection. Hicks had six tackles, a fumble recovery and a game-sealing interception late in Rutgers' 31-21 win over Army at Michie Stadium.
"I probably couldn't have enough good things to say about Josh Hicks, who goes from being the MVP of our bowl game last year as a tailback and somebody who is a tremendous player at running back and tells me that he will play anywhere on the team if he can help the football team win," Flood said. "I will always appreciate that."
I'm wondering if Hicks is struggling to make the transition to the spread (running without a fullback, picking up more blocking assignments, participating more as a receiver, etc) or if it's more of a summer workouts thing, where he wasn't showing consistent effort under Coach Parker.
It is day 1.... he will have a chance to make the 2 deep but he will have to earn it just like everyone else.
RB is just about the only position I don't worry about. Martin is a very good back. Hicks is too, he probably just needs a wake up call or something. Then you have a senior in Goodwin and Sneed may be the most hyped recruit we have this class.
Happy to have left most behind in North Carolina after UNC. I knew it was time to get bsck to Jersey when, walking into the Dean Smith Center for a game one Clemson fan exclaimed "Greeeattt Balls of Fire-It's Gong to be a tough game today!"
I assume DM will run the same zone blocking scheme that Herman runs. It's a one cut and go system for the RB. If you dance or hesitate the play is done. I'm not saying that Hicks can't play that system but it does benefit certain type of runners more than others.
Looking at Houston's RBs in the passing game... their three top RBs had 339 carries and 27 receptions (about 1 reception for every 13 carries). Our three top RBs had 370 carries and just 15 receptions (about 1 reception for every 25 carries).
If our offense resembles Houston's, we can expect our RBs to be targeted about twice as often in the passing game than they have been.
Houston did go pretty deep at RB, though, which means we may too. Of the total handoffs (not counting QB runs), their top three RBs had 42%, 19%, and 16% of the carries... with an additional 6 players making up the remaining 23%. QB runs accounted for about a third of the overall rushes, too.
If the staff settles on Martin as the #1 back, it might be that Goodwin/Hicks/etc may be used more situationally (3rd down, short yardage, etc).
If our offense resembles Houston's, we can expect our RBs to be targeted about twice as often in the passing game than they have been.
Houston did go pretty deep at RB, though, which means we may too. Of the total handoffs (not counting QB runs), their top three RBs had 42%, 19%, and 16% of the carries... with an additional 6 players making up the remaining 23%. QB runs accounted for about a third of the overall rushes, too.
If the staff settles on Martin as the #1 back, it might be that Goodwin/Hicks/etc may be used more situationally (3rd down, short yardage, etc).
Have to also account for the ability to pick up the pass rush when we go 3 and 4 wide, which I'd expect we do more often this year than previously.
And Goodwin had 13 receptions for 93 yards last year, and 11 rushed for 20 yards.
Martin had 5 receptions for 17 yards.
Hicks had 4 receptions for 25 yards.
James had 6 receptions for 40 yards.
Notably, Goodwin, who was not in the top 3 RBs for rushing yardage, surpassed all of them combined in receiving yardage. That may be why Goodwin is up on the depth chart.
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Goodwin was brought into passing situations. That is why he had more receptions. Based on Ash's brief comment on Hicks, it seems to be more about Hicks and his consistent effort than it is about Goodwin. Let's see where the depth chart is after the second scrimmage.
But there must have been a reason he was brought in on passing situations. He also led the team in receptions in 2014 (actually, he had one less than Desmon Peoples), while James, Hicks and Martin had only a couple of receptions each.
Ash also said yesterday that Hicks "has a long way to go." That is consistent with those who surmise that Hicks is in the dog house. The staff has not clearly explained why (nor should they publicly), but it's clear Coach Ash is trying to light a match under Hicks.
If Peoples was back, I don't think he'd get much. He'd probably be #4 RB and come in on passing downs once in a while
Ash has taken over a construction project that requires a lot of work - and in some areas a lot of rework - there are some spots where he will yank a piece out immediately and try to make needed modifications - then there will be other spots where he will (for a period) leave an incorrectly selected "bearing wall" in place - until he implements various remedies & installs supports & can then replace that bearing wall with a more appropriate selection.
What is placed on the field & implemented this year will be a 'rough draft' - it will be a blend of culture change & a battle to demonstrate substantive progress with the materials available.
Just guessing - but suspect that Ash's #1 measurement of success will be more along the lines of getting every player on the field to play every down with intensity & total intelligence - like the National Championship is on the line - regardless of being up by 40 / down by 40 / or tied. Names on jerseys will matter little.
What is placed on the field & implemented this year will be a 'rough draft' - it will be a blend of culture change & a battle to demonstrate substantive progress with the materials available.
Just guessing - but suspect that Ash's #1 measurement of success will be more along the lines of getting every player on the field to play every down with intensity & total intelligence - like the National Championship is on the line - regardless of being up by 40 / down by 40 / or tied. Names on jerseys will matter little.
Watching Peoples in the 2014 Ohio State game (maybe his best game) and a couple of other games, he did add a different dynamic and was effective. In the Ohio State game he was 15/83 (5.5 YPC and 2 TDs). The Defensive Coordinator from tOSU in 2014 must have been pretty bad. :grimace:
Good point. The new offense would've suited him nicely
FWIW: Hicks is far from being in the doghouse...love how the uninformed make very dumb statements...you will see plenty of Hicks toting the ball.
Hicks has an amazing YAC (yards after contact), might be the best in the B10.
He's definitely going to play. Especially in goal line.
He's definitely going to play. Especially in goal line.
Aren't moderators supposed to keep things on track instead making things worse?
I would think the comment on deportation would have given an indication of the tone of my response.
Per ESPN, Martin led the Big Ten last year in YAC with 2.84, which was 12th among RBs in P5 conferences. Hicks was 2nd in the Big Ten in conversion of 3rd and 3 or less, converting 9 of 10.
Did you miss Peoples last year?...He was by passed the year before by Hicks and Martin.
Because someone isn't first or 2nd on the 2 Deep the very first day does not mean " DOGHOUSE"...typical Rutgers retort by someone who has been on this board...use some common sense instead of speculations as many of us have done...
Wrong. Peoples was injured in the Indiana (or maybe the Wisconsin) game. He led the team in rushing in 2014. Hicks' first game was Indiana 2014.
http://www.espn.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/3127369/year/2014/josh-hicks
http://www.espn.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/537314/desmon-peoples
Maybe "dog house" is the wrong term, but Ash said what he said about a starting RB from last year's team - "he has a long way to go." I don't pretend to have your vast inside knowledge of what's going on inside RU football, but those words tell me that the Coach is trying to light a match under Hicks, as I surmised above.
