Two years ago Duke finished dead last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards. After a small step in the right direction last year, the Blue Devil backs look to take a giant leap forward this season.
“The depth is incredible,” senior running back Jay Hollingsworth said. “We’re still kind of young but it’s a pretty unique group because we all have in-game experience. At some point we’ve all started a game or two.”
Hollingsworth helps fill a backfield that returns last year’s leading rusher Desmond Scott, sophomore Josh Snead, sophomore Juwan Thompson and redshirt junior Patrick Kurunwune.
Scott, entering his junior season, is the first name on the depth chart. After fighting his way into a starting role last season, the former four-star recruit and Durham native ran for 530 yards and three scores while starting 11 of Duke’s 12 games. He also added 266 yards through the air on 34 catches. All told, he finished fifth in the ACC in all-purpose yards per game.
He claims his strengths are his vision, quickness and speed. He’s also fumbled just once in his 275 career touches.
“My role [this season] is just doing my job,” Scott said. “Whether that’s running, pass blocking or catching, it’s just doing what the coaches ask me to do.”
Snead, Hollingsworth, and Thompson all follow Scott on the depth chart. Snead—who will miss Saturday’s opener against Richmond with a foot injury—is one of the more elusive backs the Blue Devils have and led the group with nearly five yards per carry last year.
“There’s a lot of cohesion,” offensive coordinator and running backs coach Matt Luke said. “Each back is unselfish and has different strengths that work well together. The strength of the unit is their versatility. We have guys who can do everything.”
Hollingsworth said he sees himself as the leader of the backfield due to his age and experience. The lone senior of the group recorded 175 rushing yards and two scores last season. Capable of running both north-south and to the outside, Hollingsworth’s strong pass-blocking skills should get him some time on the field.
At 5-foot-11 and 215-pounds, Thompson is a bruising back that’s listed as the second-stringer behind Scott. He had 87 yards on 25 carries last season and recorded his first career start mid-season against Miami. Thompson’s size could be featured in short yardage and goal-line situations.
“We have an array of talents at the running back position,” Hollingsworth said. “A couple of guys have speed, some have power, and others have agility and elusiveness. It’s a great group.”
This unit is trying to build upon its improvement last season. Although Duke saw elevated production compared to 2009’s dismal rushing attack, it still has much loftier goals for the running game.
In 2009, the Blue Devils ran for 762 yards as a team. If Duke was a player, it would have nestled nicely in between Boise State back Doug Martin and Texas A&M back Cyrus Gray at 82nd in the country. Eight quarterbacks accumulated more yards than that total.
Last year the team nearly doubled that amount, rushing for 1,320 yards but still only moving up 16 spots to 104th in the country.
The backfield looks to take that next step at a key time for the team. While adjusting to a new defensive scheme, the ability to control the clock could go a long way toward allowing that new defense to get its footing.
It also might serve the Blue Devils’ goal of a more balanced offensive approach from a team that’s relied heavily on the pass in recent years, according to Luke.
An effective rushing attack could force defenses to keep more men in the box, making the play-action that much tougher to defend and opening the field for quarterback Sean Renfree.
But a talented running back corps can only do so much without any holes. With senior Kyle Hill returning at left tackle, sophomore David Harding returning at left guard and sophomore Perry Simmons returning at right tackle, there should be some stability.
Unfortunately for Duke, veteran center Bryan Moore is out with a broken arm, leaving question marks at both the center and right guard positions. If the inexperienced blockers can’t move defenders, any hopes of a prolific rushing attack will be dashed.
The Blue Devils’ backfield seems to have the versatility, depth, experience and motivation necessary. It remains to be seen if the rest can fall into place Saturday night.
“It’s the first game of the season, if you’re not hyped for this, then what do you get hyped for?” Scott said.
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