SWC75
Bored Historian
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Running Backs
Seniors: Abdul Adams 5-11 210 (was 205), Chris Elmore 6-0 265 (was 288)
Juniors: Jarveon Howard 5-11 205 (was 5-10 214)
Sophomores: Cooper Lutz 6-0 210 (was 201)
Freshmen: Mario Escobar 5-9 180, Josh Hough 6-3 255, David Obeno-Agyapono 5-11 185, Joe Pinjuh 5-9 205, Sean Tucker 5-10 210 (was 202)
Gone:
Devin Flowers has impressive size (6-0 245) and stats, (5,500 rushing yards, 63TDs), but was a walk-on and is not currently on the roster. I found nothing explaining why.
Jawhar Jordan transferred to Louisville, where he may be scoring TDs against us. Welcome to college football, 2021.
Garrison Johnson was similar to Flowers, (5-10 247), but he hit the transfer portal before last season even began and I was not able to find out where he went.
Markenzy Pierre was a promising player who failed to take advent age of his opportunities. He is now at Dino’s old stomping grounds, Eastern Illinois. I wonder if the coach found him a spot there.
Ja’Tarie Washington was a former 3 star recruit coming back from an injury who joined the team as a walk-on in the spring but is not on the fall roster for unknown reasons.
Adams and Howard sat out last season due to Covid concerns. There was talk they were going to declare for the draft but they decided to come back. This creates an interesting competition with Tucker, who as a freshman showed star potential in their absence. The three of them are virtually the same size and Adams and Howard had virtually the same stats in 2019: Adams 87c/336y/3TD, Howard 76/337/3. Adams was the better pass receiver: 15/141/0 vs. 9/53/0. Howard was mostly used in short yardage and goal line situations, where he was effective (4.4). Adams came here from Oklahoma with some gaudy stats: 53/283(5.3)/0 as a freshman and 59/542(9.2!)/1 as a sophomore. The TD was a 99 yarder:
I don’t have a highlight film for his time at Syracuse but he averaged 3.9 ypc for us, not 9.2.
Howard had an impressive high school tape:
Jarveon Howard!! Senior Season!!
What impresses me is that while he’s thought of as a power runner, he keeps out-running all those high school defensive backs to the end zone. Here is his highlight film from 2018, when he was a freshman and had 68/315(4.6)/7:
Syracuse RB Jarveon Howard Top Plays 2018
I see some really good power running, (he’s great at the goal line), but not the break-aways. The defenders are a bit quicker and swifter at this level. I note that Howard now weighs less that Adams or Tucker. I wonder if he’s lost weight to gain speed to help him win this competition and not just be a goal-line guy.
Tucker introduced himself after Adams and Howard had opted out, Jordan had gotten injured and Pierre had failed to impress, in the Georgia Tech game, which proved to be our lone victory of the season:
www.youtube.com
He had 24/112(4.7)/2 in that game, including that whirling dervish move over the body of a tackler. And later had 100 yard games against Liberty and Notre Dame. He wound up with 137/626(4.6)/4 for a team with a bad offensive line. He’d been hand-timed in 4.29 second in the 40-yard dash, which is extremely fast. I found an article where Howard says he ran a 4.4 but could not find one for Adams. Steele ranked them #32 (Adams), #57 (Howard) and #99 (Tucker), although he said “Tucker looks like a future star”. 247 had Adams at #15, Howard at #36 and Tucker at #58. Whatever…they are all very talented and we are blessed to have all three. Lindy’s: “Sean Tucker is one of the ACC’s most promising young running backs .”
Lutz was pressed into service when Tucker got hurt and showed not only running but pass catching ability. He carried the ball 43 times for 246 yards, an impressive 5.7 yard average and one score while catching 8 passes for 56 yards. He tended to run more straight up than the others but was always looking over the field for a seam and he has good hands, which is why they had him at receiver even though he’d been a pretty good-looking running back in high school:
Steele has him at #209, 247 at #284. I couldn’t find a 40 time but that didn’t matter when he went 80 yards against Notre Dame:
www.youtube.com
Trebor Pena has a similar resume: a good high school running back switched to receiver who could be switched back in a pinch. I hope it doesn’t come to that.
Elmore’s position is “football player”. He’s played fullback, (where he is currently listed), tight end, guard and defensive tackle. Last year I wrote: “Chris Elmore is listed as a tight end but he’s really just a blocker for short-yardage situation and was being tried on defense late in the season. He’s a big bowling ball of a guy but seems to lack technique on either side of the ball and is no threat to do much with the football if he gets it. He just tends to throw his body into the mosh pit: a tough, game kid but not a big force on the field.” He was much more admired that that by most fans for his willingness to “ride to the sound of the guns”, (a quote from Napoleon’s cavalry commander, Marshal Murat), and charge into the other team wherever he’s needed. But even his biggest fans were shocked to see him listed as a starting guard as last season began. We’d lost so many linemen to injury and Covid that he was pressed into service in that position, which is a lot more complicated than the ‘lead blocker’ he’d been. There’s pass protection, traps, pulling for the sweep or roll-outs. It seemed to be a disaster in the making but he actually played very well: when plays broke down, it wasn’t at his spot. Still, now that we have 19 offensive linemen available, Chris is back leading the charge, especially on short yardage situations. He was one of those who took advantage of that extra year of eligibility to help us out. He doesn’t get the ball much: In four prior seasons he’s carried the ball 28 times for 65(2.3) yards and 3 scores and 23 of those carries were when he was a freshman. He’s caught 2 passes for 11 yards. The guy with the ball is usually right behind him. Steele: #81, 247: #88 (but as a defensive lineman)
Then there’s the new guys, essentially the new guy….
The big name is Hough (as in “I’ll Hough and I’ll pough and I’ll blow you’re house down”), who combines massive size, (6-3 255) with the speed to take it the distance, at least in high school: “Rushed for 2,048 yards and 29 touchdowns on just 124 carries (16.7 yards per carry!), as a senior for Beaver Falls … Rushed for 4,378 yards in his high school career” (Cuse.com). here he is in action:
www.youtube.com
What jumps out at me is that there’s very little power running showed here. On most of these runs, he’s untouched. Part of that is excellent blocking. Part of it is Josh’s quick acceleration though the line and his ability to pick the correct hole and look for the seams. But I have to say I didn’t see how good a short-yardage power runner he is. Maybe there were so many long plays to highlight that there was no room for those plays. Maybe he’s just so much bigger than the average high school player they are afraid to make contact with him. I’m not saying that Josh isn’t a great power runner. I’m just saying that this clip doesn’t show me that. Also, a lot of those plays are sweeps, something we don't run often or very well. Like Howard, he can sure run past those teenagers. But will he be able to do it against ACC-level college players? He was measured at 4.69 in the forty, which is good for a man his size but otherwise not exceptional for a college running back. Steele ranked Hough the #118 RB in the nation, 247 #84 – good but not exceptional rankings.
He’s been called a high school Derrick Henry. Will he be a college or pro Derrick Henry? We’ll have to see what happens on the field- if he plays this year. He’s got four veteran running backs ahead of him so a redshirt might make some sense. But in this era of the wide-open transfer portal, do we dare not use him? One more note: I thought his defensive plays were as impressive in their own way as the long runs on offense. He can bat passes down, use his quickness to get into the backfield and throws ball-carriers around as if they were crash test dummies. He'd make a heck of an inside linebacker, (much like Marlowe Wax, so was also a big-time power runner in high school but is now a very promising LB). Whatever happens with Josh, I’m glad it will happen in Orange.
Update: Hough has a leg injury that will set him back for a time. He was seen on crutches and wearing a leg brace for the 8/17 practice.
Escobar, Obeno-Agyapono, Pinjuh are freshman walk-ons.
Seniors: Abdul Adams 5-11 210 (was 205), Chris Elmore 6-0 265 (was 288)
Juniors: Jarveon Howard 5-11 205 (was 5-10 214)
Sophomores: Cooper Lutz 6-0 210 (was 201)
Freshmen: Mario Escobar 5-9 180, Josh Hough 6-3 255, David Obeno-Agyapono 5-11 185, Joe Pinjuh 5-9 205, Sean Tucker 5-10 210 (was 202)
Gone:
Devin Flowers has impressive size (6-0 245) and stats, (5,500 rushing yards, 63TDs), but was a walk-on and is not currently on the roster. I found nothing explaining why.
Jawhar Jordan transferred to Louisville, where he may be scoring TDs against us. Welcome to college football, 2021.
Garrison Johnson was similar to Flowers, (5-10 247), but he hit the transfer portal before last season even began and I was not able to find out where he went.
Markenzy Pierre was a promising player who failed to take advent age of his opportunities. He is now at Dino’s old stomping grounds, Eastern Illinois. I wonder if the coach found him a spot there.
Ja’Tarie Washington was a former 3 star recruit coming back from an injury who joined the team as a walk-on in the spring but is not on the fall roster for unknown reasons.
Adams and Howard sat out last season due to Covid concerns. There was talk they were going to declare for the draft but they decided to come back. This creates an interesting competition with Tucker, who as a freshman showed star potential in their absence. The three of them are virtually the same size and Adams and Howard had virtually the same stats in 2019: Adams 87c/336y/3TD, Howard 76/337/3. Adams was the better pass receiver: 15/141/0 vs. 9/53/0. Howard was mostly used in short yardage and goal line situations, where he was effective (4.4). Adams came here from Oklahoma with some gaudy stats: 53/283(5.3)/0 as a freshman and 59/542(9.2!)/1 as a sophomore. The TD was a 99 yarder:
I don’t have a highlight film for his time at Syracuse but he averaged 3.9 ypc for us, not 9.2.
Howard had an impressive high school tape:
Jarveon Howard!! Senior Season!!
What impresses me is that while he’s thought of as a power runner, he keeps out-running all those high school defensive backs to the end zone. Here is his highlight film from 2018, when he was a freshman and had 68/315(4.6)/7:
Syracuse RB Jarveon Howard Top Plays 2018
I see some really good power running, (he’s great at the goal line), but not the break-aways. The defenders are a bit quicker and swifter at this level. I note that Howard now weighs less that Adams or Tucker. I wonder if he’s lost weight to gain speed to help him win this competition and not just be a goal-line guy.
Tucker introduced himself after Adams and Howard had opted out, Jordan had gotten injured and Pierre had failed to impress, in the Georgia Tech game, which proved to be our lone victory of the season:
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Syracuse Orange | 2020 College Football Highlights
Check out the highlights as the Syracuse Orange defeat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Week 4 of the 2020 college football season.#CFB #CFBHighlights✔ Sig...
www.youtube.com
Lutz was pressed into service when Tucker got hurt and showed not only running but pass catching ability. He carried the ball 43 times for 246 yards, an impressive 5.7 yard average and one score while catching 8 passes for 56 yards. He tended to run more straight up than the others but was always looking over the field for a seam and he has good hands, which is why they had him at receiver even though he’d been a pretty good-looking running back in high school:
Highlights | Syracuse at Notre Dame
www.youtube.com
Elmore’s position is “football player”. He’s played fullback, (where he is currently listed), tight end, guard and defensive tackle. Last year I wrote: “Chris Elmore is listed as a tight end but he’s really just a blocker for short-yardage situation and was being tried on defense late in the season. He’s a big bowling ball of a guy but seems to lack technique on either side of the ball and is no threat to do much with the football if he gets it. He just tends to throw his body into the mosh pit: a tough, game kid but not a big force on the field.” He was much more admired that that by most fans for his willingness to “ride to the sound of the guns”, (a quote from Napoleon’s cavalry commander, Marshal Murat), and charge into the other team wherever he’s needed. But even his biggest fans were shocked to see him listed as a starting guard as last season began. We’d lost so many linemen to injury and Covid that he was pressed into service in that position, which is a lot more complicated than the ‘lead blocker’ he’d been. There’s pass protection, traps, pulling for the sweep or roll-outs. It seemed to be a disaster in the making but he actually played very well: when plays broke down, it wasn’t at his spot. Still, now that we have 19 offensive linemen available, Chris is back leading the charge, especially on short yardage situations. He was one of those who took advantage of that extra year of eligibility to help us out. He doesn’t get the ball much: In four prior seasons he’s carried the ball 28 times for 65(2.3) yards and 3 scores and 23 of those carries were when he was a freshman. He’s caught 2 passes for 11 yards. The guy with the ball is usually right behind him. Steele: #81, 247: #88 (but as a defensive lineman)
Then there’s the new guys, essentially the new guy….
The big name is Hough (as in “I’ll Hough and I’ll pough and I’ll blow you’re house down”), who combines massive size, (6-3 255) with the speed to take it the distance, at least in high school: “Rushed for 2,048 yards and 29 touchdowns on just 124 carries (16.7 yards per carry!), as a senior for Beaver Falls … Rushed for 4,378 yards in his high school career” (Cuse.com). here he is in action:
Josh Hough Highlights | 2021 Signing Class
www.youtube.com
He’s been called a high school Derrick Henry. Will he be a college or pro Derrick Henry? We’ll have to see what happens on the field- if he plays this year. He’s got four veteran running backs ahead of him so a redshirt might make some sense. But in this era of the wide-open transfer portal, do we dare not use him? One more note: I thought his defensive plays were as impressive in their own way as the long runs on offense. He can bat passes down, use his quickness to get into the backfield and throws ball-carriers around as if they were crash test dummies. He'd make a heck of an inside linebacker, (much like Marlowe Wax, so was also a big-time power runner in high school but is now a very promising LB). Whatever happens with Josh, I’m glad it will happen in Orange.
Update: Hough has a leg injury that will set him back for a time. He was seen on crutches and wearing a leg brace for the 8/17 practice.
Escobar, Obeno-Agyapono, Pinjuh are freshman walk-ons.
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