Southern Miss may have the smallest group of running backs in FBS. Is Will Hall worried?
During Southern Miss football coach Will Hall’s two years as Tulane’s offensive coordinator, he had a talented batch of running backs who had the size to barrel through the line of scrimmage for tough yards up the middle.
As Hall starts his first spring on the job at USM, he has some gifted options to work with at running back, but they’ll have a very different look than his backs with the Green Wave.
The Golden Eagles don’t have one running back listed over 200 pounds, with redshirt junior Darius Maberry, a Clinton product, the largest of the bunch at 5-foot-9 and 196 pounds.
Hall’s top four rushers at Tulane last year averaged 5-11, 204 pounds, with each providing some power with the ball in their hands.
The average size of USM’s top four backs entering the spring is 5-10, 184 pounds, with the smallest being the 5-10, 173-pound Antavious Willis, a redshirt freshman.
That average size likely puts USM’s running back corps among the smallest in the nation this year.
Senior running back Kevin Perkins, who is 6-foot, 234 pounds, was expected to return for his last season of eligibility, but he has been absent this spring, and Hall has declined to comment on where he stands with the team.
At this point, it would be surprising to see Perkins return this spring.
While Frank Gore Jr. and Maberry have shown they can fight for first downs in short-yardage situations, Perkins added an extra dimension as a back who can block down field and dish out punishment on carries.
USM does have an emerging star in Gore, who appears capable of doing just about everything that Hall would need in his offense. The Miami native proved he can carry the load last season with 98 carries for 630 yards over the final seven games.
While Gore may top the depth chart, there’s no clear No. 2 behind him to start the spring. Maberry, speedy redshirt freshman Dee Baker and Willis, who played receiver a year ago, appear to be the team’s best options to provide depth behind Gore.
Maberry was the only one in that group who saw significant time last season, carrying 37 times for 210 yards for an average of 5.6 yards a carry with two touchdowns
Hall’s first group of signees didn’t include a true-blue running back, so it’ll likely be up to the group of four to produce in 2021.
Even though he’s got a depth chart full of scatbacks, Hall said Thursday that he isn’t concerned about the lack of size in the group.
“If you ever study (former New York Giants coach Bill Parcells and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick) with the whole way they mapped out scouting, they said running back is the one position you never put a size parameter on,” Hall said. “You just look at production. For every Barry Sanders, there’s a Jim Brown. For every Dave Meggett, there’s a Christian Okoye. What we look for is production. Can you make the first guy miss? People do it different ways. Some people make them miss, some people stiff arm, some run fast and run around them.”
Willis, who played quarterback at Velma Jackson High School in Camden, could prove to be a wild card in the group. He rushed 161 times for 1,705 yards and 31 touchdowns during his senior season of high school.
“We do have a bunch of little guys that can move, but one of them (Gore) was highly productive last year,” Hall said. “The others in that room are doing everything we ask right now. We’re excited about Antavious Willis. We think he gives us dynamic ability there as well. We’re going to keep working with them and go.”
Senior offensive lineman Arvin Fletcher, who will line up at center this season, believes the pieces are in place for a successful ground game.
“I think we’ll be fine,” Fletcher said. “Coach Hall is a great play-caller. I trust him. I have all the faith in the world in those guys — Dee, Frank and Maberry. I think we’ll be fine.”
Gore, who changed his jersey number from No. 21 to No. 3, will still be classified as a freshman this season after the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but last year’s performance gives him the credibility to step up as a leader in the running back corps.
Even as he was battling through a case of turf toe last season, he proved to be the main workhorse of the ground game.
He wants to help set to tone for the rest of the running backs this season, and he’s not afraid to make his voice heard.
“Every time we get in the huddle, I tell the other guys to be confident out there,” Gore said. “If you make a mistake, you want to make it fast. The person behind you, he can make you right. Be fast and be confident in what you’re doing.”
While Gore is trying to lift the running backs around him, it’ll be crucial for him to stay healthy and productive in 2021.
