Thursday, November 8, 2012

Johnathan Wallace earns spot as No.1 running back

Owls running back Johnathan Wallace ran for a career high 111 yards to go along with two touchdowns in FAU's 24-17 loss at Navy. Photo courtesy of Owl Pix.

By Rolando Rosa

Earlier in the season when the Owls were employing a "running back by committee approach", running backs coach Kerry Dixon had this to say of Johnathan Wallace:

"He's a strong runner. He just likes to run over people," Dixon said. "He's not really going to try to make a juke move in the open field. He's just going to try to bull you over."
 For the past three weeks, that's exactly what he's been doing to opposing defenses.

Wallace has racked up 299 rushing yards in his last three games. He began the season hampered by a hamstring injury, but now that he's healthy, Wallace is showing why he's emerged as the main man of the ground game.

"Johnathan isn't flashy, but he's a workhouse," Owls head coach Carl Pelini said to Owl Access. "He finds holes, he gains positive yards, he's strong and he doesn't fumble the ball. He blocks well, he protects well, and does everything we ask him to do."

Last week against Navy, Wallace rushed for a career-high 111 yards on 28 carries. Despite his downhill approach, in the last three games Wallace has had carries of 21, 24, and 28 yards.

Even though he's now a prominent player for the Owls offense, Wallace is remaining humble and deflecting the praise to his teammates and coaches.

"As a skill guy, I want the ball in my hands," Wallace said to Owl Access. "The coaches have been doing a great job of just scheming and play calling. It just seems like everything they call is the right play at the right time...The offensive line is blocking and the receivers are blocking downfield. I'm just one person and there are 10 other guys out there doing their job."


No comments:

Post a Comment