by Scott Goode
SEARCY – With less than two weeks remaining before the kickoff of the 2010 football season, Harding head coach Ronnie Huckeba released his first two-deep of the fall Tuesday. The Bison offense will be new-look and a blast from the past at the same time as Harding moves from a pass-first attack to a more balanced, option-style offense. It’s been more than 30 years since Harding fans have seen the option as the focal point of the Bison offense.
Five Bisons who started on offense in 2009 are slated to be in the starting 11 for the first game. Josh Powell returns as the starting quarterback with Kale Gelles and Jeremy Holt in the backfield. Jordan Watson returns as one starting wide receiver, and Garrett Taylor returns as a starter on the offensive line.
Below is a positional breakdown of the Harding offensive two-deep.
Quarterback
· 2009 Starter – Josh Powell
· 2010 Starter – Josh Powell (6-3, 215, SR)
· 2010 Backup – Chaz Rogers (6-1, 210, SO)
Josh Powell is the frontrunner for the starting job entering the first game, beating out Chaz Rogers and Lambuth transfer Kelvin Martin in a three-way battle. Powell started eight games for the Bisons as a junior and passed for 1,735 yards and 10 touchdowns. He missed three games with a knee injury that appears to be completely healed. Powell displayed his running ability with a 61-yard effort vs. Southwest
Baptist last season.
Rogers played in six games last season and passed for 431 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for more than 100 yards as Harding’s starter in the spring game that Powell missed due to his knee injury.
Running Back
· 2009 Starter – Jeremy Holt
· 2010 Starter – Kale Gelles (5-11, 200, JR)
· 2010 Backup – Kelvin Martin (6-2, 220, SO)
In Harding’s spread offense, Gelles rushed 40 times for 152 yards and a touchdown. He was also a weapon in the passing game, hauling in 37 passes (second on the team) for 358 yards and three touchdowns. As a high school junior, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram named Gelles one of the top six running backs in the Dallas area.
Martin was the Wildcat-formation quarterback at Lambuth as a freshman. At Harding, Martin will see time in the backfield, sometimes as the quarterback and sometimes as a running back. He rushed 76 times for 312 yards and five touchdowns and passed for 413 yards and three touchdowns at Lambuth.
Slot Back
· 2009 Starter – None
· 2010 Starters – Jeremy Holt (5-9, 180, JR) and Kyle Young (6-0, 225, SR)
· 2010 Backups – Alex Finley (5-10, 190, RsFR) and Braden Rubey (5-8, 185, JR)
A new position in the Bison offense in 2010, the slot backs are the pitch-men in the option offense. Holt, Harding’s leading returning rusher with 155 yards last season, is dangerous as a runner on the outside and also has great hands out of the backfield. He caught 34 passes for 345 yards last season. Young carried 15 times last season and had nine receptions but will have a much larger role in 2010.
Finley, who redshirted in 2009, will make his Bison debut in the backfield. He was a two-time All-District 6-5A honoree at Marcus High School in Texas. Rubey, who was a linebacker in high school, will be on the offensive side of the ball for the first time in his collegiate career. He spent the last two seasons as a defensive back and had 18 tackles last season, with nine of those coming on special teams.
Wide Receiver
· 2009 Starters – Terrence Davis and Jordan Watson
· 2010 Starters – Kurt Adams (6-4, 200, SR) and Jordan Watson (6-2, 195, SR)
· 2010 Backups – Tyler O’Quin (6-1, 200, JR) and Trey Gavin (6-2, 180, FR)
In Harding’s new offense, the wide receivers will play a different role. On many plays, their blocks can spring a big play in the option. And while they may not catch as many passes in the new system, the potential for big passing plays is always there, especially with two of Harding’s most prolific pass receivers returning for their senior seasons. Adams, who missed all but two games last season with a knee injury, has 1,886 career receiving yards and ranks second in school history with 22 touchdown receptions. Watson has 1,598 career receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
O’Quin had a solid sophomore season last year, catching 21 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns. Gavin is a true freshman from Bald Knob (Ark.) High School, where he earned 4A All-State honors after recording 72 receptions for 1,112 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior.
Offensive Line
· 2009 Starters – James Kee, Brad Parker, Chris Ross, Caleb Simmons and Garrett Taylor
· 2010 Starters – Jeremiah Vivio (6-3, 255, RsFR), Garrett Taylor (6-1, 285, JR), Dallon Hudson (6-5, 255, RsFR), L.J. Tarrant (6-0, 265, SO), Tory Day (6-0, 260, SO)
· 2010 Backups – Hunter Finley (6-5, 270, JR), Alex Guth (6-0, 265, FR), David Lee (6-2, 250, FR), Chris Ross (6-2, 295, SR), Austin Smithey (6-2, 220, SO)
The 2010 Bison offensive line will be very young, but it is also comprised of quick, tough players who can be successful in the option offense. The five players scheduled to start have combined to start 11 games for Harding, 10 of those coming from left guard Garrett Taylor. Left tackle Jeremiah Vivio and center Dallon Hudson are both redshirt freshmen. L.J. Tarrant saw action last season and started one game. Tory Day is a Division I transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette.
Ross started six games last season and will be in the mix at guard. Finley played in six games last season, primarily on special teams. Smithey moved to the offensive line during spring practice. Guth and Lee are both true freshmen who had outstanding high school careers.
No comments:
Post a Comment