Newcomers Bring Excitement to Backfield
8/26/2010 9:22:11 AM | Football
Millersville, Pa. - When the Millersville offense takes the field for the first time on Sept. 4, only one running back on the roster will have recorded a carry with the Marauders. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The coaching staff placed the recruitment of a running back as the No. 1 priority during the offseason. A position that lacked depth and explosiveness over the last two years is now teaming with talent. There could be as many as four newcomers that see action this year. The recruiting class was needed as the team lost Brad Lantz to graduation.
Lantz was Millersville's workhorse for the better part of four seasons, but he graduated and took 2,670 rushing yards with him. His versatility was also underrated as he was the only running back in school history with at least 2,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving. He left a void in the Millersville backfield that will likely be filled by speedy transfer Mike Jones.
Jones, a transfer from Syracuse University. The 5-foot-11, 202 pound Bishop McDevitt product rushed for 1,390 yards as a senior in high school, participated in the Big 33 All-Star Game and was rated as the 28th-best prospect in Pennsylvania by Rivals.com. After redshirting in 2008, Jones became the Orange's top kickoff returner in 2009. He returned 41 kicks for 987 yards and an average of 24.1 yards per return. He also averaged 7.6 yards per carry on eight totes and caught three passes.
Jones has all the ability to be the big-play running back that the Marauders have sorely lacked in recent years. And becoming more explosive with the run was an area that Coach Greg Colby wanted to address in the offseason.
“I'd be really disappointed if Mike didn't make an immediate impact,” said Colby. “He was a starting wide receiver at Syracuse in the spring so that gives you an idea of his athleticism and speed. He'll give us something there that we haven't had.
“If you look at our yards per carry in the run game, it wasn't bad,” said Colby. “But if you look at how many long plays we had, we didn't have many. We had to work our way down the field every time. We weren't a threat to score quickly. We are closer to having that threat now.”
Colby pinpointed incoming freshman Brandon Gunn as a player that could make an impact right away. Gunn is a versatile athlete that played quarterback in a spread option offense at Wissahickon.
Sophomore Fateen Brown has been taking snaps with the No. 1 offense as well. The American International transfer and Philadelphia native is built low to the ground is a tough to bring down. He rushed for over 2,000 career yards at George Washington High School.
Fellow freshman Barry Surrett Jr. has also received extensive work in camp. At 5-9, 175 pounds, Surrett is slight but quick and shifty. He totaled 1,103 yards rushing on just 123 carries as a senior at Newburgh Free Academy in New York.
Junior Steven Roberts, a special teams staple who appeared in all 11 games last year, provides depth. He is the only back on the roster with a career carry in a Millersville uniform.
The Marauders played most of the 2009 season without a fullback, but when needed, junior Greg Frantz shifted from tight end into the backfield. Redshirt freshman Eric Moore has bulked up and has been working as the starter in short yardage packages.
The coaching staff placed the recruitment of a running back as the No. 1 priority during the offseason. A position that lacked depth and explosiveness over the last two years is now teaming with talent. There could be as many as four newcomers that see action this year. The recruiting class was needed as the team lost Brad Lantz to graduation.
Lantz was Millersville's workhorse for the better part of four seasons, but he graduated and took 2,670 rushing yards with him. His versatility was also underrated as he was the only running back in school history with at least 2,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving. He left a void in the Millersville backfield that will likely be filled by speedy transfer Mike Jones.
Jones, a transfer from Syracuse University. The 5-foot-11, 202 pound Bishop McDevitt product rushed for 1,390 yards as a senior in high school, participated in the Big 33 All-Star Game and was rated as the 28th-best prospect in Pennsylvania by Rivals.com. After redshirting in 2008, Jones became the Orange's top kickoff returner in 2009. He returned 41 kicks for 987 yards and an average of 24.1 yards per return. He also averaged 7.6 yards per carry on eight totes and caught three passes.
Jones has all the ability to be the big-play running back that the Marauders have sorely lacked in recent years. And becoming more explosive with the run was an area that Coach Greg Colby wanted to address in the offseason.
“I'd be really disappointed if Mike didn't make an immediate impact,” said Colby. “He was a starting wide receiver at Syracuse in the spring so that gives you an idea of his athleticism and speed. He'll give us something there that we haven't had.
“If you look at our yards per carry in the run game, it wasn't bad,” said Colby. “But if you look at how many long plays we had, we didn't have many. We had to work our way down the field every time. We weren't a threat to score quickly. We are closer to having that threat now.”
Colby pinpointed incoming freshman Brandon Gunn as a player that could make an impact right away. Gunn is a versatile athlete that played quarterback in a spread option offense at Wissahickon.
Sophomore Fateen Brown has been taking snaps with the No. 1 offense as well. The American International transfer and Philadelphia native is built low to the ground is a tough to bring down. He rushed for over 2,000 career yards at George Washington High School.
Fellow freshman Barry Surrett Jr. has also received extensive work in camp. At 5-9, 175 pounds, Surrett is slight but quick and shifty. He totaled 1,103 yards rushing on just 123 carries as a senior at Newburgh Free Academy in New York.
Junior Steven Roberts, a special teams staple who appeared in all 11 games last year, provides depth. He is the only back on the roster with a career carry in a Millersville uniform.
The Marauders played most of the 2009 season without a fullback, but when needed, junior Greg Frantz shifted from tight end into the backfield. Redshirt freshman Eric Moore has bulked up and has been working as the starter in short yardage packages.
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