Kentucky's running game will have an advantage against the majority of their opposition when they take the field this season. Joker Phillips and staff have put together a stellar group of tailbacks that will be running away from defenders all season long. C. Ray Hall takes a look at the tailbacks in this article courtesy of the Courier Journal.
Unlike the QB spot, the tailback position has a clear cut leader in Derrick Locke. The senior from Hugo, Oklahoma looks to improve on his impressive season last year. Derrick Locke, the senior tailback, proved to be one of the most versatile backs in the Southeastern Conference last year, with 1,830 all-purpose yards. (He rushed for 907 yards, caught 31 passes for 284 yards and had 639 return yards, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.)
Following behind Locke will be Donald Russell. Russell didn't have that many carries last season, but he sure made the most out of them when he did. He averaged 10.5 yards per carry on 13 attempts. On one of those attempts, he ran for a 79 yard touchdown against Eastern Kentucky. He ran for a 65 yard touchdown in the spring game. “I'm not the fastest guy, but I can manage,” he said. “I feel like I'm very explosive.”
Freshmen Raymond Sanders is another explosive back who looks to take a few carries this season. Sanders has drawn some high praise from running backs coach Larry Brinson. “Raymond is a phenomenal kid,” Brinson said of the freshman from Stone Mountain, Ga. “I've been coaching for 20-some years, and I don't know if I've ever had a freshman running back come in and catch on as quick as he has.
If three are not enough, Kentucky also has three other backs waiting to run the ball. Sophomore CoShik Williams, redshirt freshman Jonathan George, and freshman Brandon Gainer will spend some time at tailback. Gainer is the cousin of Bengals reciever Chad Ochocinco.
Having so many talented backs in the backfield should increase everyone's play on the field. Gainer appreciates having all the other guys there becuase it makes him up his game. “So many guys, so many great talents that you've got to come hard every day. It just makes me work harder.”
Coach Brinson does caution everyone about the running game. Even though they have the talent, outside of Locke, they don't have the experience. “We have a lot of talent,” said Larry Brinson, who coaches UK's running backs. “But it's potential talent. We've got Locke starting off and Russell behind him. Then we get kind of inexperienced. It's good quality depth, but it's not experienced depth.”
