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Who Leads BYU in Rushing Yards This Season?

by Mars · 7/25/2010

Mars

7/25/2010, 6:13:15 AM

Who Leads BYU in Rushing Yards This Season?

J.J. DiLuigi?

Bryan Kariya?

Joshua "The Juice" Quesada?

Riley Nelson?

Someone else?

Schmoe

7/25/2010, 6:30:36 AM

Gonna be Kariya. He was our go to workhorse when Harvey was out last year and he's probably only improved. Look for him to surprise the MWC this year and go for big yards in several games.

Mars

7/25/2010, 6:33:02 AM

Schmoe wrote:
Gonna be Kariya. He was our go to workhorse when Harvey was out last year and he's probably only improved. Look for him to surprise the MWC this year and go for big yards in several games.

I hope not. I could see him get 100 carries this year and 190 yards. He's just too slow.

Schmoe

7/25/2010, 6:42:54 AM

Mars wrote:
Gonna be Kariya. He was our go to workhorse when Harvey was out last year and he's probably only improved. Look for him to surprise the MWC this year and go for big yards in several games.

I hope not. I could see him get 100 carries this year and 190 yards. He's just too slow.

Isn't that what everyone said about Harvey, and Tonga, and Fui...

Mars

7/25/2010, 6:47:29 AM

Schmoe wrote:
Isn't that what everyone said about Harvey, and Tonga, and Fui...

And when it came to games against TCU, they were right.

byutx

7/25/2010, 2:17:22 PM

Schmoe wrote:
Gonna be Kariya. He was our go to workhorse when Harvey was out last year and he's probably only improved. Look for him to surprise the MWC this year and go for big yards in several games.

If it is him, good for him. It will mean he will have passed up 3 or 4 RB's ahead of him in the depth chart. He just doesn't have the tools, speed or athleticism to be the every-down guy for an entire season. I see him getting a Semanoff's worth of carries.

QuarterbackU

7/25/2010, 3:02:55 PM

JJ will be the guy this year. I think some of you do not remember some of the incredible plays he made last year. He has an incredibly quick first juke in him. He also was trusted by Max and made some excellent catches out of the backfield...some of them way down field too. Don't disrespect JJ by anointing Juice the lead rusher.

I have to believe that something behind the scenes happened with Kariya. I can't explain why he did not get carries after the Oklahoma game. It's very strange especially after playing so well in the Vegas bowl the year before last. I don't get it, but I also don't like his straight up running style either. He is serviceable but not capable of the big play.

byutx

7/25/2010, 3:29:39 PM

QuarterbackU wrote:
JJ will be the guy this year. I think some of you do not remember some of the incredible plays he made last year. He has an incredibly quick first juke in him. He also was trusted by Max and made some excellent catches out of the backfield...some of them way down field too. Don't disrespect JJ by anointing Juice the lead rusher.

I have to believe that something behind the scenes happened with Kariya. I can't explain why he did not get carries after the Oklahoma game. It's very strange especially after playing so well in the Vegas bowl the year before last. I don't get it, but I also don't like his straight up running style either. He is serviceable but not capable of the big play.

You make great points about Di Luigi. I only went with Q because of his size-I think he'll step into Harvey's role, with JJ as a change of pace back. JJ has an extra gear that most BYU RB's never have-and he gets there really quickly. But, when we're running inside the tackles I just don't think he's the guy.

As for Kariya, as far as I know, nothing behind the scenes happened. He's a good guy and he works hard-he's just not as fast or athletic as the other guys. I would love to see him step up into the FB spot. I wouldn't expect him to get the amount of carries that Tonga got, though.

BYULV

7/25/2010, 3:34:35 PM

QuarterbackU wrote:
I don't get it, but I also don't like his straight up running style either. He is serviceable but not capable of the big play.

Kind of like Luke Staley and Jamal Willis?

I agree he is not on line with these two straight up runners. The stats show his biggest run was only 15 yds last years. Even Manase Tonga had one for 18 yds and Max Hall for 20. JJ was a lot more explosive. I think Quezada is going to be hard to keep off the feild and has the potential to outshine Unga's Freshman season.

Alphaleonis

7/25/2010, 3:59:39 PM

Does anyone have 40's times for these backs. Lots of references above to the speed (or lack thereof) of Kariya. What's his 40 time? Di Luigi's? Juice's? Just curious. Are they published anywhere by the team or do we have to go back to their times when they were being recruited?

QuarterbackU

7/25/2010, 5:30:06 PM

I think our perception of what it takes to run between the tackles has been skewed a bit at BYU with Tahi, Fui, Unga, etc...but don't forget Curtis Brown. I think JJ could turn in a Curtis Brown-like performance the next two years if given the chance. I also think that Riley Nelson could turn in an excellent performance the next two years as well. Unfortunately, I don't think either will get the chance given the fact that we've brought in some excellent recruits in Quezada and Heaps.

Keep in mind that a typical running back in college is 5'8"--195-205lbs. not 6'2"-235lbs. JJ could do very well in between the tackles, in my opinion.

byutx

7/25/2010, 11:08:00 PM

QuarterbackU wrote:
I think our perception of what it takes to run between the tackles has been skewed a bit at BYU with Tahi, Fui, Unga, etc...but don't forget Curtis Brown. I think JJ could turn in a Curtis Brown-like performance the next two years if given the chance. I also think that Riley Nelson could turn in an excellent performance the next two years as well. Unfortunately, I don't think either will get the chance given the fact that we've brought in some excellent recruits in Quezada and Heaps.

Keep in mind that a typical running back in college is 5'8"--195-205lbs. not 6'2"-235lbs. JJ could do very well in between the tackles, in my opinion.

JJ is considerably smaller than CB (I'd guess around 3 inches shorter and around 20 pounds lighter) and I don't think he is durable enough to take the kind of pounding that CB took.

Mars

7/26/2010, 12:15:31 AM

You know what I find funny about BYU? Our linemen are so big and strong, we don't really need a gigantic running back to push the pile, and yet that's what we've gone with recently. If we can only get our behomths to throw their weight around run blocking to create a good hole, it seems as if we'd actually succeed more getting a speedy back into that hole who can break loose for a longer gain. It seems to me that schools with much smaller, weaker O-line's need that huge bruising style of back. But I'm no coach and I could be completely backwards with that take.

Cougs_Rule

7/26/2010, 12:44:22 AM

Harvey could juke, and change directions AND he could also more asily break thru arm tackles. Love JJ, but he has to have a clear path or poor tackling by the other team to make it at the college level.

Wont be able to keep Josh off the field. Much like Heaps will need some breathers and Nelson will come in and spell him; so also will Josh either replace Brian and JJ or visa versa. But by end of season, expect to see alot of Heaps and Q and probably Apo as well.

QuarterbackU

7/26/2010, 1:19:17 AM

byutx wrote:
I think our perception of what it takes to run between the tackles has been skewed a bit at BYU with Tahi, Fui, Unga, etc...but don't forget Curtis Brown. I think JJ could turn in a Curtis Brown-like performance the next two years if given the chance. I also think that Riley Nelson could turn in an excellent performance the next two years as well. Unfortunately, I don't think either will get the chance given the fact that we've brought in some excellent recruits in Quezada and Heaps.

Keep in mind that a typical running back in college is 5'8"--195-205lbs. not 6'2"-235lbs. JJ could do very well in between the tackles, in my opinion.
JJ is considerably smaller than CB (I'd guess around 3 inches shorter and around 20 pounds lighter) and I don't think he is durable enough to take the kind of pounding that CB took.

I looked it up:

Curtis Brown was 6'0" 203lbs.

JJ Diluigi is 5'9" 198lbs

I doubt both of them are that big, they are inflating the numbers for intimidation purposes. But I would say JJ has the better body for a running back. In a perfect world I would want BYU's RB to be under 6'0" tall making them tougher to bring down and tougher to see for opposing LBs.

nogbody

7/26/2010, 1:33:20 AM

dmcougar wrote:
Harvey could juke, and change directions AND he could also more asily break thru arm tackles. Love JJ, but he has to have a clear path or poor tackling by the other team to make it at the college level.

Wont be able to keep Josh off the field. Much like Heaps will need some breathers and Nelson will come in and spell him; so also will Josh either replace Brian and JJ or visa versa. But by end of season, expect to see alot of Heaps and Q and probably Apo as well.

Exactly, That's the problem I saw with Kariya... no vision. Harvey could see the hole, improvise, and go, where when ever Kariya carried it, he would just aim for the whatever hole the play was called for and hope for the best.

Y12

7/26/2010, 1:55:56 PM

Here is a sneak peak of what the results will probably look like:

http://byufootballtalk.blogspot.com/2010/06/poll-results-who-will-lead-byu-in.html

Personnally, I like JJ and think he will play well, but if Q really is as good as advertised, then he might force himself onto the field because he is just that good, not because JJ is not cutting it. Either way, I think the coahces will design plays to get JJ touches in the open (use in the slot?) to take advantage of his athleticism and create mismatches.

Lawboy

7/26/2010, 4:14:54 PM

Y12 wrote:
Here is a sneak peak of what the results will probably look like:

http://byufootballtalk.blogspot.com/2010/06/poll-results-who-will-lead-byu-in.html

Personnally, I like JJ and think he will play well, but if Q really is as good as advertised, then he might force himself onto the field because he is just that good, not because JJ is not cutting it. Either way, I think the coahces will design plays to get JJ touches in the open (use in the slot?) to take advantage of his athleticism and create mismatches.

I just do not see JJ being an every down back. I see him being situational like he was last year. He was solid catching balls out of the backfield, and could be a slot guy at times for mismatches, along with Phillips and Falsev.

Harvey was the starter his freshman year after a couple games, and I think Q will as well. Again, like Heaps, he is not a true freshman in the sense fall camp is his first time on campus. He came in winter and played spring ball. So he knows the O, has had time to learn the blocking schemes, and he should be ready to go. I think he will be the workhorse by game 4 or so, with Kariya and JJ doing what they did with Harvey.

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