Rutgers needs running game to get in gear

PISCATAWAY - Somewhere in the midst of Kordell Young's freshmanyear, toward the end of some tailback drill, Ray Rice yanked on theyounger back's jersey.

"When you run," Rice told Young, "treat every carry like it'syour last."

Fast forward two years to earlier this week and Jourdan Brooks,while sitting on a bench outside Rutgers' practice field, listed themost important traits he's gleaned off Young.

"Kordell taught me to treat every carry like it's my last," theredshirt freshman said, unwittingly repeating the Tao of Rice. Andyet, as much as the Scarlet Knights want to see remnants of Rice --who's now doing his rushing for the Baltimore Ravens -- on theirfield, they may at the same time be too beholden to his model. Afterall, it's not every run game that can work on just one workhorseback.

"I think Kordell and I can be good complements," Brooks ventured,somewhat hesitantly, and perhaps somewhat hopefully.

At 1-5, the Scarlet Knights head into Saturday's homecomingmatchup with 5-1 Connecticut having fallen short in all sorts ofareas. It's the absence of any significant running game, however,that most messes with the offensive identity coach Greg Schiano hascarved in eight years here.

Reared on power running in both the Big Ten and out with theChicago Bears, Schiano came to Rutgers intent on pounding thefootball. He had Brian Leonard and Rice fulfilling his run-firstambition. But with Rice cutting out before his senior season, andthree linemen graduated, the Knights today are barely-run, much lessrun-first.

Rutgers' 113.2 rushing yards per game ranks last in the Big Eastand 98th in the country. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Young won thestarting job in camp and had a solid 26-carry, 94-yard day in anopener that featured suspect blocking. But then troubles caused byhis brace sidelined Young, and the Knights cycled through first 5-10, 190-pound Mason Robinson and then 6-2, 235-pound Brooks as aprimary ball carrier. Brooks, and Joe Martinek, had strong outingsin a good running day against Navy (the former carrying the ball 22times for 134 yards, the latter eight for 61), decent outings thenext week against Morgan State (18 for 65 and nine for 26,respectively) and then came West Virginia, when the day's best carrywas quarterback Mike Teel's. Martinek didn't touch the ball.

Young returned against Cincinnati (22 carries for 68 yards),Brooks got just three carries then and Schiano said, "I thought itwas Kordell's game."

"The starting tailback is going to be Kordell Young, so if getscooking, then you're going to see more of Kordell Young," Schianosaid, in a clear recall of how loathe he was to give any backbesides Rice carries a year ago. Only if Young's "on and off," hewent on, "then I think you mix it up."

Schiano, of course, wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility ofBrooks and Young turning into a legitimate dual threat, but evenwith the Giants and their three backs just up the Turnpike, hedidn't sound particularly enamored of the prospect, saying, "Youcan't get four guys ready, there's not enough practice reps in aweek ... You can only get two, and maybe a third guy's in thebullpen."

For his part, Young insisted he "shouldn't need 20 carries to getin a rhythm." He said, "it doesn't make a difference from myperspective [how carries are divvied]. It's my job to make everycarry count, no matter how many I get."

Playing to form, the bigger Brooks virtually echoed Young andthen said going from primary threat to sideline watcher is "okay,because I'm still learning so much from Kordell."

And, indirectly, from Rice too. Now if only that lineage, inpieces or together, can pull out some Ray Rice runs to match theirRay Rice quotes.

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