Clemson’s depth at running back an issue?

By Bob Wilson  |   Thursday, July 12, 2007  |  Comments( 5 )

Clemson Tigers
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All of a sudden, the Clemson Tigers' depth at running back has become a concern. Ray Ray McElrathbey had impressed the coaches with a strong spring and locked down the third-string spot, but the Atlanta native underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last week. Team officials expect him to be ready in time for practice on Aug. 4, but one never knows with arthroscopic surgery.

While McElrathbey was not expected to get too many touches, he was the best case scenario if either James Davis or C.J. Spiller were to get injured. Now there is a big question mark behind the two marquee backs. The Tigers may have the best one-two punch in the ACC, but they are starting to look pretty thin behind their top pair of ball carriers.

Tommy Bowden and his staff will hope for a speedy recovery and plan on having the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder in the backfield in time for the season opener against FSU. Problems could arise, though, because even if McElrathbey is healthy in time, he will have missed a lot of offseason training and, potentially, a significant portion of the team's practices. For a young player making the move from defense to offense, missed practice time could be significant.

Fortunately, McElrathbey was an effective tailback in high school and played against high-quality opponents in Atlanta, so the position isn't completely new to him. He also got experience last year by playing tailback for the scout team at times and was able to go up against a pretty good defense in practice.

If McElrathbey is not ready, the options aren't great. Paul Macko, a senior out of Ohio, could be next in line. Macko has played well in the spring games, but he's yet to see any significant experience in a real contest. While he has been praised by the coaches for his effort, the drop-off in talent would be noticeable if the Tigers were forced to play Macko.

If Demerick Chancellor, who ran for 276 yards on 45 attempts in 2006, hadn't opted to transfer elsewhere to get more touches, he would have been the third-stringer.

Another option would be to give more carries to fullback Alex Pearson, who is a crushing blocker and could be an effective inside runner presented the opportunity. Unfortunately for the young fullback, he arrived at Clemson about 15 years too late. While the Tiger FBs used to get several carries a game in the 1980s and into the '90s, they have not been an important part of the offense under Bowden.

Most likely, if McElrathbey is not ready in time for the season opener, Clemson will look to move someone else. One intriguing possibility is Rendrick Taylor. At 6-2, 230, he would be a beast to bring down. Last season, offensive coordinator Rob Spence talked about using the physically talented player as an H-back and getting him some carries, but with the quick development of Spiller, it never happened.

Of course, in a perfect world, whoever the team's third-string back ends up being won't be called on too often. But, with the dearth of injuries the Tigers suffered in 2006, it would be nice to have some insurance in the backfield.
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