Colorado State University Athletics
Spring Notebook: Running back combo focus of Day 2
3/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Less than 24 hours after concluding its first practice of the spring season, the Rams were back on the field for practice No. 2 on Saturday afternoon. Overall, head coach Mike Bobo said he was again pleased with the team’s focus, especially the offense’s response to a 3-4 defense.
“We’ve only been in shorts, but I like the first two days and how we’ve responded to the 3-4,” he said. “We’re practicing a lot of different looks, and there’s a lot of people coming free, but that will help us in the long run when going against a 4-3. When you go against a 3-4, it’s a little easier to make the transition, so I’m excited about that, and I think there will be even more growth on top of last year.”
CSU ran a 4-3 defense in 2015, but will switch in 2016 under defensive coordinator Marty English.
Another focus of spring camp has been the running back position. The Rams return two potent backs who rushed for more than 500 yards in 2015, which has running backs coach Bryan Applewhite excited.
“You have one kid who’s flashy and is a slasher (Dalyn Dawkins) and the other (Izzy Matthews) is coming right at you. They’re a good combination and complement each other well.”
Dawkins, a transfer from Purdue, rushed for a team-most 867 yards (5.1 per carry) and two scores in 2015, including 111.5 yards per game over the team’s final four regular-season contests. Matthews earned more playing time as the season progressed, finishing his freshman campaign with 590 yards (6.1 average) and five touchdowns. The rushing total was the fifth-highest in CSU single-season history among freshmen.
The thing that both need to improve on, Applewhite said, is being a complete running back, which means knowing the entire playbook and where each guy on the field is.
Applewhite on Dawkins: “Dalyn is extremely flashy. He’s fast. He can get full gear in one step. He can make people miss in tight quarters.”
Applewhite on Matthews: “Izzy is a bruiser. He’s going to make people not want to hit him. He’s hungry and always trying to better himself. He’s a competitor and competes against himself probably more than anybody.” Applewhite also mentioned that Matthews has slimmed down, allowing him to show more speed.
Both Applewhite and Bobo noted, however, that the running game is more than the duo. Bryce Peters, a scout team MVP three weeks in 2015, is running at fullback (where he was moved to in 2015) and tailback this spring.
“Bryce has taken the opportunity,” Applewhite said. “He sees that his reps are going up and he’s doing a really good job. Both positions is a lot on his plate, and I’m really proud of him. He’s taking it on and doing everything. It’s only been two practices, but I’m very, very happy with what he’s showing.”
While the running game looks strong, Bobo wants to make sure that the offense is more than just the ground game.
“We lost two very good receivers and two very good tight ends,” Bobo said. “We weren’t potent in the passing game, but we were still a threat. No matter how successful we are in the running game, though, we have to be multidimensional.”
Junior Day:
More than 100 high school athletes from 16 different states were on campus Saturday for Junior Day. The prep stars got a tour of campus, athletic facilities and even got to go inside construction of the new on-campus stadium.
Two days off:
After back-to-back practices, the Rams will have two days off before returning to the practice field on Tuesday afternoon for their third practice. That day they will also add shells; the first two practices were in shorts.
