newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MATT SUGAM

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

PISCATAWAY – As the game of football has evolved, so to has the role of the running back. The proverbial workhorse running back is becoming fewer and farther between. It’s clearly evident in the NFL, and trickling down to the college game.

And so, Rutgers is faced with a conundrum. Do they have a workhorse running back or go by committee with Jawan Jamison and Savon Huggins?

While it’s likely the latter will happen, head coach Kyle Flood made sure to be diplomatic with his answer, as it’s only April.

“If one guy performed at a level that pulled him away from the other, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to that,” Flood said after spring practice today. “I think the players make those decisions more than we do as coaches, but I would be very comfortable playing both of them a significant amount of time in the fall which is what we would do today if we were making a decision today.”

A choice both running backs would accept, but not exactly be content with. As competitors, both said they’d like to have a bulk of the carries, but know that won’t happen if both are healthy and play to the level they’ve played this spring. Which would only benefit Rutgers.

The key to having a multiple back system is having guys that can do similar things so the offense can run the same plays no matter who’s out there. If they can’t, you split up the playbook for the defense depending on which back is in. That wouldn’t be the case for the Scarlet Knights.

“I feel like we complement each other because we bring the same things to the table. He brings his top end speed and I feel like I bring quickness and power," Jamison said. “Durability — I feel like we both have that and we both have good moves.”

Not to mention how they fuel each other.

“We feed off each other,” Jamison said. “If he’s doing good, I’m going to do good, too, because I want to do better...I feel like we push each other.”

Even with the competition, the two remain friendly. They're close off the field, hanging out and living the life of college kids together.

While there’s no animosity off the field, things do change when they step onto the gridiron.

“In the running back room we’re all cool. We have fun,” Jamison said. “But when it’s time to step on the field it’s like everybody goes into their own zone. We’re all friends, but when we’re on the field it’s about business. It’s about who’s going to be the best today. Who’s going to bring it the most.”

Which sometimes has been Paul James. The rising sophomore has been a pleasant surprise this spring, looking like he could be in the mix to get some meaningful reps in the fall.

Like Jamison and Huggins, James is a hardnosed runner that runs down field, while exhibiting power and explosion.

“He was always a good back,” Huggins said of James. “He never got his chance, but he’s out there and he’s showing out and he's doing a great job so he can contribute, too.”

In the end, sometimes two — or three — running backs are better than one. And if the position battle in August goes like it has this spring, Rutgers will see that first hand.

“If I keep working and do what I have to do everything should fall into place. If that happens and we split carries so be it, but if one of us is the workhorse, then so be it,” Huggins said. “But right now we both are equally getting time and as time goes on during camp and everything, we’ll take it from there and see how everything goes.”

For more Rutgers football coverage follow Matt Sugam on Twitter @MattSugam and on Facebook.