newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MATT SUGAM

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

PISCATAWAY – As he was writhing in pain on the turf at High Point Solutions Stadium, Savon Huggins feared the worst.

His right leg had buckled under the weight of offensive lineman Caleb Ruch who had incidentally fallen on it. He figured he’d blown out his knee and tore his ACL. Surgery would be needed followed by a long, tumultuous recovery.

Fortunately that wasn’t the case, but the injury would still put a cap on a disappointing season for the state’s top recruit. It was speculated Huggins would return for the bowl game, but he said while he would have liked to come back, it was better in the long run for him to sit out.

And so, Huggins comes back at what he says is “about 95 percent.” After running for 146 yards on 56 carries behind what was a suspect offensive line to start the season, Huggins freshman year didn’t go as expected. But looking back, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“It was a learning experience,” Huggins said. “I take everything in stride and just learn from it. I’m a sophomore now so now I have some experience under my belt so I know what to expect, and I know what I can do and move on from here.”

What he can do is score touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 200 pound tailback showed he has a nose for the end zone with five touchdowns.

However, Huggins also struggled with ball security, putting the ball on the ground several times at key junctures in games.

Between those fumbles and his 2.6 yards per carry average, it was the first time Huggins faced adversity in what has been an accomplished athletic career.

“I was a freshman. I was 18 years old. I was still young,” Huggins said. “There was just a whole bunch coming at me in waves, but I think I handled it well for the most part and now I just take everything I learned and move on.”

Right into a running back competition with Jawan Jamison.

Although Huggins doesn’t necessarily see it that way. Last year Jamison showed he can be the feature back. Huggins feels he can be that guy too. So why not just use them both?

“We both complement each other. That’s basically what it is,” Huggins said. ”We’re both going to get plays this year and do what we got to do. We can be a one-two punch.”

Not necessarily what was expected from the guy who was tabbed “the next Ray Rice” as soon as he signed his letter of intent. Then again, no one really expected Jamison to have the season he had last year. And with the way the game of football is evolving, the workhorse running back is becoming few and far between.

Besides, Huggins blocks out what others say he’s supposed to be and the mammoth expectations they put on him. So while one may think the Jacksonville, NJ native has more pressure on him after a failing to live up to the hype during his freshman campaign, it’s the furthest thing from Huggins’ mind.

“I try not to think about it. It’s there, but I have no control over that,” Huggins said. “If I mess up, I mess up. If I do good, I do good. Regardless of what you do there’s always going to be someone saying something about you so you just got to block it all out and play your game regardless.”

Which becomes easier after a season of struggles. As frustrating as it may have been, it was a blessing in disguise.

“I’m real grateful for it [last season] because it makes me appreciate what I’ve been through and when success does come I can say I’ve been through it all,” Huggins said. ”It’s destiny. Everything happens for a reason.”

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