FORT COLLINS — We started the preview series with the quarterback position and how Colorado State has a stable of talented, young gunslingers to develop behind the presumed starter Clay Millen. Now we take our attention to the other position in the backfield, which is of course the running back.
When you think of the Air Raid offense, running back is not exactly the first position that comes to mind. It’s all about big-armed quarterbacks stretching the field vertically and play-making wide receivers bringing in highlight grabs on the outside. And for the record — the Rams should have plenty of that this fall. But while running backs may not necessarily be the headliner in a system that aims to produce north of 50 pass attempts in every game, they will deceptively play an important role in CSU’s offense.
Whether it’s a swing route, taking in a screen pass, running a Texas route, etc, all of the backs are going to have to be reliable options as receivers out of the backfield. Nevada’s starting running back in 2021, Toa Taua, averaged three catches per game. The other backs on the team combined for 31 more receptions last fall. So, it’s definitely part of the game plan.
Outside of providing yet another receiving option and occasionally carrying the ball between the tackles, the most important role for a running back in the Air Raid is arguably serving as the last line of defense for the QB. They have to be stellar in pass protection, and that’s why A’Jon Vivens seems perfectly suited to function as the team’s top running back in 2022. He’s a natural pass catcher and route runner due to his wide receiver background, which is obviously important, but Vivens is also one of the team’s better pass-blocking running backs.
A’Jon Vivens (1) carries the rock against Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.
After being used primarily as an alternate back to change up the pace in previous seasons, Vivens has an opportunity to really make a name for himself in this new system. As does Nevada-transfer Avery Morrow, who rushed for a career-high 88 yards on 17.5 yards per carry against the Rams in 2021.
Much like Vivens, Morrow has traditionally been second or third on the depth chart in previous seasons, but now in his third year in the system, one would assume that he is going to play a much larger role. If his performance against CSU last season was any indication of what’s to come, Ram fans will be ecstatic. But at the very least, Morrow should be a guy that along with Vivens, Norvell will be able to lean on at any point of the game.
Perhaps the biggest wild card for CSU this season is David Bailey. The former Boston College starter led the Rams in carries (197), rushing yards (757) and total touchdowns (9) in 2021. As the injuries and touches added up for him, though, he was increasingly ineffective.
Bailey was fairly productive as a pass catcher in the Red Zone in 2021, particularly in the first couple games of the season. Considering his experience and his size, there is a chance that he could be an impactful Red Zone option for CSU in 2022 too. However, outside of getting promoted due to injuries, it seems unlikely that Bailey will serve as the lead back under Jay Norvell.
David Bailey scores the first touchdown for the Rams during their game against South Dakota State University
Outside of the three we have already covered, redshirt junior Jaylen Thomas could be a player to keep an eye on. Thomas was third on the Rams in rushing with 222 yards back in 2019 before redshirting in 2020. He had 44 carries for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2021 but recorded just one reception in 12 games. Thomas averaged 8 yards per reception on 14 grabs in 2019, so it will be interesting to see if a new system better favors his skillset or not.
The other backs on the roster are David Aggrey (fifth year), and then Alex Berrouet and Mason Veve, both of which are redshirt freshmen. Aggrey usually ran with the threes throughout spring ball but occasionally got some reps in with the twos. I would guess that if these guys are going to be playing it will likely be on special teams. And even that’s not a guarantee considering Norvell has talked about having no qualms playing offensive and defensive starters there. You never know, though. Injuries could happen and then all of a sudden you have to deeper into the depth chart.
No matter which backs end up seeing the field this fall, the reality is that while the Rams are not going to be a run-first team like they were under Steve Addazio, if CSU wants to be a factor in the Mountain West then the Rams are going to have to run the ball in various situations. It’s already inherently easier to make a comeback in college football due to the clock stopping until the chains reset on first downs. If you can’t run the ball, though, and the passing game struggles at all, it will be hard to keep leads.
Fortunately, the nice thing about the Air Raid is there are aspects of the passing game that are essentially extensions of the rushing attack, like screens, and motion plays where the QB shovels the ball to a crossing receiver behind the line of scrimmage. The Rams will be able to show much more creativity than what they did under the previous regime.
