Of the Terrapin football team’s top three running backs, coach Ralph Friedgen said he doesn’t consider any of them second or third-stringers.
“They’re 1A, 1B, 1C,” he said. “That’s the way I look at it.”
Friedgen is talking about senior Josh Allen, junior Keon Lattimore and junior Lance Ball. All three are veteran runners who want the ball but are willing to put the team ahead of individual stats.
Allen is returning from a nearly year-long absence after he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and other damage in his left knee. Before going down with the injury in the Terps’ 2004 season finale, Allen posted 21 rushing touchdowns in three years, good for sixth on the team’s all-time list.
Allen said his knee feels 90 percent back to its old self.
That 10 percent disparity in Allen’s health, coupled with Ball’s breakthrough performance last season, puts a hint of uncertainty in the backfield. To add yet another wrinkle, Lattimore rushed for 196 yards and three touchdowns last season.
“I think pretty much everything is where it’s supposed to be as far as ordering,” Lattimore said after Tuesday’s practice. “But it still can be changed. Whoever comes out and has the hot hand is who will get most of the carries.”
Lattimore said Ball will most likely get the first crack at the starting role this Saturday, and he expects to be right behind him in terms of carries.
All three agreed, however, that no matter who gets the go-ahead from Friedgen, the healthy competition has pushed them harder through grueling summer practices.
“This is the most I’ve been challenged,” said Ball, who ran for 903 yards and six touchdowns last season. “Last year I had to step up real quick because Josh got hurt, so it was just doing my job and staying on point. But this is another page in my book.”
Ball and Allen are currently roommates, but as tight-knit as the running backs are as a unit, there’s always room for a little rivalry.
Ball is a solid blocking back and power runner, who can pick up first downs in short-yard situations. Lattimore lost 15 pounds in the offseason and said he has the ability to be a playmaker with the potential to break a long run.
Allen, the most experienced of the trio, said that while each of the three possesses unique abilities, the team-oriented mindset keeps the unit close.
“I’ve been there for them since they got here, especially when I was starting and they were learning from me,” Allen said. “They’ve always respected me and listened to me and taken things to heart. Even though last year was tough, it was also exciting to see them doing as well as they were. It’s encouraging knowing that no matter who gets the go-ahead for the starting job, he can go out there and handle business.”
The three backs also agreed that Friedgen made major changes in the offense, and that his play-calling, while slightly more complicated for the running backs, is a welcome change.
Lattimore said people can expect numerous two-back sets and passing routes out of the backfield.
“[Friedgen’s] play-calling will open a lot of eyes this year,” Ball said. “More motion, more movement and having more fun with the offense. You may see me throw the ball down the field this year. You never know.”
With three proven runners set to begin the season tomorrow, opposing defenses have a difficult task ahead of them. It’s not easy to prepare for a three-headed running-back shuffle.
“You have three guys who can pound the rock and can also go for the 80-yarder; that’s hard on a defense,” Lattimore said. “When a defense is worn out from us running the ball from one back and you have another back that comes in and does the same thing and then a third back, that kills a defense.”
Ball agreed, but in fewer words.
“It’s fresh legs, any time,” he said. “They can’t handle any of us.”
Contact reporter Geremy Bass at geremybass@gmail.com.
