Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett both have the skills and resumés to start at running back for the Terrapin football team. So rather than choose one, the Terps have decided to feature both.
In the season opener against Navy on Monday, Scott picked up 36 yards on five carries on the first drive. The senior capped the Terps’ opening possession by taking a pitch into the left side of the end zone from five yards out less than five minutes into the game.
On their next drive, Meggett jump-started the offense with a 67-yard run, the longest of his career. Six plays later, the junior scored on a 3-yard touchdown run.
Less than 11 minutes into the in-state showdown, the Terps had a 14-0 lead due in large part to their tailback tag team.
“It’s phenomenal, just phenomenal,” running backs coach John Donovan said. “It’s just nice to know that you can have either one of those guys in, and no matter what play is called, you’re feeling pretty good about it.”
“At this point in time, I would say Scott and Meggett are 1A and 1B,” coach Ralph Friedgen said.
Scott has been the Terps’ leading rusher for the past two seasons, with Meggett finishing just behind him.
During his sophomore season, Scott, a perpetual threat to opposing defenses with his potential for breakaway plays, was the definitive starter and finished as the second-leading rusher in the ACC after a 1,133-yard, eight-touchdown season. Meggett, the burly bruiser of the two, served as a valuable backup during his true freshman season, racking up 457 yards of his own.
But last year, after Scott suffered a knee injury in the preseason, he and Meggett came in as equals. And when Scott broke his wrist against Clemson five weeks into the season, Meggett found the starting job resting solely on his shoulders for the next four games.
Behind an injury-riddled offensive line, neither amounted to much. In seven games, Scott compiled a team-best 425 rushing yards, while Meggett finished with 338 in 12 games.
But after slogging through a rough 2009 season and unfortunate circumstances, the Terps find themselves much improved.
Scott said having to sit out and watch Meggett run as the No. 1 back reinforced his confidence in his teammate and made him more assured in the team’s ground attack heading into this season.
“It definitely feels good to have him have my back and know I can tap out any time when I need some rest and not really have to worry about who’s in and who’s not,” Scott said.
Determined to avoid a repeat of last season’s disappointing performance, Scott remade himself. He got faster as he got bigger, parlaying his experience with the Terp indoor track and field team this winter into an even more explosive set of wheels.
“I think he’s improved on his weaknesses,” Friedgen said. “I think he’s a better pass protector than he was last year, I think he’s a better route runner, I think he’s a better receiver. He thinks better. He’s doing all the little things.”
Meggett, meanwhile, added considerable speed and strength to his already solid frame in the offseason, drawing frequent praise from Friedgen during the preseason.
Against Navy, Meggett took the lead for the tandem, running for a career-high 105 yards on eight carries. Scott finished with 58 yards on 10 carries.
“We needed this,” Meggett said. “It allowed us to see our potential. It allowed us to see what we could do.”
It also afforded the Terp coaching staff a chance to see just what the duo could do. If anything, their performances reinforced the coaches’ decision to split carries between the two running backs.
“I’m not sure how it’s all going to eventually turn out in the end,” Donovan said. “I think it’s almost a game-by-game deal, who’s hotter, who’s breaking more tackles, who’s running harder, who’s in the groove more. I’m going to try to keep them even and keep them fresh.”
For their part, Scott and Meggett said they didn’t mind the shared workload.
“It just depends on the coaches, what type of game plan they have,” Scott said. “We just have to trust them and see what they have in mind. We backs will just do what we’ve got to do, no matter what.”
Before long, there might be also be a third option in the mix. Freshman D.J. Adams and sophomore Gary Douglas sit behind Scott and Meggett on the depth chart but have no shortage of potential.
Adams is young but versatile, and while Donovan said he isn’t yet ready for every in-game situation, he will start to see increased time on the field. Douglas, who had 81 yards on 16 carries as a backup last season, is still recovering from a sprained ankle but likely will play as the season progresses.
“You have what I bring to the table, you have what Meggett brings to the table, obviously you have D.J. [and] what he brings to the table, and Gary,” Scott said. “All four of us can take reps in any type of game. So just with the depth we have, we can take on any defense.”
kyanchulis@umdbk.com
