Posts Tagged ‘2003 Fiesta Bowl’

#1 RB Marcus Lattimore University of South Carolina, An Attempt to Resemble Adrian Peterson

Posted: February 14, 2013 in RBs 2013
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Lattimore (#21) looks to prove that he can live up to the hype

Lattimore (#21) looks to prove that he can live up to the hype that he had annoited to him after his freshman year at South Carolina

Marcus Lattimore was a HS star, with that being said every school in the country wanted to have him in their backfield. Can you blame them?

If you watch the HS film you will notice he’s playing against fellow draftee RB Giovanni Bernard. He was compared to Ronnie Brown out of HS so people had high hopes.

If you have watched The University of South Carolina football team play in the last three years you know that the offense went through Marcus Lattimore.

Keep in mind they had QB Stephen Garcia who was inconsistent and same could be said for QB Connor Shaw, and WR Alshon Jeffrey who at best was flashy but not a guy who could set the world on fire.

As a freshman in 2010 he took the world by storm, I mean not since Adrian Peterson in 2004 have I seen a freshman contend for a Heisman trophy until Johnny Manziel last season (keep in mind he was a freshman in ’10). He carried the ball 249 times for 1,197 yards for 17TD as a freshman in 2010. He also caught 29 passes for 412 yards and 2TDs. He won SEC Freshman of the Year.

When you watch his highlight reel you see the sheer strength as he gets yards after contact and can do it all, he is what I label as a workhorse back a guy who gets better in a game with more than 20 carries. Plus he can do anything a RB is needed for run, catch, block, and like Boobie Miles I`m sure he can pass.

As a sophomore in 2011 he started the season on Heisman Watch, Preseason All-SEC, and Preseason All American. He was my #1 RB in NCAAF heading into his sophomore season; they just landed #1 recruit JaDaveon Clowney and aimed for an SEC title and a National title.

He suffered an ACL tear while throwing a block against Mississippi State. He finished the season with 818 rushing yards on 163 carries and 10TD; he also had a receiving TD. Had he stayed healthy the whole season I believe he would’ve broken the 1,300 yard mark and over 15TD.

Before the start of his junior yr. in 2012, Marcus Lattimore looked to bounce back from injury and in 9½ games he had 662 rushing yards on 143 rushing attempts and added 11TD. He injured his ACL against Tennessee in the most brutal way possible. His first game back in 2012 vs. Vanderbilt he tallied 23 carries for 110 rushing yards and 2TDs in a 17-13 victory, he was the difference.

If there’s one running back in the NFL that I compare him to its Willis McGahee from the Denver

McGahee bounced back from an acl tear in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl to play a long and solid career.

McGahee bounced back from an acl tear in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl to play a long and solid career.

Broncos or Darren McFadden from Oakland. Before his ACL tear in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, McGahee was a freak of nature. McGahee came back to play 9 good years in the NFL, but look at Adrian Peterson last year. Like McFadden he shows explosion after contact.

I would take him in the 1st round, his work ethic is incredible, he has a great attitude, and most of all he was productive, no running back in this draft or next year’s draft has the talent he does. People worry about health but that’s the risk you take for a talent like this. It worked for the Bills in ’03 when they drafted McGahee. I think he’ll fall to the third although some say he may go undrafted.

The best team for him would be a situation where he can sit out half a season or a season to learn the system for a team that may need a running back down the road. I say a team like the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals or better yet the Atlanta Falcons with Michael Turner near the end . But an interesting one would be the Denver Broncos giving that McGahee maybe done and Knowshon Moreno is plain soft.

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