Quest for 2000- Bernard Pierce

The next installment in my series on finding the next 2000 yard rusher in college football, lands us at Bernard Pierce of Temple. Pierce enjoyed the epitome of a breakout freshman season as he finished the year with 1,361 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. This was all accomplished without being the starter until 3rd game of the season!!! With that said, here is a breakdown of the pros and cons on Bernard Pierce becoming the next 2000 yard rusher in college football:

Pros

Averaged 21 carries per game after becoming the starter, despite missing two games to injury

Returns 4 Offensive Line Starters

2 games of over 200 yards rushing

2 games of 40 carries

Returns top Quarterback and Receivers

100+ yard games- 6 20+ carry games- 6 Avg. Yards per game- 105 Starter- 124

Good defense allows him to run the ball deep into games

Analysis: Temple showed this last year that they did not have any problems putting the game on their running back's shoulders. Proof of this is witnessed by two games of 40 carries for Pierce. He is a nice blend of power, standing 6 feet and weighing 212 pounds, and speed, having clocked a 10.8 100 meter dash in high school. Most of the offense is intact especially the offensive line. It also doesn't hurt that he plays in the not-so-defensive MAC.

Cons

Dealt with injuries at the end of the year

Battling Matt Brown for carries

Analysis: Pierce went out during the Army game and then was injured on his first run again UCLA in their bowl game. Pierce will need to show that he can stand up to the carries. The biggest hurdle to Pierce getting to the 2000 yard summit is that he will most likely be losing some carries to teammate, Matt Brown. Brown filled in seamlessly for Pierce in games against Kent State, Ohio, and UCLA. He is incredibly small (5-5, 167 lbs.) but is incredibly quick and elusive.

Overall Analysis:

Bernard Pierce is a true workhorse and will have a great career for Temple. I see him getting his carries and making some fantasy worthy numbers, but ultimately losing carries to Matt Brown. I still look for Pierce to get between 20-25 carries a game and will be able to stay healthier on his quest for 2000.

Quest for 2000- Lance Dunbar

So here is my first installment of the Quest for 2000.
I have broken down and analyzed who has the potential to run for 2000 yards in a season. We begin with:

Lance Dunbar, North Texas Mean Green

If you are at all relevant in the college fantasy football world, this name is not foreign. Lance Dunbar broke into the scene around the fourth week of the season with 101 yards on just 5 carries against Middle Tennessee State. Here is a breakdown of the pros and cons on Lance Dunbar becoming the next 2000 yard rusher in college football.

Pros:

Averaged 25 carries per game after becoming the starter (Cam Montgomery injured)

Cam Montgomery graduated so he is the undisputed starter

Returns 5 Offensive Lineman with starting experience

2 games of over 200 yards rushing

Workhorse but also explosive- 5 50+ yard runs

Returning top Quarterback and receivers

100+ yards games- 8 20+ carry games- 5 Avg. Yards per game- 115 Starter- 147.5

Analysis: Dunbar finished the year with a very respectable 1378 yards on just 200 carries. He had to be the focal point of the offense and if Todd Dodge knows what is good for him, he should do the same this year. I like that he proved to be able to take a beating as witnessed by his 5 20+ carry games but that he has the YPC and explosiveness to make the most of his carries.

Cons:

Averaged only 17 carries per game last season

Predominantly pass oriented offense

Bad defense means they have to abandon the run sometimes

Sometimes gets shut down by good defenses (Alabama, ULM)

Mike Canales as OC

Analysis: I know that North Texas under Todd Dodge has wanted to be a passing team and that's why I worry a bit about Dunbar's carries although it seems that Dodge has fit his system to his players and not the other way around. Another point against his journey to 2000 is that they have a bad defense which requires them to shut down the run early. They also get shut down by good defenses which just mutes Dunbar's productivity for that week. Lastly, with the addition of Mike Canales as offensive coordinator, one must only look to USF for how many 1000 yard rushers they have had, which has been zero since Andre Hall.

Overall Analysis:

Overall, I think Lance Dunbar has a good chance of breaking the 2000 yard barrier. I know that on draft day he will be high on my board with the combination of power, explosiveness, and his ability to get receiving yards. If not a 2000 yard rusher, I think he is a lock for 2000 yards from scrimmage.

First Article to Come...

So I have been working on this article for a while and will have it be my first post on this blog.

It is titled: The Quest for 2000!!!

Stay tuned...

The Genesis

So for the first posting I basically just want to say that I am open to hearing educated opinions on all things college fantasy football. I don't want to hear a bunch of mindless ramblings from homers but rather from people who have a passion for the game as a whole.

I love college fantasy football and intend to share my thoughts and analysis with all who wish to view this blog.