This is the sixth story of a seven-part series breaking down position groups on the University of Toledo’s roster entering the 2024 season.
Few teams in 2023 ran the football as often, as well, and as efficiently as the University of Toledo.
And the Rockets no longer have their leading rusher or any starting offensive linemen. So why the confidence?
“I think the confidence comes in the culture that we have here,” running backs coach Nate Cole said. “Toledo has a rich history of having awesome O-linemen and running backs that do a pretty darn good job. Confidence elevates your play at any sport.”
Toledo has established itself as one of the best pound-for-pound rushing offenses in the country under Jason Candle, with a bruising offensive line and speed consistently part of the equation. The Rockets think that can be a winning formula again in 2024, but nothing is certain until late August when the lights get bright.
2023 in review
The Rockets — led by 1,400-yard rusher Peny Boone — averaged nearly 200 yards per game to rank 16th nationally. Their 5.3 yards per rush were just outside the top 10 and they ranked outside the top 50 in attempts per game, highlighting the effectiveness of the ground game.
Boone was the headliner, accumulating the most rushing yards in the Mid-American Conference by a wide margin. Jacquez Stuart ranked 13th, racking up 574 yards and six touchdowns on 110 carries.
Position coach
Cole is entering his ninth season on the coaching staff and his sixth as running backs coach. The former UT offensive lineman has turned Boone, Bryant Koback, and Jacquez Stuart into three of the top running backs in the MAC. Toledo’s rushing yards and yards per carry numbers have been impressive, as has Cole’s work on the recruiting trail.
Probable starter
Jacquez Stuart. The sixth-year senior won the 100-meter state championship in Florida. That’s all you need to know about his speed. In 2022, he had a team-high 772 rushing yards, averaging nearly six yards per carry. He began last season as the starter before an injury sidelined him. He still had nearly 600 yards and more than five yards per carry. And Stuart has another dimension — kick returns.
He was a first-team All-MAC returner in 2023, and he will continue returning kicks this season because of his game-breaking speed. In his career, Stuart is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 24.4 yards per kick return.
“He could be an every-down back, but I think we have to do a good job this year of finding him places where we get him the ball,” Cole said.
Most intriguing newcomer
Sevaughn Clark. The Rockets have found success in recent years with a thunder-and-lightning combination in the backfield. Clark — who was part of two national championships at Georgia — will provide UT with the thunder.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound bowling ball runs with power. The former walk-on had 145 yards in four years at Georgia, but he averaged 4.1 yards per carry. And he brings a championship pedigree that should spread around Toledo’s locker room.
“When you go into the portal and try to hit your needs, I think you got to see what your deficiencies are what did you lose,” Cole said. “And he hit some of those marks that we were looking for — bigger back and one cut downhill type of guy, physical, has played special teams. So he’ll add value.”
The Dawsonville, Ga., native turned down scholarship opportunities to walk-on at Georgia. He burst onto the recruiting scene as a junior when he rushed for 1,806 yards and 16 touchdowns on 286 carries.
Unanswered questions
The offensive backfield has plenty of familiar names: Stuart, Willie Shaw III, Connor Walendzak, and Mike Drennen II. But the last three have fewer than 200 career yards. It doesn’t mean Shaw, Walendzak, and Drennen aren’t dependable, there are just questions about giving them carries in big moments.
“Connor Walendzak was the highest-graded special teams guy on the whole freaking team. He played the most reps as a freshman. And he’s a dude, legit dude,” Cole said of the Perrysburg graduate. “And then Willie Shaw had probably one of the best springs and summers thus far.”
Cole added: “You can practice all day. You can scrimmage all day. But I think it hits a little different when you walk in that stadium and cowbells are going crazy, and it’s third-and-7. Here comes this exotic blitz or here comes third-and-short. You have to make a play.”
Don’t forget about the new offensive line. There could be a feeling-out period with new players up front and in the backfield.
“The more that my guys know, the more it will help them not only with their visual keys but how they’re attacking the line of scrimmage,” Cole said.
What to expect this fall
Stuart has already proven he can be a productive running back for the Rockets. It’s unlikely that he’ll be a 1,400-yard rusher like Boone, but can the Rockets get beyond that number with a committee of players? Why not?
Clark is expected to make an immediate impact and UT has three more solid options. It’s almost impossible for the offensive line to be as good as last season, but the expectation is for UT to have one of the best rushing attacks in the MAC.
“The standard is the standard,” Cole said. “It takes what it takes. In my room, it’s next man up. Nobody knew Peny was going to do that last year. I tell the guys, ‘Force my hand. Be a guy.’”
First Published July 25, 2024, 5:49 p.m.
