Joshua Siegel: Going with the crafty veteran
Where is the love for junior Braxton Welford? Why isn’t he involved in this discussion?
Anyways, the polite and proper answer is to use each one when he can be most effective. Whoever has the hot hand, err… legs.
There is not necessarily a wrong answer to this question. It is a dilemma every college coach in the country wishes they were in.
Each running back is talented, and does some things better than their counterparts.
Charles Sims is explosive and Michael Hayes is versatile, but if I had to choose one to go to war with, it would be Bryce Beall.
Beall was a workhorse for the Cougars last season and scored 12 touchdowns in the first seven games of the season. He would have had more too, but circumstances limited his touches.
On 16 third-down carries last season he averaged 7.7 yards.
On third or fourth downs with two yards or less for a first down, he gained 30 yards on 10 carries.
Beall is a guy that I know can run between the tackles and run in open space as well.
He may not be as explosive as Sims or Hayes in space, but he gets the job done.
Gilbert Requena: Double up with the seniors
There should be a platoon between Bryce Beall and Michael Hayes, with the other backs getting a few reps in to see if one of them can have success.
The Cougars should employ a thunder and lightning scheme, with Beall being the thunder and Hayes being the lightning.
Sims has exceptional speed, but given his size, he may struggle when it comes to running it up the gut of the defense.
Beall has to be the man on the ground. He had 232 more yards on only 13 more attempts.
The duo showed some good chemistry in 2010, and they should be more productive with another year of experience under their belts.
He’s the bigger of the two backs and should be able to withstand the beating he’ll receive running in the inside.
On the other hand, Hayes should get the tosses to the outside and the quick-hit screens.
He is a better receiver and had more than three times the receiving yards that Beall had.
The Cougars actually had a fairly balanced attack in 2010, piling up a total of 410 rushing attempts and 484 passing attempts.
As long as they can improve upon being 61st in rushing in Division1 FBS, the Cougars should improve upon last season’s mark.
Jack Wehman: Sims will return with a vengeance
Wow, a guy in the prime of his career gets sidelined for a season and both of you already count him out.
Now, I am not going to call either of you out with too much force, because arguing which of our running backs is the best is like debating over whether to take the Bentley, Maserati or Lamborghini out for a spin.
However, you’re both clearly missing the point. Charles Sims is a beast. He deserves to be treated as such.
I don’t know how you forgot how explosive he can be in the backfield in one measly year. It was only two seasons ago when Sims played an integral role in the Cougars’ 10-4 season.
When Sims gets loose he makes everyone else look like they’re running in slow motion.
He brings the lightning and the thunder, Gilbert, and don’t you forget it.
Josh, you are too wrapped up in statistics to look at the bigger picture. Yes, Beall is great — he knows how to handle himself.
But Sims has such a balanced attack; defenses will have to prepare around him, because you don’t know whether he is going to run with the ball or catch it.
Going with the most standard choice is like buying a Camry when you could have a Camaro.
Sims is raw, untethered power, and he is the obvious choice of the three backs.
Judge Brannen: Originality wins today
Bryce Beall will finish with the most rushing attempts when it’s all said and done.
His running style is the most traditional. He won’t be making too many fancy spin moves, but he is efficient .
Despite all the talk about wins over individual awards, Beall and the coaches want to see him as the all-time leading rusher.
Michael Hayes should finish close to Beall, but like Charles Sims he will be getting looks all over the field.
Sims will excel as a receiver, and can pick up big chunks of yards on option and sweep plays. He will probably finish with more receiving yards than rushing yards though.
Gilbert, Beall and Hayes were nicnknamed “Smash and Dash” last year since thunder and lightning always gets used to describe pairs of running backs. You needed to narrow your choice to one.
Josh, you’re definitely on point about Beall, but I’ll give Mr. Wehman the W. Sims did have more yards on the ground than Beall in 2009.
Verdict: Jack’s enthusiasm about Sims is infectious, he gets rewarded with a shiny sentence of Facetime. Take it away, EIC.
