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| Running back Bradley Battles is looking for his chance to get onto the field this season. |
The Bulls lost a running back in Dontae Aycock after he decided to hang it up, leaving Holtz with Demetris Murray, Darrell Scott, and Marcus Shaw as his three primary running backs. A name that seems to be lost in the mix is that of Bradley Battles. Battles, the 5-9 201-pound sophomore who saw his season end last year due to an ACL injury is looking to make an impact this season. [keep reading]
Battles played in 7 games last season, starting in just one. He carried the ball only 12 times for 52 yards. His biggest highlight was his 14-yard run against Louisville that showed an explosive burst from the line, but he wasn't consistent enough. Battles injured his ACL late in the season during practice and needed surgery, ending his 2010 campaign. Now entering the 2011 season, he is healthy and is looking to get back on the field.
Battles was a 4-star athlete coming out of high school. He was ranked the 16th best athlete prospect coming out of high school (according to Rivals.com) and had plenty of offers from big programs such as Maryland, Wake Forest, Colorado and even Kentucky. Battles going to USF was seen as somewhat of a surprise, but so far the talented athlete hasn't been able to get onto the field that often due to injuries and the strength of the depth chart.
From yesterday's practice it appears that Marcus Shaw is working hard to secure the third spot on the depth chart behind Murray and Scott, but don't sleep on Battles. After missing Spring due to the recovery process, Battles is ready to run and should make his way onto the field and stay ahead of freshman Willie Davis on the depth chart.
For such an athlete, he sure didn't impress anybody last Saturday. Wonder why the coaches keep him at running back even though he hasn't shown great success at the position
ReplyDeleteThat is a good question. He had 8 carries and one yard on the afternoon, facing the 2nd and third team defense, not the best performance by him. I'm not sure where they could move him to but they want to add another running back, by moving Miller, Lamar, or even Marc to the positions speaks volume to the depth and his lack of ability so far.
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