Syracuse Football: 12 days of Christmas (Orange edition)

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Five years since SU has had a 1,000 yard rusher

That’s pathetic. This is a program memorialized by their legendary running backs from: Floyd Little to Ernie Davis and yes even Jim Brown. I know the game is no longer three yards and a cloud of dust but come on man.

There’s a difference between ground and pound and having a balanced offensive approach. This year the guy was supposed to be Dontae Strickland, but more times than not, he was rendered useless. I thought at times it could be Moe Neal, but that was also a resounding no.

Looking forward to next season, who can step up? First name that jumps out is Neal and he’s a home run hitter, but you’ve got to think whether realistically he can handle a true work horse load. Most likely not. So that means you’re going to have to do a running back by committee which likely means that embarrassing streak will continue next season.

Although my dark horse candidate to snap the streak is second year Orange player Markenzy Pierre. He saw limited action in 2017 and sadly when he got in, he either fumbled or didn’t get enough carries to really show what he’s made of.

For those wondering who was the last 1,000 yard rusher so you can get the question right at trivia night at your local pub: it’s Jerome Smith, 2012, with just over 1,100 yards.

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