Boston College has depth at RB

August 20, 2011|By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff

By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff

It will be--for better or worse--running back by committee for the next several weeks, including at least the first two games of the season. Yet, as Boston College went through its drills this afternoon, gearing up for the third scrimmage of summer training camp (tomorrow afternoon) there was no sense of panic. No sense of doom.

Yes, Montel Harris, the Eagles leading rusher and on the precipice of becoming the all-time leading rusher in BC and perhaps Atlantic Coast Conference history, will be sidelined for the immediate future as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery performed on his left knee.

But the Eagles have depth at RB this season. And if the first few scrimmages can serve as any kind of indicator, quality depth. Sophomore running back Andre Williams, who filled in for Harris last season, will get the first call. But BC coach Frank Spaziani and offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers can and probably will go at least three deep at running back with the use of redshirt freshman running back Tajh Kimble and sophomore Rolandan Finch.

Finch, a 5-foot-10 inch 209 pound power back from New Albany, Indiana, has more experience, appearing in six games as a freshman in 2009. But a series of injuries and illnesses sidelined him last season.

"I'm just happy to be healthy again,'' said Finch, who had a bout with mononucleosis and then had multiple injuries on both knees including a tear of his ACL in the spring of 2010."I just try and live for the moment.''

Finch, who came into an interview session following practice on Friday with ice packs on both knees, feels he is making progress. "I think I've played well in both scrimmages,'' he said. "I fumbled once in both scrimmages so I'm focused on holding onto the ball.''

Finch said he picked BC over Stanford, Illinois and Kentucky for a variety of reasons. "I just felt comfortable here,'' he said.

Kimble is a 5-foot-11 210 pound RB from the same Jacksonville, Fla area which produced Harris. He came to BC in 2010, after passing on offers from Michigan State and Purdue.
He redshirted last season and say he learned a lot about himself and about the game of college football as well. "I didn't expect to get redshirted when I came here,'' he said. "But I wasn't disappointed. In my mind I wasn't ready for college football. I learned a lot about the game last year. I learned that college football is a lot faster than high school where you just get the ball and run. I got to learn the assignments. I learned that I had to be tuned in at all times.''

Kimble served as a running back on the scout team last season, where he played the role of opposing backs BC would face each week. Now his role has changed and he, like Williams and Finch, says he is ready for the next step.