RB Respect Month, Day 17: Jonathan Stewart vs. USF (2007 Sun Bowl)
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Happy St. Patrick's Day, and welcome to day 17 of Running Back Respect Month™️! Yesterday, Lendale White and Reggie Bush put the boots to Arizona State in 2005. Here's where we're at today, and how the rest of the month looks:
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Today: Jonathan Stewart vs. USF (2007)
RB Respect Month, Day 17: Jonathan Stewart vs. USF (2007 Sun Bowl)
I haven't done a good job throughout this project acknowledging that running the ball well is a team effort. Whether it's effective playcalling/scheming, or just excellent blocking (sometimes both!) a lot more goes into a great rushing performance than just having a running back capable of breaking tackles and making guys miss. I'd like to make up for that today.
Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart had a career day against South Florida in the 2007 Sun Bowl. In his final game as a Duck, Stewart ran 23 times for 253 yards (11.0!) with a touchdown, and caught two passes for 29 yards and another score in a 56-21 win. A 5'10, 220-pound (at least) running back shouldn't have this kind of speed: