Temple to be challenged by Memphis’ Gainwell
Memphis has cracked the Top 25 behind the emergence of yet another impressive running back. Kenneth Gainwell has stepped in to more than just fill an unexpected void by becoming the leading rusher in the American Athletic Conference .
The No. 23 Tigers lost running backs Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard to the NFL draft. Patrick Taylor Jr., who rushed for over 1,100 yards last year, was injured in the opener and hasn’t played since. That opened the door for Gainwell to step into the spotlight.
“It just made me a better player, made me a better back, really just learning as much as I could from those guys,” Gainwell said.
Gainwell has run for 620 yards and has averaged 124 yards rushing per game to rank sixth among all Football Bowl Subdivision players heading into the Tigers’ Saturday game at Temple (41, 1-0 American).
The redshirt freshman is on pace to deliver the fourth 1,000-yard single-season rushing performance in the last three years for Memphis. That comes after Memphis (5-0, 1-0) didn’t have a single 1,000-yard rusher from 2010-16.
“We say it all the time — it’s an offense that’s built for playmakers,” Memphis coach Mike Norvell said. “We try to go out and identify guys who can come into the system and we can really formulate plans that surround their talents and put them in position to showcase them, whether it’s handing the ball to them or throwing the ball to them.”
Memphis’ assembly line of 1,000-yard rushers began in 2017 when Henderson ran for 1,154 yards during the second year of Norvell’s tenure. One year later, Henderson ranked second in the nation with 1,909 yards rushing while Taylor ran for 1,122 yards.
The departures of the NFL draft picks appeared to leave Taylor as Memphis’ featured back before fate intervened. Taylor rushed for 128 yards in a 15-10 victory over Mississippi to open the season but injured his lower leg.
Gainwell wasted no time seizing the opportunity.
The 5-foot-11, 191-pound Gainwell has rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games, including a 209-yard performance last week in a 52-33 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. He averages 8.2 yards per carry.