New faces to tote the rock on Fridays
El Dorado running backs' coach DeAnthony Curtis was asked if two backs would be enough to make it through an entire football season.
“I think so,” he answered. “We're going to do a great job of balancing them out. I'm not comparing them to these two, but just like Coach Nutt used to do with (Darren McFadden and Felix Jones).”
Curtis, a former Razorback running back himself, wouldn't make a direct comparison between El Dorado's Shadarious Plummer and PJ Denkins to the famed Arkansas backfield under Houston Nutt. But he likes his guys … a lot.
“Shadarious brings the whole package. I think he can be an every down back. He does everything very well. He makes a lot of people miss. He's good at catching the ball. He's good in pass protection,” said Curtis. “PJ is a guy who's very good at what we do. He can get it north and south and he can get
away from you real quick.”
Neither back owns a meaningful Friday night carry. Denkins played safety last season. Plummer, El Dorado’s starting centerfielder in baseball, was moved to offense in the middle of last season.
“Around this time last year, he considered going all baseball,” Curtis said of Plummer. “We finally convinced him he could do both. We moved him over to offense toward the middle of the year. In the JV games you could see, O.K., this guy is going to be special.”
Both backs appear to have the complete tool set of skills.
“I tell the coaches, the running back has to be the best athlete on the field. I don’t care what nobody say, running back has to be the best athlete on the field because we have to be able to do everything,” Curtis said. “We have to be able to pass block. We have to run it and we have to be able to catch. I think they will be involved in every part, running, catching and blocking.”
What about ball security? Neither back has experience toting the rock on Friday night.
“That’s not a concern,” Curtis answered. “We’ve had a couple scrimmages. We haven’t had a ball on the ground, yet. Let me knock on some wood, but they are doing a very good job of protecting the ball. I’m not really concerned about that. But, if it starts being an issue, I’ve got something to fix it. I’ve got some drills to fix it.”
El Dorado’s offense will have dynamic playmakers at receiver and quarterback. Curtis said to be sure to add running back to that mix as well.
“I think I’ve got some explosive guys this year, very explosive guys,” he said. “I think with that one ball, it’s going to be hard to get everybody the ball but I think we’ll have a good job of mixing up the pass with the run this year. If we run the ball very well, it’s going to open up the passing game so all those guys can do what they want to do.
“I feel very good. Last year, I had a very solid back. He wasn’t going to outrun you, wasn’t going to bust for 90 (on one play). This year I’ve got guys that can bust for 90. I think that’s going to help us out. I think it’s going to be more explosive runs this year by the running backs.”