On the Road with Cruiser: Running Game

As many teams around the country are learning, Coach Anae has instituted one of the most sophisticated systems for running backs in college football. What looks so simple to fans is devilishly difficult for defensive coordinators to prepare for. Depending on a series of complicated reads rather than firm assignments, the system requires BYU’s running backs to understand and anticipate defenses almost as well as the quarterback does. This allows our running backs to take advantage of what the defense offers them, whether it’s going into the flat as linebackers fall back into coverage or stepping up to stop a disguised blitz.

An absolute necessity for a scheme like this, however, is experienced, well-trained running backs. On any given play they may have six or seven potential permutations, depending on how the defense reacts to the play. When you multiply this by over a hundred different offensive plays, you have the potential for literally hundreds of options for the running backs to understand and select from in the course of a game.

One reason Curtis Brown was so effective in this offense was because he spent the necessary time memorizing these options and was thus always in the right spot at the right time. One reason Manase Tonga was so valuable to the offense was because he invariably blocked the right man or runs the right route or found the right hole. These two men paid the price, both during practice and in the film room, to be at the right place at the right time, time after time. Although Fui Vakapuna appeared to be a little indecisive at times, his tremendous ability to move the ball more than compensated for any mental lapses.

How prepared will our running backs be this year? Answering that question is actually more difficult than it appears. Because of injuries and off-field incidents, both Manase and Fui, the projected starters, may miss starts or be limited in their playing time. Currently, Vakapuna is still recovering from ankle surgery and is yet to run all-out. Full-speed agility drills are out of the question, and conditioning and lower-leg strength are still concerns. Will he be ready for the September 1^st kick-off against Arizona? Although nobody really knows, my guess is that he will suit up and be available but will probably not be at 100%. Of course, there are still six weeks till then, and if anybody can prepare quickly or play through pain, it’s Fui. But, if there is a chance of re-injuring the leg, the coaches will probably choose to err on the side of caution, as it was a re-injury (against Utah) that most severely damaged his ankle last year.

Like Fui, Manase Tonga is also recovering from injury—in his case, an undisclosed injury. Also, he had a recent run-in with the Provo City Police and may lose playing time as a result. (He was arrested for giving false information to a police officer and for not paying outstanding traffic fines.) Although his injury seems to be healing, he didn’t participate in live practices this spring. Hopefully, though, he will be available for most games this season, which means we should have at least one experienced running back behind Max Hall in most games.

If both Manase and Fui can’t play for any reason, however, the backups right now appear to be Harvey Unga, Wayne Latu, Joe Semanoff, Ryan Folsom, Isaac Taylor, and J.J. DiLuigi. Of these, Unga, Latu, and Semanoff have limited game experience. The others have none. Also, there are concerns that Unga’s hip may still be bothering him, that Latu is lacking his once-blistering speed, and that Semanoff only plays fullback. Although Taylor is back from off-season surgery, he has never played on Saturday. And both Folsom and DiLuigi have yet to learn the system. In other words, if neither Vakapuna or Tonga can compete full-time, we may be in a difficult situation.

Coach Anae’s offensive system requires months, even years, to learn fully, and if our projected starters are not available, or if our experienced backups are less than 100%, we may see defenses blitzing more often and more effectively. We may also see Coach Anae calling less demanding plays. And, we may see Max Hall depending more on his legs to avoid the rush and more on his arm to move the ball down field. In other words, our success this year may depend on both Vakapuna and Tonga getting back on the field as quickly as possible.

With a healthy Fui and Manase on the field, all things are possible; without them, we could run into some real problems.

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