The impact of the loss of All-Big South running back Des Rice will be hard to overcome. We take a look at the running back situation entering the 2014 season as we continue our countdown of the top 10 storylines this summer.
@Flames_Nation RB performance without Des
— Jacob Webb (@_jacobwebb) June 15, 2014
When we asked you on Twitter and Facebook back in June what the top storylines entering the season were, this was our most mentioned story, and rightly so. Des blossomed during the 2013 season, leading the Flames with 967 yards and 16 touchdowns. Those 16 touchdowns rank 2nd (to Rashad Jennings) in program history for most rushing touchdowns in a season. With Rice set to return for a stellar senior campaign, Liberty’s offense looked to be unstoppable. Then the unfortunate news came at the conclusion of spring practice, Rice had suffered a knee injury and would miss all of the 2014 season.
Abnar during training camp this week
Rice’s injury leaves D.J. Abnar as the heir apparent to starting running back. The junior from Tallahassee, Florida was part of Coach Turner Gill’s first recruiting class. In his first 2 seasons at Liberty, Abnar has competed in 22 games, rushing for 502 yards and 7 touchdowns while catching 12 passes for 124 yards. While he has shown flashes of game-changing ability, questions remain. At 5’10” and 185 pounds, can Abnar withstand a full season as the featured back?
The other running backs behind Abnar are Austin Kaigler, Todd Macon, and Joshua Smith. Of these 3, Kaigler is the only one to see any playing time as he played in 9 games last year. The junior had 23 carries for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns. Macon and Smith are both redshirt-freshman.
If the running game struggles, it’s possible Offensive Coordinator Aaron Stamn could go with multiple wide receiver sets and utilize the short-passing game as an alternative.
With the rest of the offensive skill positions full of returnees, how well the Flames fill in for Des Rice this season could prove vital to the team’s playoff hopes.
Previous entries:
10. Monmouth joins Big South
9. How good can LU’s offense be?
8. Chance to impress Sun Belt against App State
7. Chima Uzowihe
6. Replacing Kevin Fogg and Walt Aikens
5. Kicking game
4. Danny Rocco returns
