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Running man

Kendall Hunter averaged 6.5 yards per carry and rushed for 696 yards for Oklahoma State in 2007. STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa

 
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Published: 8/26/2008  2:07 AM
Last Modified: 8/26/2008  3:39 AM

Listen to excerpts from Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s press conference on Monday in Stillwater.



OSU hopes to write Hunter into its rich tailback history



STILLWATER — During this decade, the Oklahoma State program has produced three running backs — Tatum Bell, Vernand Morency and Dantrell Savage — who had 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Cowboys and went on to play in the NFL.

Is OSU sophomore Kendall Hunter in their class? Can he become the 12th Cowboy to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season?

Or will the OSU ground game be a group effort that features Hunter, Beau Johnson and Keith Toston?

"With the fast pace that we like to play, I'm hoping that we can keep all three running backs fresh," co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer said during Monday's press conference. "We can keep more effectively pound away with the run game in the fourth quarter."

As Savage's freshman backup last season, the 5-foot-8, 190-pound Hunter was tremendously productive, rushing for 696 yards and four touchdowns. Among returning Big 12 backs who totaled at least 100 carries, none can match Hunter's 2007 average 6.5 yards per carry.

Coach Mike Gundy suggested that Hunter and Johnson (who ran for 1,756 yards last season in junior college) could be equally active on Saturday, when the Cowboys face Washington State in Seattle.

"Beau has done a nice job and has earned the right to split time with (Hunter), and Kendall is a better player when he's fresh," Gundy said. "Kendall did a nice job last year as a true freshman, but he does have a way to go. But he does have the ability to make you miss and run away from you."

Hunter, nicknamed "Spud" by running backs coach Curtis Luper, says he wants 1,000 yards this season.

If Hunter again averages 6.5 per attempt and if OSU gets a 13th game with a bowl appearance, he would need an average of about 12 carries a game.

Asked what he expects his work load to be against Washington State, Hunter replied, "I always want to be the featured back, but you'll have to see what happens."

In physical makeup and ball-carrying style, Hunter is remarkably similar to Savage, who last season rushed for 1,272 yards and now is on the Kansas City Chiefs' roster.

"In the next 18 months, I'm expecting (Hunter) will look more like Savage," Gundy said.

Said Cowboy quarterback Zac Robinson: "Physically, Kendall has added a lot of bulk. He's a big kid now."

With Hunter, Johnson and Toston, OSU can throw three different styles at a defense. The shifty Hunter has above-average speed and is difficult to nail with a solid tackle. The 210-pound Johnson is an effective inside runner.

The 210-pound Toston is both slippery and strong, but was benched last season because of fumbles.

OSU's no-huddle spread offense hurt opponents with a dynamic rushing attack. In 2007, the Cowboys got a combined total of 2,815 yards from Savage, Hunter and Robinson. During Hunter's career at John Tyler High School in Tyler, Texas, "a lot of people thought I would go to (a Division II college program) because of my size," he says.

Now, OSU running-game coordinator Joe Wickline said, Hunter is an established Big 12 back. At Seattle's Qwest Field, Hunter launches his bid for 1,000 yards. On the depth chart released by OSU on Monday, he is listed No. 1 at running back.

"Not only is (Hunter) gifted athletically, but the reps he got last year were invaluable," Wickline said. "Sometimes, you grow up real fast in this conference. He proved to us that he could handle it."



Bill Haisten 581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com




The Cowboy elite




Oklahoma State’s single-season 1,000-yard rushers:

1988............ Barry Sanders................................................... 2,628
1982.......Ernest Anderson.................................................... 1,877
1977................ Terry Miller....................................................1,680
1990 ....... Gerald Hudson ...................................................1,642
1987.....Thurman Thomas..................................................... 1,613
1985.....Thurman Thomas.................................................... 1,553
1976................ Terry Miller.....................................................1,541
1996......David Thompson.................................................... 1,524
1995......David Thompson....................................................1,509
2004.. Vernand Morency.................................................... 1,474
2003................. Tatum Bell....................................................1,286
2007........Dantrell Savage.................................................... 1,272
2002................. Tatum Bell....................................................1,096
2000...........Reggie White....................................................1,049
1945............ Bob Fenimore....................................................1,048
1975..................Terry Miller.....................................................1,026

By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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3 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Rhymeister, Tulsa (8/26/2008 6:19:35 AM)
Seems to me that they should've played Toston more last season, he's a good RB. It was more than just about fumbles is my guess so maybe he did something to get into Gundy's doghouse. But give the guy another chance, he'll get some yardage. Hunter is fun to watch and Johnson will likely surprise.
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Hard Harry, broken arrow (8/26/2008 6:54:48 AM)
Ryhmeister - do you not remember the Georgia game last year? How many total plays had we ran before Toston fumbled deep in our own territory to give Georgia their first easy score? It was the first play from scrimmage right? And unfortunately, it wasn't an isolated incident
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OSUArthur, Fayetteville (8/26/2008 9:15:23 AM)
Rhymeister,

Do you at all remember either of the games that Toston had a heavy load in last season? They were Georgia and Troy. He fumbled three times against Troy and put us behind early against Georgia. Reality is that if Spud would have been farther along at those times, we probably would have never lost to Troy and it wouldn't have been as embarrassing against Georgia. Any player that fumbles three times in one game should get benched for the rest of the season. He's lucky that he got to play a few plays on screen passes.
 

 
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