Tailbacks could serve as TCU’s arsenal
By Braden Howell
Sports Editor

After a breakout freshman year that included five straight 100-yard games to finish the season, sophomore Lonta Hobbs brought back memories of former TCU great, LaDanian Tomlinson. This year, Hobbs returns as the co-starter with senior Ricky Madison and redshirt freshman Robert Merrill looking to get into the mix. The success of the Frogs offense relies heavily on the performance of a new popular theme: running backs by committee.

Hobbs garnered national attention last year by rushing 1,029 yards and 12 touchdown as a true freshman, and earning Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors, despite playing in only eight games. However, head coach Gary Patterson has made it clear that Hobbs will share time with Madison to start the year.

“We have two starters at running back,” Patterson said, “We’re gonna run Ricky and Lonta both until someone gets hot.”

The players understand Patterson’s philosophy, and despite all vying for playing time at the same position, Madison said there is no competition between the running backs.

“It’s not about who can get the most reps, it’s a matter of just being the best that we can be,” Madison said, “I’m not trying to be better than Lonta, I’m not trying to be better than Robert Merrill, I’m just trying to be the best I can be, and they’re trying to do the same for themselves.”

No matter who gets the majority of the repetitions, the talented running backs are sure to serve as key weapons in the TCU arsenal. Having three different runners available will also keep defenses constantly on their toes.

Madison said he considers himself a hard working back who will do whatever it takes to get yards. Merrill said that he is more of a speed runner who uses more slashes and cuts, unlike Madison and Hobbs.

With the national attention the team is receiving the running backs know they will have more eyes watching their every move, and more defenses loading up to slow them down. Madison said their approach to this season has been the same as seasons past, except this year, they are not trying to prove the skeptics wrong.

“We always try to prepare like the underdogs, but the difference this year is that we’re trying to prove people right, so we have to work a lot harder,” Madison said.

As Madison embarks on his final campaign at TCU, Hobbs and Merrill both said they have been fortunate to play with, and learn from the veteran.

“When you come in there’s a lot to learn and you won’t learn it as fast as you want to so you can be frustrated, so it’s nice to have someone like Ricky who provides leadership,” Hobbs said.

Although the potential is there, the running backs hold no illusions about having multiple 1,000-yard running backs in the same backfield.

“It’d be nice, but all we care about is if the team wins and we can and if we can get back to another bowl,” Merrill said.

The committee of running backs is poised and ready to guide TCU to another successful season and another bowl berth, but for now they are focused only on the first game, and doing whatever it takes to help the team win.

“We don’t look that far down, to a bowl game,” Madison said. “We take it one day at a time, one practice at time.”

The committee will get their first chance to start proving people right when the Frogs kick off the season on the road in a nationally televised conference game against the Tulane Green Wave, Monday, Sept. 7.