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Some ideas for the Dooley’s Dozens come from something I see in a game or think about in the shower (bad visual, I know).
Or sometimes, I get a text from a friend who is working on a story and it gives me an idea. In this case, it was Chris Low from ESPN, who was doing a piece on Missouri’s Cody Schrader.
He wanted to know if Florida had produced a running back who was white and rushed for 1,000 yards in the last 50 years.
I had to look it up to be sure, but the answer was no. Low’s research found that there have been only three in the SEC – Schrader, LSU’s Jacob Hester and Mississippi State’s Wayne Jones.
But while I was doing my own research, I decided a great Dooley’s Dozen would be the 12 seasons Florida has had a 1,000-yard running back.
Except they haven’t. So, we included one who came close. (Of note: the combined rushing yards for Montrell Johnson and that other guy who transferred to Georgia were 1,570 last year and 1,560 the year before.)
I put these guys in the order of their rushing yards, not how good I thought they were.
Emmitt Smith, 1989
USA TODAY Sports
His final season as a Gator was a good one statistically, although the Gators started 6-1 and had some real heartbreakers to finish 7-5. He had the best performance ever with 316 yards against New Mexico on Homecoming (and they needed every yard) and had 202 vs. Vanderbilt.
His 14 TDs rushing are tied for the most for a UF running back with Buford Long (1952).
Emmitt Smith, 1987
Allen Dean Steele /Allsport
Yes, Emmitt has the two best rushing seasons in Florida history, in part because Florida didn’t trust anything but Emmitt right and Emmitt left. Galen Hall tried to ease him into the lineup and then game Birmingham.
Smith rolled for 224 against Alabama that day, the second most in school history, and finished ninth in the Heisman voting on a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dooley-dozen-florida-football-1-120010951.html
Author : Gators Wire
Publish date : 2024-01-05 12:00:10
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