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Is Rahsul Faison going to be Utah State’s next star running back?


Utah State running back Rahsul Faison (3) runs with the ball against Georgia State in the first half of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023, in Boise, Idaho. Georgia State won 45-22. | Steve Conner

It didn’t take long for Rahsul Faison to etch himself — his name, his ability, even his flowing hair — in the collective minds of Utah State football fans a year ago.

In the season opener at Iowa, Faison — a junior college transfer from Snow College — only carried the ball seven times. Yet against the vaunted Hawkeyes’ defense he still managed to rush for 59 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per carry.

Back-to-back runs for 17 yards and 18 yards midway through the fourth quarter were eye-opening, as was a 26-yard reception a possession later.

It all presaged what was to come for the Aggies’ opponents when Faison was in the game. The Utah State running back quickly established himself as arguably USU’s second-best offensive playmaker behind only projected 2025 NFL draft pick Jalen Royals.

In all, Faison rushed for 736 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, averaging 6.2 yards per carry, all while splitting time as part of a running back trio with Davon Booth — now at Mississippi State — and Robert Briggs. Faison’s explosiveness was evidenced by seven rushes of at least 20 yards, including three that went 40-plus yards.

His 181 yard day against Nevada was the highlight — it was the most yards on the ground for a USU running back since 2016 — but week in and week out Faison was a dynamic back.

So much so that Pro Football Focus rated him Utah State’s best running back by far (Faison came in at No. 51 overall, while Booth slotted in at No. 69 and Briggs at No. 243). Faison’s run grade had him among the best 30 backs in the country in 2023, in the same tier as Oklahoma…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rahsul-faison-going-utah-state-234213518.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-08-09 23:42:13

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