3 Yards and a Cloud of Dust?

Once a coach starts talking of "fundamentals" and "basic strategy" you know it's happened. Croom is frustrated.

"Offensively we just have to play a whole lot better. We’re going to do that by getting back to our base things and seeing if we can execute the core of our offense."

“We got out of the rhythm of running the football. We tried to spread them out a little bit the other night and create some better running lanes for Jerious Norwood. Sometimes you do things to make it easier, but we’re going back to doing it the hard way. We’re going to knock them off the ball and if we run it thirty times and only gain one inch, then we’re just going to gain one inch. But we’re not going to try to finesse people. We’re going to block people and run and do it the sure, hard way. It’s my fault we tried to finesse them, tried to trick them and get something easy. Hey, nothing comes easy for us around here. So that’s the way it is and we’re going to do it the right way. We’re going to hit people in the mouth and block them and if we can’t, we get beat, it’s that simple.”

So does that mean we can expect up the middle, up the middle, bomb, punt? I don't think so.

“Our system allows us to do pretty much anything that our talent will allow us to do. We can go in with three backs in the backfield, or three tight ends, or four or five receivers in a heartbeat, if we have them. That’s the beauty of the offense, it allows you to adapt to whoever your best players are. Right now our best is keeping guys like Bryson Davis and our tight ends on the field, so that’s what we’ll do.”

All this talk of smash mouth football is more likely coach speak, then Croom saying we're going to do anything differently. However, if Norwood is healthy, we doubt there will be a game in which he receives less than 15 carries again this season.

Norwood has averaged 5.5 yards per carry over his career and 5.9 yards per carry when given the ball more than 15 times. The running game with Norwood is like novocain, just give it time, it always works.

Yards Gained When Receiving 15 or more Carries:

Freshman 2002
UK: 15 carries, 138 yards

Sophomore 2003
Vanderbilt, 22 carries, 113 yards
Memphis, 22 carries, 85 yards

Junior 2004
Tulane, 20 carries, 112 yards
UAB, 24 carries, 204 yards
Florida, 29 carries, 174 yards
Kentucky, 24 carries, 165 yards
Alabama, 24 carries, 96 yards
Arkansas, 23 carries 109 yards

Senior 2005
Murray State, 16 carries, 123 yards
Tulane, 21 carries, 99 yards