Colorado Buffaloes running backs coach Johnnie Mack spoke in a midweek press conference after a successful debut of the team’s running back rotation against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He broke down what goes into making the decision on which running backs will see the lion’s share of carries.
Mack also spoke at length about what he’s seen from the likes of Damian Henderson II, JaQuail Smith and Micah Welch, in addition to an update on Richard Young’s development. Here’s everything Mack said during his Wednesday presser.
What Running Backs Coach Johnnie Mack Said:
How He Decides When to Ride the Hot Hand
“It’s just the feel of the game. Like I tell those guys, we don’t know if this is going to happen every week. It may be a two-man rotation depending on the game, man. But it’s just the feel of it, so we’re not predicting every week is going to be five guys going in, but it’s good to have those guys there for when that opportunity comes, you know. So we’ll see, man. Like I said, it’s a long season, so our guys are always going to be ready,” Mack said.
The Physicality of His Running Backs vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
“That’s what I expected. We put in the work. It’s, all offseason, about, being stronger in the weight room; we’ve been preaching violent, relentless, physical. So I’m not surprised at all. I’m not surprised at all. That’s what we expect,” Mack said.
If the Running Backs Will Build on Week 1 Performance
“Absolutely, absolutely. You’re supposed to build off of that. You know, use that first game and build on it. You know, we’re never satisfied. You know, we may have other people out there satisfied, but we’re far from it, and we still got a long way to go,” Mack said.
The Depth of the Backfield
“Well, that was the whole thing this off-season, just having some depth in the room. The thing about our group, I never preach, you know, a starter or whatever. We’re 1A, 1B. I tell our guys to practice like everybody’s a starter because I want to have two. We want to get to the point to where anybody can get in because things happen, you know. So all of our guys got to be able to get in and perform at a high level,” Mack said.
Richard Young’s Status
“I think he’s coming along, you know, slowly getting in shape where he needs to be. I think he’s. I think at some point he’ll see more Richard…We’ll see [if it’s this weekend],” Mack said.
What Game Day Looked Like for Him
“It’s exciting, man, because you get the opportunity to see, now it’s real. You know, we’ve been practicing against each other for a long time, going through camp, and you get tired of banging on each other. So I was excited to see what my guys were able to do, you know. Once we got down in the hostile environment, I knew we had to run the ball, and we made sure we understood that we had to run the ball,” Mack said.
“So I thought those guys took it seriously, and they stood to the challenge,” Mack said.
If Rotating Running Backs Improves the Run Game
“Absolutely, now, it’s not normal to rotate five guys. You know, people talk about grooves and all that kind of stuff, but I make sure in practice too, and I kind of mold the same thing that we’ll possibly do in the game, so they’ll know like, hey, when I get that opportunity, I got to be ready. And the thing about our guys is competition, so they know, hey, man, if I don’t go in here and make this play, I may be out the next play,” Mack said…