Best College RB You've Seen Since Barry Sanders?

[methomps]

Bush was also given carries against Notre Dame with less than a minute left and no timeouts remaining, including on a 3rd and 4. There was no doubts about Bush's ability. We just had two very good backs on the team.

[JCOSU86]

Bush is the absolute best and I'd go with that.

Now, about Running Backs.....

[BB73]

Originally Posted by methomps

Bush was also given carries against Notre Dame with less than a minute left and no timeouts remaining, including on a 3rd and 4. There was no doubts about Bush's ability. We just had two very good backs on the team.

He's a great goal line back, if the QB needs a little help getting into the end one.

[LordJeffBuck]

Originally Posted by AKAKBUCK

In the end, in my mind, Byars and Wells will be the great "what ifs" due to the lack of a senior season/injuries. Love them both. Byars was awfully close to the Jr. Year Heisman... one play put Flutie over the top.

I hate to call out a fellow elitist prick, but this is one of the great Buckeye myths of all time. According to the official Heisman Trophy website:

Originally Posted by Heisman.com

Many felt Doug Flutie's fabled "Hail Mary" pass, which took Boston College to a last-second win over Miami, won the little quarterback the Heisman. Actually, the vote was in before that classic game.

Flutie also had a pretty good season in 1984: 233 completions in 386 attempts (.604), 3,454 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions.

But don't worry - the media still hates us....

[methomps]

Originally Posted by BB73

He's a great goal line back, if the QB needs a little help getting into the end one.

Imagine the Weis buyout if he hadn't.

[AKAKBUCK]

Originally Posted by LordJeffBuck

I hate to call out a fellow elitist prick, but this is one of the great Buckeye myths of all time.

Jesus, you could have just said the vote wasn't that close.

Prick.

[buckeyes_rock]

Originally Posted by LordJeffBuck

I hate to call out a fellow elitist prick, but this is one of the great Buckeye myths of all time. According to the official Heisman Trophy website:



Flutie also had a pretty good season in 1984: 233 completions in 386 attempts (.604), 3,454 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions.

But don't worry - the media still hates us....

The "myth" I had always heard was that Keith got ripped simply because he was a junior and Flutie was a senior. Old school mentality.

[Muck]

Originally Posted by AKAKBUCK

Pretty much agree here, but, realistically... I'd flip flop Clarett and Byars.

Agreed.

...but then I'm probably also the only heretic who would place Byars ahead of Archie.

Originally Posted by BB73

In college, I thought Bo Jackson was better than Herschel Walker.

Agreed. It's really six of one - half dozen of another though.

Originally Posted by AKAKBUCK

Yeah, well, Ernie Davis couldn't hold Brown's jock on the Lacrosse field.

True.

Originally Posted by cincibuck

Floyd Little? Ernie Davis?

Well I wasn't referring to Walter Reyes.

We'll never know about Davis,

Of course we do...we're talking about college RBs remember?

He won the Heisman & was the first overall pick in the NFL draft (Brown was 6th overall as was Floyd BTW).

Too many writers, coaches, players who saw him and those who followed in the 70's - thru today agree that Brown is in a class of his own for me to disagree.

I firmly believe that most of the aura around Brown is from his pro career.

Don't get me wrong, he was a very, very good college back. I just don't think his college career is the best of all time.

If you ever get a chance to see footage of Little or Davis (there's probably plenty on the latter out due to the movie) there's not much to distinguish Brown in college from either of them.

Originally Posted by methomps

There was no doubts about Bush's ability.

This...

Originally Posted by JCOSU86

Bush is the absolute best and I'd go with that.

Now, about Running Backs.....

Bush was a heck of a talented football player but he doesn't belong anywhere near a conversation about best running backs of all time.

Especially not when he's from the school that produced O.J., Marcus, Charles & Ricky.

O.J. was hands down the best USC RB & Anthony Davis was their best "all purpose" back.


My Top 5 all time college backs (in no particular order):

O.J.
Bo
Herschel
Barry
Dickerson

[RugbyBuck]

Robert Smith is probably the best I've seen live.

[daveeb]

The best RB I've seen live is Adrian Peterson. However, my vote did not go to him. My vote went to McFadden.

[sigshoota]

I took my scarlet glasses off and voted for AP, the guy has it all, and runs as hard as I've ever seen anybody run.

[t_BuckeyeScott]

Originally Posted by daveeb

The best RB I've seen live is Adrian Peterson. However, my vote did not go to him. My vote went to McFadden.

Not to criticize, but Peterson to me is a no brainer over DMAC. One year apart. The same speed, but Peterson had 10 pounds on him and just runs through people. I think that comparison is easy. Its when you compare those guys to Eddie, Ricky, Marshall etc from slightly different time frames.

[Bill Lucas]

I'm late to the party and admit to not reading the entire thread but he was just ahead of Barry Sanders in college and if Bo Jackson hasn't been acknowledged here many times it is a travesty. The absolute best running back I have ever seen and without the hip injury who knows what kind of NFL numbers he could have produced.

It should also be noted that he is the only athlete in history to be All-Pro in football and an All-Star in major league baseball.

[daveeb]

Originally Posted by t_BuckeyeScott

Not to criticize, but Peterson to me is a no brainer over DMAC. One year apart. The same speed, but Peterson had 10 pounds on him and just runs through people. I think that comparison is easy. Its when you compare those guys to Eddie, Ricky, Marshall etc from slightly different time frames.

Well, we are entitled to our own opinions. I believe that McFadden played tougher competition. McFadden was more durable. He rushed for more yards. He played in several different and unique formations. He played with less talent around him. And, he essentially had to carry the Arkansas football team for 2-3 years. Peterson was great, don't get me wrong. I just found McFadden to be more impressive.

[ulukinatme]

Bush was a heck of a talented football player but he doesn't belong anywhere near a conversation about best running backs of all time.

Maybe not in a "Best of all Time," but this thread is about the best since Barry =) It's also not a thread about the best NFL back of all time, so it throws that discussion out the window, too much speculation in other replies on NFL carriers.
In college, Bush was much like Barry. He wasn't a big power back, he was elusive. He could make the best tacklers look like chumps, picked up a lot of yards single handidly past the line of scrimmage, and made a lot of good moves before the LoS when the need required. This is no slight against other backs, watching Bush reminded me of Barry a bit, ran with a lot of determination.