We had two last year, and the world didn’t implode. I don’t think anyone cares.
Looking at 2 excellent freshmen RBs
- Thread starter CyValley2
- Start date
As fun as that KSU game was, it put unfair expectations on Sama. It is very tough on defenders to tackle in snow like that. Sama had shown flashes prior to that, but still struggled with getting North and South. Hopefully another offseason allowed him to grow on the mental side of being a running back and reading holes and pushing more Noth/South vs East/West
There are rumors that Peppers is pushing for Sama's spot already.
I don't know why anyone takes one game as the barometer for how things should play out. He was great but had a ton of room that night.
The conditions have to be taken into consideration and with defenses on skates that night the seams were there along with it being difficult to get an angle. Sama is still great if the seam is there and he hits it.
Noel took a basic sideline route down the sideline in that game for the same reasons and I don't think it was expected that he just do that on the regular.
How do we know Peppers doesn't fumble?
It's great if there's competition in a strong RB room but maybe let's get a few games in.
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The OL was also able to take advantage of the snow that night.
Heck I may have been able to a first down with all that space.
I don't think anyone should rely on the KSU game to talk about Sama's potential, but I also don't think it's necessary to use the KSU game to say that Sama still has that high-end potential (with a lot of "ifs" in there). After removing the KSU game from his stats in 2023, he still averaged 5 yards per carry, which is very solid. Even in 2024, he still averaged 4.7 yards per carry, despite many poor carries.
The biggest question is how high his yards per carry could be if he could raise the "floor" of his runs. That is, reduce the negative plays while keeping the big plays.
A good way to see the difference between Sama and Hansen on those types of plays is by looking at the success rate at Game On Paper. Despite their yards per carry not being hugely different, Hanson had a success rate of 46%, while Sama's was only 28%. Basically, Hanson was better at having an effective run that wasn't a big play--something like a five-yard run on first down. If Sama can improve in that respect (a matter of seeing the smaller holes and knowing when to take what's there), I think his ceiling remains incredibly high.
My Depth Chart:
1. Carson Hansen
2. Ryver Peppers
3a. Abu Sama
3b. Aiden Flora
5. Dylan Lee
6. Jayden Jackson
1. Carson Hansen
2. Ryver Peppers
3a. Abu Sama
3b. Aiden Flora
5. Dylan Lee
6. Jayden Jackson
Man, watching Peppers HS tapes, about all he does north/south. Can't wait for him to bust a few on Iowa.
I'm also excited to see someone bust multiple times in front of Kirk Ferentz.
Myself, I've been fatigued by white-black references since the 1970s. For me, no humor in it. Maybe that's just me. Just tired all of that sort of nonsense. It was too real, too painful back in the day . . . and today.
It's fine to joke about the fact that white dudes don't play running back much anymore. Overcorrecting is harmful IMO. If we can't laugh at ourselves then what's the point?
Fine for you, not funny for others. I piped up only to mention why it might be some don't find this sort of thing funny since you took umbrage at responses. That's all. Peace.
I think that Sama just needs to take the 3 yard gain when it’s there. He bounces it outside too often trying for the home run. Neangwu had the same issue and it took him 4 years to figure it out.
I didn’t think that he had a ball security problem until ASU. If that shows up again at any point he’s going to slide down the depth chart.
Might be time to consider moving Sama back to defense if Lee and the freshman are ready.
The pop-up ad is playing Abu Sama highlights right now, and he looks pretty good to me. He's played well outside of the Kstate game, although that's the one everyone remembers.
demoncore1031
Well-Known Member
With Hansen, Sama, Flora and Lee, I think Peppers could end up redshirting.
