As Montana State begins fall camp next, Skyline Sports will break down the Bobcats’ roster by highlighting prominent battles for playing time in each position group.
Today’s position: Third/fourth running backs
The players: Tavon Dodd (5-foot-8, 180-pound redshirt freshman), Nick LaSane (5-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore) and Noah James (6-foot-1, 205-pound redshirt freshman).
What’s at stake: It’s pretty much set in stone that the junior duo of captain Chad Newell and explosive Gunnar Brekke will be the primary 1-2 punch in Montana State’s vaunted rushing attack. Last season, MSU gave its four running backs between 116 carries (dismissed senior Anthony Knight) and Brekke’s 75. If MSU plays four running backs again, three players will vie for those touches. Dodd looks like a nice replacement for departed big-play guy Shawn Johnson. LaSane looks like he could be a short-yardage guy like Knight but with a little more speed. And James is a walk-on who’s shown grit and skill during his first year in Bozeman.
Nick LaSane
How they fared in 2014: As MSU’s fifth running back, LaSane found 18 carries for 92 yards (5.1 yards per carry), including an 18-yard touchdown against UC Davis.
Dodd, a shifty Houston product who was one of Montana State’s top recruits in the Class of 2014, spent last season as the scout team running back. In the Scout Bowl, he scored the lone offensive touchdown.
James, who was a two-time Class AA first-team All-State at Kalispell Glacier, recovered from a broken leg that cost him his senior year in 2013 to have a healthy redshirt year last fall.
How they fared during spring practice: Dodd and LaSane took the primary load of the carries during spring football with Brekke and Newell wearing red jerseys for the duration. Each struggled at times to catch the ball out of the backfield but each also showed flashes of brilliance.
The 220-pound LaSane showed speed and power while getting carries against the first and second-team defenses. He scored from short and long but he also was on the brunt end of a few big hits. Much of the spring was used to determine if LaSane is worthy of rotation consideration. He did enough to prove he is.
The 180-pound Dodd showed he has the ability be a more durable version of Johnson. He showed almost no ability to catch the ball out of the backfield during spring ball, but when he got it handed to him, he proved to be electric. He scored multiple 50-plus yard touchdowns.
James was steady if not underwhelming as the No. 3 running back. He proved he can get tough yards between the tackles but that he also lacks the big-play ability of Dodd and LaSane.
The case for Dodd: Between his hype, his talent and his performance, Dodd has a spot in the rotation. He’ll challenge Brekke as MSU’s biggest home run threat out of the backfield and with Johnson gone, he’s Montana State’s shiftiest player. He’ll get a chance to compete for time returning punts and kicks but if he doesn’t improve his hands, his all-purpose totals will reside only in rushing yards.
Noah James
The case for LaSane: It’s still up in the air if you can win a game with LaSane taking the lion’s share of the carries. But he has a real chance to add yet another weapon to Tim Cramsey’s offensive arsenal, making him a valuable commodity.
The case for James: James has made strides to go from a walk-on who got there because of a broken leg as a high school senior to a player even in a conversation for in-game carries. He’s probably a year away, but he’s making great strides.
What they must accomplish during fall camp: This “competition” is really a luxury for an offense that figures to run the ball early and often. Last season, MSU rushed for 3,177 yards in 2014, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 245 yards per game. The stable is still full and figures to stay just as explosive despite the departure of Johnson because of the talent of Dodd and the speed edge LaSane holds over Knight. But each of the four in the rotation will have elevated roles. Can Newell equal Knight’s total of 12 touchdowns? Can Dodd affirm his hype as the next explosion waiting to happen like Johnson was? Can LaSane or James prove to be an every-game contributor? The health of the group will be a determining factor in answering each question.
Also on the roster: Logan Jones (5-foot-9, 180-pound true freshman from Kalispell Glacier). Jones played both wide receiver and running back during the Wolfpack’s 2014 Class AA state title run. He’ll wear No. 81.
