Published: August 20, 2008 02:27 am         

EKU’s Walker, Bradley confident that they can carry the load

RICHMOND — Aaron Bradley and C.J. Walker may lack experience, but they certainly aren’t short on self-confidence.

After seeing little action playing behind a pair of all-conference caliber running backs — Bobby Washington and Mark Dunn — the talented duo is extremely eager for an opportunity to prove that they can carry the load.

And they aren’t the least bit shy about saying so.

“We didn’t really get the chance to display our talents last year, so this year some people are going to be surprised when we step on the field,” Bradley said. “We are going to be just as good as those two guys, if not better.”

Washington and Dunn piled up more than 1,700 yards on the ground during their senior season and combined for 21 rushing touchdowns as Eastern Kentucky University won its first conference title in a decade. They also finished with 2,319 yards of total offense and were responsible for 144 total points (24 touchdowns), almost a third of the team’s total.

That’s a pretty lofty standard to live up to, but the Colonel coaching staff is extremely confident that Bradley and Walker have the ability to put up those same kind of eye-popping statistics.

“The two young guys are more or less clones of those guys (Washington and Dunn),” EKU running backs coach John Revere said. “I’ve got a speed guy and a power guy. So, we’ve replenished the well. If we can protect the ball, then we will move the chains.”

Bradley and Walker really haven’t had much of an opportunity to showcase their abilities since they arrived at EKU.

Walker, a 5-foot-9, 189-pound junior, was considered the biggest signee of the 2005 recruiting class after he was named the Central Florida Player of the Year by the Orlando Sentinel.

He was redshirted his first season and has seen more action at wide receiver the past two years than at running back. The Alta-monte Springs, Fla., native has just 307 total yards rushing in his career on only 44 attempts, with 138 yards coming in the second half of a blowout win last season over Tennessee State.

Still, the junior has stunning speed and just like Washington, has the ability to make defenders miss and can pick up big yardage on the ground or through the air.

“I had to wait three years, but I learned a lot,” Walker said. “It’s frustrating, still you’ve got to look at it as an opportunity to learn. So, I just want to come out this year and play better than they did and take the offense to the next level.”

Bradley had to wait too, just not quite as long.

The 5-foot-10, 194-pound sophomore rushed for more than 3,000 yards in high school and was recruited by Michigan, Boston College, Illinois and Appalachian State. As a true freshman he did appear in all 12 games last season, but had just 13 carries.

Still, he averaged a team-best 7.8 yards per attempt and scored three touchdowns. He also had 17 carries in the spring game and finished with 88 yards and a TD.

The Charlotte, N.C., native is definitely the more physical of the Colonels’ two top backs, but still has outstanding quickness as well.

“He’s not always going to try to run around you,” Revere said of Bradley. “He’s got the speed to be able to do that, but he doesn’t mind dropping a pad on you. That’s more of his style.”

Walker and Bradley will give EKU a solid duo in the backfield, but the team also has two other solid backs who are more than capable of stepping into the line-up.

Kelvin Turner, a 5-foot-10, 194-pound senior from Danville recently transferred from Marshall to EKU. He led the Thundering Herd with seven rushing touchdowns last season and had more than 7,000 yards on the ground in high school.

“We feel real good about having him here,” Revere said of Turner. “He realizes where he is at, but I think he realizes that any one of those backs is one play away from being the guy.”

Turner could press Walker and Bradley for playing time, along with redshirt freshman H.B. Banjoman.

The 5-foot-10, 209-pound back holds the Virginia single-season rushing and touchdown record and has shown tremendous impro-vement from the spring.

“It’s amazing what competition at a position will do,” Revere said. “It certainly raises the bar. And when these guys found out that Kelvin Turner was coming in from Marshall, they just raised their level even more.”

There is little doubt about the talent and depth EKU has at running back, but there are still some question marks at fullback. Returning starter Jake Tamaska was moved to linebacker in training camp, then junior Phillip Herbst suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

The coaching staff doesn’t want to move Tamaska back to fullback and is planning on using its quartet of running backs and some tight ends, most notably Stephen Sizemore, to fill the void.

“We feel good about those four guys being able to get the job done,” Revere said.

There’s little doubt that Bradley and Walker feel good about getting the opportunity to play a bigger role. And it’s obvious they believe they are up to the challenge.

“I think we will be a better one-two punch then (Dunn and Washington) were,” Walker said.

     

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.