Despite missteps, Isaiah Crowell on pace to run down 1,000 yards
When Isaiah Crowell has stayed on the field, he has proven extremely effective. He has 821 yards rushing despite missing five quarters of play for disciplinary reasons. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
ATHENS — There has been a lot to complain about in Isaiah Crowell’s first season with the Bulldogs. The freshman tailback has been suspended twice for disciplinary reasons, has had some fumbling issues and has frustrated many with his inability to remain in games. But as Georgia prepares to face Kentucky in a game that could clinch the SEC East on Saturday, it is evident that Crowell is also pretty darn good at what he does on the football field.
Crowell (5-foot-11, 215 pounds) is on pace to become the Bulldogs’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Knowshon Moreno had, 1,400 yards in 2008. With 821 yards rushing, he has already surpassed Washaun Ealey’s production from a year ago (811). He is currently third in the SEC with an average of 91.2 yards per contest.
Getting to the 1,000-yard mark is something Crowell is determined to do.
“I want to get over 1,000 pretty bad,” said Crowell, who would be the only Bulldog other than Herschel Walker to do it as a true freshman. “My goal was to be a freshman All-American. I don’t know if that’s going to happen or whatever, but I definitely want to get a thousand. That was my goal at the beginning of the season and I want to be able to reach my goal.”
If the Bulldogs can keep him on the field, it’s likely Crowell will do that and then some. He’ll have four more chances to do so if Georgia can get past Kentucky this Saturday. If he averages 71 yards rushing in those games, he’ll move past Frank Sinkwich (1,103 yards in 1941) into Georgia’s top 10 for rushing yards in a season. An average of 145 yards moves him past Moreno (1,400, ‘08) into the top five of all time.
To run down any such marks, Crowell must prove more resilient than he has been the last half of the season. After recording 104 yards on 22 carries against Mississippi State on Oct. 1, Crowell has averaged 58 yards on 15 carries in the three games he played before Auburn last week. He had 17 carries in the second half alone and finished with 132 yards on 24 attempts as Georgia salted away victory last Saturday.
But once again, Crowell spent a significant period of time on the sideline when he got dinged up in the first half against Auburn. He hobbled out of the game at the 5:30 mark of the first quarter and didn’t play the rest of the half. Coach Mark Richt said this week Crowell is dealing with a minor knee injury.
Crowell’s penchant for coming out of games has called into question his durability and toughness. So far this season he has dealt with rib, wrist, elbow, thigh, knee and ankle injuries. None of them have been serious enough to keep him out of practices or games, however.
“I have always stayed pretty healthy,” said Crowell, who came to Georgia as the No. 1-rated running back prospect in America. “I’ve had, you know, small stuff, but it wasn’t back-to-back like this. … Something hurts all the time, but I’m getting used to it. It’s mostly aches and bruises.”
Crowell said Georgia’s coaches give him the option of removing himself from games, which he has done quite often. “I just wave and make sure Coach McClendon sees me,” he said.
“If I’m gassed or I’m hurt I want to come out because I want to be able to give 100 percent for my team,” Crowell explained. “If I’m not able to do my best I’d rather somebody else come in and do their best. When I get ready and think I can do my best then I’ll go back.”
Nonetheless, Crowell insisted he’s in good shape and that conditioning is not an issue. At this point in the season, he said he feels stronger than he has all year.
“I think I’m good and conditioned,” he said. “Doing it the whole season has helped me a lot. In practice they make me stay in a lot and do multiple plays and I think that has helped.”
Crowell’s 24 carries against Auburn were his most since getting 30 against Ole Miss on Spet. 24.
“It’s all about preparation during the week,” he said. “Me and Carlton did a lot during that week we were out and I think we both did well. I think my legs were fresh. You just have to be prepared to work during the week so I can be ready for the game.”
Of course, Crowell would be closer to 1,000 if not past it already had he not missed five quarters of play for disciplinary reasons. The suspensions coupled with Georgia’s SEC championship pursuits seem to have reinvigorated Crowell.
“Our team worked hard for this,” he said. “There were a lot of negative things people were saying at the beginning of the season. I think we got through it, we ignored the noise and, you know, just kept pushing and fighting and kept working hard. Now that people are saying positive things we’ve still got to ignore the noise. When we were doing bad everybody was on our back about that, now they’re on our back about doing good. That’s just how people are. So you have to ignore it and keep working hard.”
If Crowell can stay the course, major accomplishments could await.
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554 comments Add your comment
David
November 17th, 2011
10:34 am
ARDawg- I think his sentiments about wanting to let another back get carries when he’s gassed actually shows a lot of maturity. As he gets bigger and stronger and becomes more of the center piece of the offense he won’t have to come out as much. There’s nothing wrong with wanting your hard working teammates to get opportunities as well. It’s a learning curve and I think he’s doing well.
Tobias Funke
November 17th, 2011
10:36 am
An 18 year old playing RUNNING BACK in the SEC seems pretty dang TOUGH to me. How can people question his toughness? The kid is about to break 1,000 yards his freshman year in the SEC. Really people? He’ll put another ten or fifteen pounds in the offseason. He’s a freshman! Get off his back!
Glad to have you Isaiah. Keep doing what your doing.
Go Dawgs!
Taco Meat
November 17th, 2011
10:37 am
I think Crowell will turn out to be just fine. So much pressure is put on these young guys before they even step foot on campus and it’s a tough adjustment. But I think once he has a year under his belt and Marshall/K. Malcome waiting in the wings to replace him, he’ll mature. Go Dawgs!
cleveland
November 17th, 2011
10:38 am
I think this kid can really be a good back but we must remember he came from a AA high school and his competition was nowhere close to what he is facing now. He probably never took the kind of hits he is taking in the SEC because on talent alone he could shake and out run his competition. I would like to see the comparisons to how many times Lattimore was taking himself out of games over at the other USC
GTBob
November 17th, 2011
10:38 am
I have no problem with him taking himself out of a game to get rested so he can bust off some more big runs.
More big runs? He only has 6 rushes over 20 yards and none over 30. If he needs to take himself out to save strength to run 20 yards then you should probably find a new RB.
AltamahaDawg
November 17th, 2011
10:39 am
I honestly have not noticed him rotating out any more than is customary with Georgia’s RB rotations. The other thing that occurs to me is that I find it hard to believe that he is not operating under the parameters set by the coaches in terms of tapping out.
honest_abe
November 17th, 2011
10:39 am
am i the only one worried that the team might be overlooking kentucky? i know the wildcats aren’t very good but i’ve seen many a team take a game for granted and get bitten in the rear end.
just sayin.
Dawg258
November 17th, 2011
10:43 am
I am actually impressed as I think everyone should be that this guy puts the team first and comes out if he’s not 100% so someone else can come in and do their thing until he gets back where he needs to be…. In this day in age if you only have 1 RB to hand to you’re not going to get maximum production for a 60 minute time frame…. I hope MR. Marshall is out there reading this same thing and up to the challenge of being another UGA RB looking out for the betterment of the team!
SERIOUSLY
November 17th, 2011
10:44 am
@ Reggie Ball
Good assumption, the dawgs would be in bad shape this yeat without IC. The kid has had a pretty dang good year for an 18yold freshman. Some of the complaints about him are justified but I say we should be grateful that we can hand the ball of to someone as talented as him.
honest_abe
November 17th, 2011
10:44 am
gt bob: he’s saving the long runs for tech. he’ll be a major part of the beatdown you’ll get in two weeks. 200 yards shouldn’t be too hard.
ca dawg
November 17th, 2011
10:44 am
@altamaha: good perspective. if you’d told the folks on this board at the beginning of the year that crowell would be 3rd in the conference in YPG and is on track to rush for 1000 yards, everyone would have been thrilled with that. we’re definitely not 8-2 without him. i say leave the kid alone and let him help the team the best way he can.
and keith marshall is all dawg. the deal with him has always been whether CMR would be back. clemson is a distant second. we’re also co #1’s very promising back from NC named todd gurley. he’s a hurdling champion with good size and INCREDIBLE speed. and like marshall, he’s a high character kid and extremely hard worker. i’m sure many of you will find reasons to hate both of them if we’re lucky enough to ink them, though.
Dawg48
November 17th, 2011
10:44 am
The kids only a freshman, their is a big diff between SEC football than high school football!
He will only get tougher and stronger! Keep up the good running get that 1000!
UGA Insider
November 17th, 2011
10:44 am
Crowell is the best back UGA has had in years. Bar none! He is a true freshman and is doing very well. Saban wanted this kid badly as did everyone else in the league. Now, you must respect UGA’s run offense and that is why AM is having such a good season. The run game opens everything up where last year no one respected us running the ball. Crowell is the main reason for that. I personally think Crowell will have his biggest game Saturday with about 200 yard rushing.
CHDawg
November 17th, 2011
10:46 am
CR Dawg, I have sounded like a broken record sometimes, but folks don’t need to yearn for a big and powerful SEC back…we have one. His name is Malcome. They finally put him in on the last series against Auburn. The first play it took 7 War Eagles to stop his momentum. I know they were tired and he was fresh, but you can’t keep moving a pile with six or seven people without some serious power. Boo needs to make sure he has a good attitude, and the coaches need to breathe a little bit of encouragement into him and put him in the game with the 1s against the Cats. We will likely need his power against LSU. IC is a great back and a delight to watch, but raw power is one of his very few weak points…weak points is too strong, let’s say power isn’t his strength. Thomas and Harton are great backups for IC, but we really need somebody who can pound the rock with biggest and toughest. I think Malcome is our best back for that, far and away.
JB
November 17th, 2011
10:47 am
Tenn/Fla will be down another year or two. Carolina will not be as good next year. Dawgs will return about 16 starters next year, plus 8 or 9 guys who play A LOT. Murray, When on, is as good as any. He has 2 years left. Dawgs are about to go on a run. Haters hate it. They know it’s coming. Gators are almost gone from these blogs. Good times ahead….And it’s about time.
AltamahaDawg
November 17th, 2011
10:47 am
The alternative to that quote (which I actualy thought WAS a pretty good team attitude) would be met with just as much critisism for being egotistically wanting to carry it more than they are letting him.
gomdawg
November 17th, 2011
10:48 am
Crowell will be one of the best backs that came out of Georgia give him time ,he is a true freshman. I for one am very PROUD to have him on my team. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR DREAMS. GO DAWGS
azdawg
November 17th, 2011
10:49 am
IC is a talented RB just out of HS. The kid needs to buff up and add 10-15 lbs of muscle and that will lessen these minor injuries in a very physical league. It takes a few seasons in the weight room and off season conditioning to get into the shape needed for the pounding a RB takes especially in the SEC. Very few RB’s come out of HS like a Herschel Walker who was a man among boys at 221 lbs of muscle. He dealt out as much punishment as he took. Even AL’s RB’s who were/are among the best in the country got better in their 2nd and 3rd years. You could see the difference in their physical appearence they were bigger and stronger by adding lbs of muscle.
If IC can stay healthy and avoid any serious injury (aka, Lattimore) he’ll play more downs as he puts more time in the weight room and adds some bulk. Right now you cannot ask more of the kid then what he’s given his team. He can only get better provided he stays out of trouble and spends time in the weight room. I also liked what I saw from Boo malcome at the end of the AU game. He moved the pile and made the final 1st down to run out the clock. Would like to see more of him in the future.
OC_Dawg
November 17th, 2011
10:49 am
Good thing Carlton Thomas is doing well.
duronimo
November 17th, 2011
10:50 am
I think if you check that he has been pulling himself out of games from game one. It’s obvious that he doesn’t get hurt as often as he pulls himself out, He, also, pulls himself in the first quarter when conditioning is not an issue, So what’s left? Character & toughness issues. He is costing himself a chance to make millions in the pros where it’s even tougher.
Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)
November 17th, 2011
10:51 am
Marshal isn’t that 235lb. back you are looking for but we definitely need him. Even with all Crowell’s talent he can’t becounted on to be a 30-carry back/game but he showed what he is capable of in the 2nd half of the Auburn game..
AltamahaDawg
November 17th, 2011
10:51 am
ca, I hope you are right about Marshall. I sure hope he isn’t reading some of this and thinking that Georgia folks are going to be calling him a wussie IF he doesnt carry the ball more as a true freshman than the leagues’ Heisman watch poster boy.
St. Clarkston
November 17th, 2011
10:54 am
A year in the weight room and this kid will be the best back in the sec.
zbulldawg
November 17th, 2011
10:54 am
Who in the HELL is xJason Marcu$x ! I am sure he is NUTS & likes them too !!!! I’m just nuts about them DAWGS ! SICK EM not suck ! GO DAWGS
gomdawg
November 17th, 2011
10:54 am
I for one don’t want to hear about next year its Georgia and Kentucky for now let’s don’t get ahead of our self one game at a time and when we do get to Atlanta LOOK FOR THEM GEORGIA BULLDAWGS TO TAKE CHARGE WE DON’T LOSE TWICE IN ONE YEAR AT ATLANTA , OK BOISE YOU GOT US NOW IT’S OUR TURN BRING ON THE WEST. I GET SO TIRED OF HEARING THE EAST IS WEAK WE WILL SEE.
@ GTBob
November 17th, 2011
10:54 am
You’re getting slow, man. It took you over an hour to post something stupid.
old dog
November 17th, 2011
10:56 am
As a true freshman, Lattimore only came out when he was taken out, or for a true injury. I C is a true talent, but the intangibles ain’t there. Thomas is little, but will take a big-boy lick! Ohhhhhhhh if we could graft some of that toughness onto Crowell……………….
Tobias Funke
November 17th, 2011
10:57 am
****Breaking News
Jeff Schultz will be doing a negative spin on this article. The column will post at 1:00.
gomdawg
November 17th, 2011
10:59 am
WHO GIVES A DAMN
Tobias Funke
November 17th, 2011
10:59 am
old dog
How’s Lattimore toughness look now? The fact is Spurrier over used Lattimore.
Kerryb
November 17th, 2011
10:59 am
Spaceman Spiff
November 17th, 2011
9:28 am
Honestly, I just don’t see him staying for four years. I would be surprised if he even makes it to three. I believe he has a ton of talent, but he still has to prove that his heart belongs to UGA.
___________________________________________________________________
I don’t think that’s a fair comment. The kid grew up wanting to be a Dawg his whole life. He ALWAYS talks about doing his best when he’s in their to help his team. I think he made a stupid mistake like most 18 year old kids do these days. Hopefully he has learned an important lesson. He is still young and new to college football but still is on the verge of rushing for a thousand yards. He has run hard when he gets the ball and like Gary Danielson said, “when the light comes on for him on how to be a RB in the SEC he’s going to be special and the light is close to coming on”.
D. Nigh All
November 17th, 2011
11:01 am
Everything is well in the Bulldawg nation now. IC is back on the straight and narrow and will break records for 3 more years. Plastering patsies has fired up the congregation and the puѕѕy cats will only be a speedbump. Same for the insects. CTG’s D will then shut down the purple gang and all this in a rebuilding year. IC knows it will be best for him to stay the whole 4 years and get the Glory for ol’ Georgia. What is money compared to that?
Pass that blunt on over now.
TampaDawg
November 17th, 2011
11:01 am
zbulldawg
November 17th, 2011
10:54 am
Who in the HELL is xJason Marcu$x !
——————–
Continue to pay no attention to this dude. His rants were getting knocked of the tech blogs regularly yesterday and I know at least one of his IP addresses got blocked. Got the email from Ken Seguira to back it up.
GTBob
November 17th, 2011
11:02 am
My goal was to be a freshman All-American. I don’t know if that’s going to happen or whatever
Ill help you out Isaiah. It’s not going to happen. You should worry about staying in the game and getting your average to over 5 yards per carry.
DawgGone1
November 17th, 2011
11:02 am
If he can put up over a 100 yards on LSU, then I will jump on the Crowell bandwagon. He does have alot of potential and talent, but I heard Vince Dooley once say “potential means you have not done anything yet………”
gomdawg
November 17th, 2011
11:03 am
Walker did not stay but 3 years , so what the hell if he wants to go that his call. A good team will have back coming in.
Kerryb
November 17th, 2011
11:04 am
GTBob, it can happen. Name another Freshman RB that’s as good as him and has rushed for as many yards. Matter of fact, what will help him is the 200 he’s going to put on Tech.
buck
November 17th, 2011
11:05 am
In need of a strong work ethic future is in his hands man up or regret what could have been.
crdawg
November 17th, 2011
11:05 am
GT Bob. We feel sorry for you. Chances are the bloggers on this site are not the people that bullied you in high school. Move on to another blog within your own conference and attempt to harass a team that you can actually beat! We will play in the SECCG! You will play in the Sun Bowl. You are irrelevant to us.
WDE
November 17th, 2011
11:05 am
Glad to have you Isaiah. Keep doing what your doing. ! Man it is GREAT to be a Georgia Bull Dog !
Kerryb
November 17th, 2011
11:05 am
I guess he’ll be running this state next.
Knowshon Moreno
November 17th, 2011
11:06 am
This is another dumb, self-contradicting AJC sports article. First, athletes get injured in football. It’s a contact sport. Second, if Crowell was not resilient as stated then how could re-enter games, injured and banged up and manage to be the leading freshman running back in the SEC? You people kill me acting like these athletes are robots who can turn an ankle or twist a wrist and stay in a football game at 100 percent health. Blast the kids, but make excuses for the Joe Pa’s an Jim Tressell’s of the world. Sad commentary.
Spaceman Spiff
November 17th, 2011
11:07 am
@ Kerryb
I really hope you are right. I do want him to succeed, but another poster recently said that his attituded is about “me” rather than the team. I would love for him to stay and live up to his hype. I am not going to bash his two suspensions, but I say a third and that door needs to VERY wide open. When he gets 1,000 – you better believe I will be on here posting congrats!
Spike 80DF
November 17th, 2011
11:07 am
GT bob, I bet Isaiah rushes for more yards than Tek on 11/26.
Spaceman Spiff
November 17th, 2011
11:08 am
@ Gt boob
You mean like those all-powerful technerd runners? Oh how I love it when the technerds live vicariously through us!
bubba4dawgs
November 17th, 2011
11:08 am
Crowell’s only problem is himself! I believe he’s getting it, the more he plays, the tougher he will get. We’ll know more about him and his future when the season is over and he gets with his cronies back in Columbus who like to puff the funny cigarettes. If he gets caught (and he will), school may be out for him. Meanwhile, I hope Coach Richt is looking for another super running back that will either compliment him or replace him!! GO DAWGS!!!!
lewisbuzzard
November 17th, 2011
11:09 am
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him gain 10-15 pounds in the offseason…the munchies will do that to a person.
gomdawg
November 17th, 2011
11:09 am
gtbob I’ll take his average any time as long as he get 100 yards a game.
Burdell
November 17th, 2011
11:09 am
As much as I love my Jackets…I admit our run defense is severely lacking. Even if Crowell misses the UK game this weekend he could still come close to breaking 1k yds in the season finale. I hope I am wrong though… GO JACKETS
Kerryb
November 17th, 2011
11:10 am
Running backs get hammered in the SEC so I don’t expect him to be out there every play. That’s why you recruit other running backs. That’s why UGA is going after Keith Marshall. You have to have more than good running back on a team because it is the position that takes the most pounding.