Highly touted transfer struggled in '06
By David Brandt, clarionledger.com
About this time last year, running back Erik Haw was Jackson State's football savior - an Ohio State sophomore transfer whose speed, strength and ability would certainly allow him to trample on opponents from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
And in his first game with the Tigers, Haw lived up to every expectation, scoring four touchdowns and gaining 137 all-purpose yards in a 44-20 romp over Paul Quinn.
Life was good. But it didn't last very long.
As the season progressed, Haw (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) became less and less effective. The running room he enjoyed in that first game evaporated, followed quickly by the rushing yards and touchdowns. A sprained ankle suffered midway through the season certainly didn't help .
By the end of the year, he was an afterthought in the Tigers' offense, rushing for just 19 yards against Alcorn State in the Capital City Classic. For the season, he rushed for 371 yards and nine touchdowns on 123 carries - an average of barely 3 yards per carry.
Not exactly the type of performance a football savior's supposed to have.
"It was a tough season," Haw admitted. "I'm always confident and I've got high expectations for myself. You can't have a championship team without establishing the run and for whatever reason we couldn't do that."
So now it's one year later, and Haw's out to prove he's much better than last season showed.
The junior said he is healthy for the first time since midway of last season (ankle, then foot). He'll be fighting with returners Lavarius Giles, L.D. Briscoe and Dorian Smith, as well as Southern Miss transfer Cody Hull for the bulk of this year's carries.
JSU coach Rick Comegy said Haw has noticeably increased his vocal presence on the field, becoming the running back leader he envisioned.
"I feel strong and I feel fast," Haw said. "Now it's my job to get on the field and prove it. I know that if I don't perform, there's other guys on this team that can step in and take my spot."
Comegy said Haw's mediocre sophomore season took him by surprise. But Comegy's confident the reason for that less-than-inspiring performance doesn't lie solely with his running back.
"Bottom line, I think with a good offensive line, Erik Haw turns into a great running back," Comegy said. "But just like everybody else, if Haw has no blocking than things become very difficult."
On last year's inexperienced offensive line, pass blocking was the speciality, allowing quarterback Jimmy Oliver the opportunity to throw for 1,906 yards and 14 touchdowns. Oliver was sacked just 12 times in 11 games. But when it came to the run, the line struggled. Haw didn't have much success moving the football, but neither did any of the running backs.
The only one who could run on a consistent basis was Oliver, but that was more of a product of scrambling than any sort of conventional running play.
Senior center Lorenzo Breland, the offensive line's elder statesman, said shoring up the run blocking is paramount. The goal is to prove they can support a power running game, where Haw would likely excel.
"I think there's no question our run blocking was behind our pass blocking last year," Breland said. "It's a lot about technique, showing these young guys about foot placement and how to use their bodies. It's got to improve."
Haw agrees the offensive line could improve, but he also shoulders part of the blame, saying he needs to start hitting the hole harder instead of stuttering around trying to find the big play.
Though his confidence took a hit last year, Haw promised the swagger is back.
And if that's truly the case, Comegy said the Jackson State offense could be one of the best the school has seen in years.
"I know fans like to see us spread it out and fling the ball all over the field," Comegy said. "And we certainly have the ability to do that.
"But when we can throw the ball and also run for good gains any time we want, that's when we'll start winning championships."
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