Mike Peters, The Examiner
Morgan State senior Chad Simpson wants to leave as the school’s best running back. Last season, he finished fourth in the MEAC with 795 yards.
BALTIMORE - To Morgan State running back Chad Simpson, only one number matters most: 2,000.
“Oh, I’m sure I can do it — I’m positive,” he said. “If the passing game is right, and defenses keep eight men out of the box sometimes, I’m definitely going to do it.”
If Simpson fulfills his goal of rushing for 2,000 yards, he’ll leave Morgan State as the school’s most accomplished running back, as he’ll top the single-season mark of 1,191 set by Jason Jackson in 2004 and the career record of 2,727 set by Ali Culpepper from 1998-2001.
Simpson transferred from the University of South Florida in 2005, and immediately made an impact, finishing fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with 795 rushing yards, averaging 5.4 yards a carry to earn a spot on the All-MEAC second team.
The three players who finished ahead of Simpson — South Carolina State’s DeShawn Baker (1,289), Delaware State’s Emmanuel Marc (1,230) and Hampton’s Alonzo Coleman (1,052) — all graduated, leaving the 5-foot-10 kid from Miami as the front-runner to lead the league in rushing, a major reason why he was the only Bear selected to the conference’s preseason first team.
“He’s stronger. He’s been here all summer working out,” Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley said. “He can catch it out of the backfield, and he can definitely run with it. We’re definitely looking forward to him just staying healthy and finishing out strong.”
Simpson, the only Morgan State player selected to the All-MEAC first team, demonstrated why his coach thinks so highly of him against Bowie State last year, when he needed just 10 carries for a season-high 178 yards, highlighted by touchdown runs of 40, 54 and 60-yards during a 28-20 victory.
“You can depend on him at any time,” senior receiver Roderick Wolfe said. “He’s clutch. If you need a first down, and it’s fourth-and-1, you can give it to him. If you need a 20-yard run, you can give it to him.”
Expect the Bears to do just that tonight when they open the season against Savannah State. The Bears return nearly the same offensive line they did from last season’s unit that paved the way for Simpson to score a team-high nine touchdowns. The only difference in the line will be Robert Norris–a 6-foot-4, 335-pound transfer from Virginia Tech–will replace Cliff Louis, who signed a free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns earlier this year.
“They’re all like my brothers. They take care of me,” Simpson said. “When I go in that huddle and look in their eyes, they want the same thing I want. If I get 2,000 yards this year, they get 2,000 yards this year. That’s all we talk about. I don’t even want them to put my name on the rushing yards: I want all our names on them.”
Morgan State senior Chad Simpson wants to leave as the school’s best running back. Last season, he finished fourth in the MEAC with 795 yards.
BALTIMORE - To Morgan State running back Chad Simpson, only one number matters most: 2,000.
“Oh, I’m sure I can do it — I’m positive,” he said. “If the passing game is right, and defenses keep eight men out of the box sometimes, I’m definitely going to do it.”
If Simpson fulfills his goal of rushing for 2,000 yards, he’ll leave Morgan State as the school’s most accomplished running back, as he’ll top the single-season mark of 1,191 set by Jason Jackson in 2004 and the career record of 2,727 set by Ali Culpepper from 1998-2001.
Simpson transferred from the University of South Florida in 2005, and immediately made an impact, finishing fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with 795 rushing yards, averaging 5.4 yards a carry to earn a spot on the All-MEAC second team.
The three players who finished ahead of Simpson — South Carolina State’s DeShawn Baker (1,289), Delaware State’s Emmanuel Marc (1,230) and Hampton’s Alonzo Coleman (1,052) — all graduated, leaving the 5-foot-10 kid from Miami as the front-runner to lead the league in rushing, a major reason why he was the only Bear selected to the conference’s preseason first team.
“He’s stronger. He’s been here all summer working out,” Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley said. “He can catch it out of the backfield, and he can definitely run with it. We’re definitely looking forward to him just staying healthy and finishing out strong.”
Simpson, the only Morgan State player selected to the All-MEAC first team, demonstrated why his coach thinks so highly of him against Bowie State last year, when he needed just 10 carries for a season-high 178 yards, highlighted by touchdown runs of 40, 54 and 60-yards during a 28-20 victory.
“You can depend on him at any time,” senior receiver Roderick Wolfe said. “He’s clutch. If you need a first down, and it’s fourth-and-1, you can give it to him. If you need a 20-yard run, you can give it to him.”
Expect the Bears to do just that tonight when they open the season against Savannah State. The Bears return nearly the same offensive line they did from last season’s unit that paved the way for Simpson to score a team-high nine touchdowns. The only difference in the line will be Robert Norris–a 6-foot-4, 335-pound transfer from Virginia Tech–will replace Cliff Louis, who signed a free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns earlier this year.
“They’re all like my brothers. They take care of me,” Simpson said. “When I go in that huddle and look in their eyes, they want the same thing I want. If I get 2,000 yards this year, they get 2,000 yards this year. That’s all we talk about. I don’t even want them to put my name on the rushing yards: I want all our names on them.”
No comments:
Post a Comment