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Cardinals' Stripling hopes his time has come
Backup RB may see role increase this week
By Eric Crawford
ecrawford@courier-journal
The Courier-Journal
There are some prerequisites to being a running back at the University of Louisville:
Strength. Speed. The ability to block and catch passes as well as run.
Over the past couple of seasons, there has been another important skill: patience.
Michael Bush waited behind Eric Shelton and Lionel Gates, who shared time. Kolby Smith waited behind Gates and Bush. Now redshirt freshman George Stripling is standing anxiously on the sideline waiting for his chance while Bush and Smith rip off an average of 5.8 yards per carry.
Stripling's time finally came last week with the Cardinals leading big over North Carolina. He carried 13 times for 74 yards and a touchdown after Smith sprained a knee.
"It felt good to get in there and get a few carries in a row," Stripling said after the game.
He might get more when the No. 19-ranked Cards (4-1, 0-1 Big East) visit West Virginia (5-1, 2-0) tomorrow at 3:30.
Smith left Saturday's game with the injury, and though he went through a limited practice Wednesday, his availability is being listed as a game-time decision. He's more advanced than Stripling as a blocker and receiver, but coach Bobby Petrino likes Stripling's explosiveness and has been looking for ways to get him more carries -- regardless of injuries.
"I've always liked the way George runs the ball," Petrino said. "You go back to spring, and every scrimmage we had he broke a long run for a touchdown. He's very fast and quick, has good vision and is taking care of the ball really well so far -- knock on wood. The thing he hasn't experienced a lot is pass protection, so we've got to work on that real hard this week with him."
Bush was talking about Stripling in the preseason. He's seen as the Cardinals' fastest and perhaps most elusive running back.
"He's good now; people don't know," Bush said. "He's as fast as I've seen in a while. I expect a lot of people are sleeping on him, but he's going to do some things to surprise you."
The biggest challenge for Petrino has been finding time to put him on the field. U of L's offense generates so many big plays and scores so quickly that Petrino has had a tough enough time finding carries for Bush and Smith, much less Stripling.
Stripling was a highly regarded recruit out of Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Fla. But waiting his turn is nothing new. As a sophomore, he had to wait behind Leon Washington, who now is the leading rusher for Florida State. As a junior, he split carries with Danny Bell, who went on to play at Mississippi. Stripling ran for 2,286 yards in 11 games his senior year and was named second-team All-State in Class 3-A.
So Stripling was saying even before Smith's injury that he knows his time will come. This season he's carried 23 times for 151 yards -- a team-best 6.5-yard average.
"We've got great backs," Stripling said. "And the way I see it, I want to play with the best and make myself better. You know, I want to get out there. But I also know that coach Petrino is going to do what's best for the team, and if you perform in practice and show that you can get out there and make things happen, he's going to put you on the field."
Last season in games No. 4 through 9, Bush got double-digit carries only once, but he still finished second on the team with 132 attempts -- only 14 shy of Shelton -- and totaled 734 yards rushing. Smith got just 37 carries but ran for 347 yards.
"The only thing you can do is get it done when they put you in," Smith said. "That's what we work on all week. We help each other, and whoever's in the game we want him to take it all the way. But you've got to be patient and keep working."
Sophomore running back Reggie Bradshaw left the team before the season opener because of playing-time issues and dissatisfaction with his role. Stripling stayed and now will find his role increased this week.
"I have a lot of confidence in George," Petrino said. "He's been one of our best players on special teams all season and has really worked hard. He's going to have a great career here."
Senior defensive end Elvis Dumervil was named a midseason All-American by Sports Illustrated. Dumervil leads the nation with 15 sacks.
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