November 08, 2017

KOCH: Doaks Makes The Most Of His Opportunities


By Bill Koch
GoBEARCATS.com

CINCINNATI – Before the season started, University of Cincinnati senior running back Mike Boone talked openly about his desire to become the Bearcats' first 1,000-yard rusher since George Winn gained 1,334 yards in 2012.

It hasn't worked out that way.

With three regular-season games remaining, Boone's role has changed – he's being used now as a receiver and a second option at running back - and has rushed for only 259 yards.

The lead role has shifted to redshirt freshman Gerrid Doaks, who gained a season-high 149 yards on 17 carries in UC's 17-16 win over Tulane last Saturday, including a 57-yard run that put the game away after the Green Wave missed a field goal with 1:21 left.

With 500 yards this season, Doaks is also unlikely to reach the 1,000-yard plateau, but after being redshirted last year, he has steadily improved to the point where he could hit that mark next year, having emerged as the Bearcats' featured back.

"That's a credit to him," said UC coach Luke Fickell. "I don't know what he was like last year as a redshirt kid, but you saw it in the off-season, you saw it in winter workouts, you saw his body. I think what we've seen throughout this season is his development, his demeanor, his body language, all those kinds of things on the field."

Suddenly, a UC team that has had trouble running the ball successfully for most of the season, has a back who can carry the ball 20 to 25 times a game, helping open up the passing game and help kill the clock late in games the Bearcats are winning. In its last two games UC has rushed for a total of 348 yards.

Doaks has produced 240 of those yards in 26 carries, for an average of 9.2 per carry. That average is bloated by the 57-yard run against Tulane, but even if you remove it from the equation, he's averaged 7.0 yards per carry in those two games.

It's been a long time coming for Doaks, who ran for 1,705 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis two years ago. When he got to UC, he found veterans Tion Green and Boone ahead of him. Former head coach Tommy Tuberville talked frequently about how talented Doaks was, but decided to redshirt him so the Bearcats would get the most out of his four years of eligibility.

Doaks said he wasn't surprised.

"It was just some news that I was waiting to be told," he said.

Sitting out is always difficult for a player, but Doaks made the most of his situation and was named UC's Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. It's clear now that redshirting was the best thing for him – and for the Bearcats.

"The new coaching staff came in and got me bigger and stronger," said the 6-foot, 205-pound Doaks. "It helped me mentally with my game also. They taught me some things that I didn't learn last year with the old coaching staff. They've built me into a more mature football player. The game slows down for me on the field because I know things. It's technique, it's being able to read defenses, small things that have helped me."

Fickell praises Doaks for the improvement to his overall game, including his ability to block and catch passes. And he likes the way his running back rotation sets up now, with Doaks getting the bulk of the carries, and Boone and true freshman Mike Warren spelling him enough to keep him fresh for late in the game.

The UC coach said that Doaks might have received more carries earlier in the season, but because the Bearcats often fell behind early they couldn't run the ball as much as they would have liked.

"But he's continued to work, he's continued to battle," Fickell said. "He's continued to make himself better."

Fickell said Doaks has the potential to be a workhorse back who carries 20 to 25 times a game, perhaps even more, but he wants to be careful not to overwork him.

"We still want to be able to say if we've got him in the fourth quarter he's only got 20 carries or 18 carries so far," Fickell said. "That's probably where we want him."

That was the situation last week when the UC offense lined up to try to kill the final 1:21 against Tulane. The Bearcats handed the ball to Doaks and he sprinted 57 yards to the Green Wave 23 before being pulled down from behind.

"I wasn't expecting that big of a run to happen," Doaks said. "But the hole opened up so I just took the opportunity and got through there. It was probably a good thing that I didn't score. We would have only gone up by eight and it would have given them some time. When you've got to make a big play I was there and did it."

Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBEARCATS.com in January, 2015.

http://gobearcats.com/news/2017/11/8/foo...ities.aspx

Quote:"The new coaching staff came in and got me bigger and stronger," said the 6-foot, 205-pound Doaks. "It helped me mentally with my game also. They taught me some things that I didn't learn last year with the old coaching staff. They've built me into a more mature football player. The game slows down for me on the field because I know things. It's technique, it's being able to read defenses, small things that have helped me."

The trail of the Cadaver Sloth clue #349...

I'm diggin' on Doaks. I was hoping for a big Senior year from Boone but that's out the window now. Doaks will have a big day against the Owls. Just watch on Friday.