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He played like a horse. We're not going to replace Shawnbrey right away but between those little screens to Beasley and Zach bruising there are good options to pick up a few yards and keep the d honest.

Game MVP IMHO.

BTW, Zach's 6.0 YPC against Big XII-II talent is better than McNeal's average last year.

unclebill wrote: I guarantee that we will be very successful with Zach as our starting running back and he will have a great career (think of Jerome Bettis).

I like Zach but he will never have the career of Jerome Bettis. It's unfair to Zach to mention him in the same breath as a future NFL Hall of Famer.

He had 72 yards rushing. If he keeps that up, he'll be knocking on the door of 1000 yards by year end.

How about in the 3Q when line literally threw one of the defenders off him while going to the ground! Talk about physical!!!

WSGJ wrote:

unclebill wrote: I guarantee that we will be very successful with Zach as our starting running back and he will have a great career (think of Jerome Bettis).

I like Zach but he will never have the career of Jerome Bettis. It's unfair to Zach to mention him in the same breath as a future NFL Hall of Famer.

These were my thoughts as I was watching the game. Maybe he could be the Bus late in his career (with stat lines of l10 carries 20 yards 3 TDs). I remember one game in particular where Bettis had less than 6 carries for 5 yards and 3 or TDs.

he definitely looks better this year. i agree that he seems faster and quicker but he is a pure fb, north south runner. he has his role but fields or pope need to be groomed to take over the role rb.

Line was effective, no question. if he continues to work on his burst and quickness, he will be a good one while at SMU.

Bettis was asthmatic and thus also benefited from the use of steroids throughout his career.

Watching Line this weekend, he kind of reminded me of John Riggins in his running style. I know that's going back pretty far for some on this board. Take a look at Riggins on YouTube and see if you don't agree.

Line's greatest attribute is his blocking where he really shined. Nobody ever gets credit for blocking.

I liked Zach Line a lot. He did a great job of reading his blocking and setting up the run. Which is key in this type running attack. When you're running a bunch of draws or shovel pass plays in a spread, there is usually a hole to find. Zach found it more often than not.

Earl Campbell and John Riggins were protypical fullbacks with halfback speed. Riggins was a sprinter in HS. EC played the fullback position in the UT wishbone offense and I still remember him as a freshman rumbling for 100 plus yards against the Ponies. Lines is going to have some 100 yard games this year especially against teams that overpursue.

Zach Line embracing bigger role in SMU offense

12:01 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]

Sophomore running back Zach Line proved a steady producer on the ground for the Mustangs in Lubbock. He rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, averaging 6 yards per carry. Line said he dropped 15 pounds during the off-season in an effort to gain quickness.

As the solid, short-yardage back last season, he was a low-key complement to the flashier speed of Shawnbrey McNeal, who rushed for 1,000 yards. With McNeal's departure, Line said he wanted to become more of an every-down back. Line scored seven touchdowns on 49 carries last season. His season-high came in rushing for 34 yards and two TDs against Navy.

"Last year, getting carries kind of randomly, it was hard to get a relationship with the linemen," Line said. "After getting a few carries Sunday I knew where they were going to be."

Chris Butler had five carries Sunday for 29 yards. Freshman Darryl Fields got just one for a loss of 2 yards. Jones said he will gradually work Fields in to get more chances at running back. Fields wowed by breaking away on a 92-yard kickoff return. But during sprints at the end of practice Tuesday, Fields was more focused on the fact that a Tech defender chased him down.

"I was thinking 'I don't want that to happen again,' " Fields said. "That could've been the difference."

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42sparty wrote:"I was thinking 'I don't want that to happen again,' " Fields said. "That could've been the difference."
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good attitude