No problem for Cobbs to carry load

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Before Cedric Cobbs starred in football, he was first-team all-world in "killer man."
Killer man was the rugby-like variation of football that Cobbs and friends played in his Little Rock neighborhood growing up. To hear Cobbs tell it, it was no place for sissies.
"You had five to 15 players playing, one man vs. everybody else," Cobbs said. "You'd start in the middle of the field and throw the ball up, and whoever gets it runs from end zone to end zone -- if he's able to get by all those guys. I would get by them a lot of times, but eventually I would always throw the ball up because I would get tired."
Entering this season, the main question about Arkansas' primary ball carrier was at what point would he throw the ball up under an increased load after sharing time last year. So far, Cobbs has handled the work with relative ease and is coming off a career-high 34 carries against Boise State that netted 174 yards and 2 touchdowns.
That's the third-highest total by an SEC back this season and the performance should quiet skeptics who question Cobbs' carrying capacity and durability, Coach Houston Nutt said. Cobbs isn't so sure it will.
"I probably hushed up half the people, but there's probably still the question of can I handle it 30 times against a high-rated defense," Cobbs said.
Cobbs, 6-2, 225 pounds, could find out Saturday when Arkansas (2-0, 0-0 SEC) plays Alabama (1-2, 1-0) at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Always fast and physical, the Tide is ranked 28th nationally in total defense and 33rd against the run. Most of the running damage was done in the season opener when UCLA's DeShaun Foster ripped Alabama 42 times for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns. Since then, Vanderbilt and Southern Miss managed a combined 136 yards rushing, an average of just 2 yards per carry.
After a preseason avalanche of attention, Cobbs produced a modest 57 yards in the opener against Southwest Missouri State. He came back against Boise State with the biggest rushing performance by an Arkansas back in five years, prompting Alabama Coach Mike DuBose to turn on the hype fire hose.
"They've got a running back and I think he's the best running back in the Southeastern Conference, maybe the best running back in the country," DuBose said. "I haven't seen them all, but I have been very impressed with him."
What impressed Nutt was how hard Cobbs ran against Boise State and how he seemed to be more effective as the game wore on. He has not lost a fumble in 168 career runs. Nutt also said he was pleased to see that Cobbs was no worse for wear Sunday.
"That was very encouraging to be able to take it the most he's ever touched it in his college career and still come out there ready to go practice the very next day," Nutt said. "That kind of gives you a clue because he did get hit and got hit good. But he was very solid the next day and running good."
Giving Cobbs 34 carries against Alabama would be harder on Cobbs' body. It's one thing to be hit by a Big West Conference defense and quite another to be gang-hammered in the SEC.
"No doubt," Nutt said.
Cobbs could handle a 30-carry load if needed in SEC play and will handle that many against Alabama if necessary. On Saturday, Tennessee's Travis Henry rushed 37 times against Florida and Auburn's Rudi Johnson carried 36 times against LSU. But Nutt said he would rather not subject Cobbs to that much punishment week after week.
Last year, Cobbs took on his heaviest load in November when he carried 15 times for 107 yards against Tennessee and 22 times for 77 yards against Mississippi State. His running contributed to victories over two top-15 teams but rendered him lame the next week against LSU.
Nutt has said he recalls Cobbs joking with him after the Mississippi State game that maybe he didn't need so many carries after all. Mention the subject now, and Cobbs doesn't joke about it. He said he took only two solid hits in those games and was not as banged up as he was made out to be.
Minor injuries nipped at Cobbs each year in high school, most notably a hamstring problem that followed him to college. But he's never had a major injury or missed extended time.
"I'm a pretty tough guy," Cobbs said in August. "I can take pain. Matter of fact, I wouldn't mind taking pain. I could do without, but if it comes to taking it, I'm willing to do it."
Avoiding pain is preferable and Cobbs is doing a better job of that this season. He has learned when enough is enough and to go down when the run is snuffed out. He's stronger -- for example, increasing his bench press to 380 pounds, 30 more than strength coach Don Decker targets for running backs -- and he added 10 pounds to his frame. He used his stiff-arm to level several Boise State defenders.
Cobbs also is using his senses better.
"He's a hard, tough runner," Alabama strong safety Marcus Spencer said. "He's got a little more experience now and watching him on tape it looks like he's using his eyes more this year than he did last year.
"Some people say, 'Well, he's only played Boise State and Southwest Missouri State.' But it doesn't matter who you are playing against if you're running with your eyes real good."
With Arkansas starting a rookie quarterback in Robby Hampton, it's no surprise that much of Alabama's defensive preparation this week centers on Cobbs. Free safety Tony Dixon said he thinks of Cobbs in the same class as former Tennessee back Jamal Lewis and former LSU back Kevin Faulk, both in the NFL now.
Cobbs is "someone who can break tackles but also has the speed to take it the distance," Dixon said. "You have to really be careful with him when you come up to stop the run."
That could be 30 times or more Saturday.

This article was published on Wednesday, September 20, 2000

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