Miami Hurricanes RB Coach Erik Hickson Position Coach of the Week
Running backs coach Eric Hickson was rewarded for the 337 yards rushing by the Miami Hurricanes by being named the Position Coach of the Week by 247Sports.
The Miami Hurricanes rushing offense was explosive in the season opener with 337 yards in their first game in the new offense under new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. The ground game was led by junior Cam Harris who had 17 carries for 134 yards and a and two touchdowns including a 66-yard TD run.
A lot of the credit for the Hurricanes performance running the ball goes to second-year RB coach Eric Hickson. Hickson was named the National Position Coach of the Week by 247Sports on Monday. The ground game was more than just Harris as freshman Jaylan Knighton and Don Chaney Jr were productive in their first games.
Knighton ran nine times for 59 yards for an average of 6.9 yards per carry and Chaney carried eight times for 52 yards for 6.6 YPC. Knighton and Chaney are ninth and 12th among freshman in rushing yards per game one game into the Miami Hurricanes 2020 season. Miami will need them against Louisville Saturday night.
The game against the Cardinals could be a high scoring one. The teams combined for 495 yards in a 52-27 Miami victory in 2019. Louisville has a vastly improved defense in 2020. Louisville held Western Kentucky to 119 yards rushing to rank 16th in yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry to ranks 17th.
"Position Coach of the Week: Eric Hickson, Miami Running Backs coachThe great reveal of the Miami offense and the impact of offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and quarterback D’Eriq King’s arrivals received mix reviews against UAB but the run game potency was undeniable. The Canes rolled up 337 yards on the ground, including 134 yards out of starter Cam’Ron Harris.But Hickson also had his true freshmen ready to roll out of the gate. Don Chaney and Jaylon Knighton flashed every time they touched the ball, each averaging over 6.5 yards per carry and combining for 111 yards. Whether you credit Hickson for coaching them up or recruiting them to campus, he gets the nod.He was the secondary recruiter for Chaney and the primary recruiter for Knighton and the two along with Harris and King look like a unit with the potential to be one of the top backfields in the country."
The praise for Hickson and the Miami backfield is impressive. After finishing 120th averaging 118.08 rushing yards per game in 2019, the Hurricanes appear to have one of the best rushing offenses in college football in 2020. The 337 rushing yards against UAB came against a defense ranked eighth in 2019.
Next. Miami season could be canceled with less than 8 ACC teams. dark
Hickson deserves all the praise that 247 gave him. Having a pair of freshmen RBs ready to play in their first college game was a huge boost to the Miami offense. Chaney and Knighton appear that they will be a big part of the Hurricanes offense in 2020. The development should be credited to Hickson.