Finally settled, Clark leads promising group of AFA tailbacks
There’s no question anymore – Air Force sophomore Asher Clark is a tailback.
A quarterback in high school, Clark was moved to tailback his freshman year at the academy but then shifted back under center during last year’s spring practices. He played both quarterback and tailback last August in the preseason, and then, when he moved back to tailback, a shoulder injury hampered him for much of October.
Clark gained just 384 yards and scored no touchdowns on 84 carries (4.6 yards per carry) in the Falcons’ first eight games of 2009. But in the last five he erupted for 481 yards and seven touchdowns on 67 carries (7.2 yards per carry) and showed he belonged at running back.
“Last year, I told him this, he started pretty slow,” running backs coach Jemal Singleton said. “But I think he finished the year at a pretty good pace, and I told him what he needs to do is continue that in the spring. And I think he’s shown that.”
Indeed, Clark has been impressive in the Falcons' first nine practices, establishing himself as the clear starter. Behind him, freshmen Cody Getz and Darius Jones have garnered attention as potential change-up options.
Getz and Jones had just 14 and 12 carries, respectively, last fall. But they’ve gotten lots of work the last few weeks and have been “taking care of the football, making some pretty good cuts, some good runs and blocking well too,” Singleton said. Now they just have to get bigger. Getz was listed at 5-foot-7, 170 pounds last season, while Jones was 5-9, 160.
If junior Savier Stephens can get healthy, 2010 could be like 2007, when the Falcons had a handful of tailbacks capable of major contributions.
“As things stand, Asher’s the guy,” Singleton said. “But we’ve all seen this is a position where that guy’s going to get a bunch of carries, so there are plenty to go around.”
