July 30, 2007

This is the fifth in an eight-part series previewing the Texas State Bobcats position by position.

SAN MARCOS - Texas State's running game has a solid one-two punch.

The Bobcats return starting tailback Stan Zwinggi. The junior led the Bobcats in rushing yards last year with 735 on 131 carries for a 5.6 yards per play average. He also rushed for three touchdowns. Out of the backfield, he also caught 12 passes for 159 yards and a score.

Then there is sophomore and San Marcos native Alvin Canady who had 525 all-purpose yards last fall. He rushed for 233 yards and a touchdown while catching 14 passes for 229 yards and a pair of scores.

"Both are very explosive," said running backs coach Charlie Reeve. "Stan is the whole package. He's our best pass protector and he's one of the fastest players on the team. He's a smart player that takes care of the football.

"Alvin is a versatile player and can do a lot of things," Reeve added. "He can be in the backfield or we can move him out into the slot. He's a good receiver and he's a great blocker. He is a very physical player."

Expectations are high for the tandem who should figure heavily into the Bobcats' running game.

"To have two guys back with the experience that Stan and Alvin possess means a lot," Reeve said. "When we show up for two-a-days, we're ready to roll. Those two guys have been in games and know what to expect."

Together, Zwinggi and Canady give the Bobcats experience to build on. Behind the pair is a talented lot of squadmen and newcomers who could end up making the position one of the deepest on the Texas State team. And running the football on Saturdays is just one of the ways Zwinggi and Canady will be counted on to contribute in 2007.

"Stan and Alvin are a lot farther a long than some of our younger players. We also have some guys that are going to contribute and they will be able to learn from our more experienced players. Stan and Alvin can bring those guys along. Their leadership is important."

Fans can also expect for one or more players to emerge from a group of talented but inexperienced squadmen.

Karrington Bush ran for 1,696 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior at Whitewright High School. As a red-shirted freshman last fall, he was a running back for Texas State's scout offense and proved his explosiveness.

A pair of knee injuries has kept junior Mitch Odom off the playing field during his entire career at Texas State. When he signed with the Bobcats, he was coming off a senior season at Alief Elsik High School in which he rushed for 1580 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Then there's junior Brandon Arrington who transferred from Texas A&M. He rushed for 38 yards on just four carries in Texas State's annual spring game earlier this year.

"We have three, four or even five guys who can help out and be in the rotation which is big," Reeve said. "We're pretty deep. We're not the biggest running backs when it comes to stature but we play hard and we're physical."

In addition to the experience at the running back position, Texas State also returns starting fullback Blake Burton. Burton was named to the All-Southland Conference First-Team last year as a sophomore. While Burton has been exclusively used as a blocking back on running plays, he does give the Bobcats an added dimension as a solid pass receiver out of the backfield. Last year he caught six passes for 38 yards and two touchdowns.

"I expect Blake to pick up where he left off last year," Reeve said. "He's an extremely hard worker, a great player and a leader. With what we are doing with our offense, I think he is going to have more of an impact this year than he has had in the past."

Behind Burton, the Bobcats have a pair of walk-ons who could see playing time.

Junior Trey Hampton transferred to Texas State from Texas Tech and went through the Bobcats' walkon tryouts. Hampton was invited to join the program, and with Burton being held out of drills by an injury, he ended up working all spring with the No. 1 offense.

"Trey probably made the most progress out of any of the backs this spring," Reeve said. "He got better with every snap."

Chris Holland was on the scout team defense last fall as a red-shirted freshman but moved to fullback in the spring. Reeve said he also made progress on the field in the spring.