TopFrog
Lifelong Frog
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindbeaversbe...football_b.html
[SIZE=14pt]Oregon State spring football: Believe it or not, Jacquizz Rodgers looks faster and stronger[/SIZE]
By Paul Buker, The Oregonian
CORVALLIS - Because he is nationally known, has his own Wikipedia page, and serves as the face of Oregon State football, tailback Jacquizz Rodgers can't do anything on this campus without being noticed.
To a slightly smaller degree, the same goes for his older brother, wide receiver James Rodgers.
The Rodgers Brothers get stares, whether they are in the classroom, the Dixon Rec Center, or the weight-room facility across from Reser Stadium that might as well be their second home.
It has not gone unnoticed that despite the truckload of press clippings and awards the Rodgers brothers have already earned at OSU, both of them approached off-season workouts - and spring football - as if they were hungry walk-ons fighting to earn scholarships.
"Amazing,'' said Beavers coach Mike Riley.
Quizz will be on numerous All-America lists and may pop up as a Heisman candidate before he ever sets foot in Cowboys Stadium for OSU's 2010 season opener against Texas Christian.
He is clearly one of the top running backs in college football, but he says individual statistics aren't on his mind as he approaches his junior year.
"I don't worry too much about that stuff, I worry about winning games and doing what my team needs me to do,'' said Rodgers, who finished No. 3 in Pacific 10 Conference rushing in 2009 behind Stanford's Toby Gearhart and Oregon's LaMichael James but was voted first team all Pac-10 by the league's coaches.
Quizz is much more effusive about his current physical condition than he is numbers and rankings. He is listed at 5-foot-7, 188 pounds (exactly the same as his brother) but watch him this spring and he appears to be a little bigger.
And quicker.
"Believe it or not,'' said Riley before Friday's practice, "I think he (ital) has (end ital) gotten faster. ... he's a faster guy than he was last year. Stronger, too. His numbers were way up in the weight room. ... he looks like he's ready to go, right now.''
Quizz said all of the above is true. "I feel quicker,'' he admitted. "And with experience, I can see things happening, I can make moves quicker than last year.''
Last year wasn't bad. Quizz ran for 1,440 yards and 21 touchdowns, caught 78 passes for 522 more yards, and even found time to throw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brady Camp out of the Wildcat formation.
He had seven 100-yards or better rushing games and he tied Steven Jackson's 2003 school record by scoring 132 points.
If Rodgers stays healthy and Oregon State's offensive line does its job, those rushing totals are likely to go up. "I think we'll be OK (on the line) once we get everybody healthy,'' said Rodgers.
Meanwhile, Quizz said he isn't the only Oregon State player to hit off-season workouts with an attitude.
He said losing the Civil War and getting embarrassed by Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl made everyone anxious to get a jump-start on 2010.
"Man, it left a bad taste,'' said Rodgers of the BYU loss. "But I think guys came in remembering that game and they were ready to work right off the bat.''
Of course, Quizz has another reason for wanting to wipe the BYU game out of his memory banks: his only official fumble in 656 touches happened in the 44-20 debacle.
Quizz is already No. 5 on Oregon State's all-time rushing list with 2,693 yards and he needs just 1,169 to move into second. At his present pace Rodgers would finish with 5,498 career yards and be No. 2 all-time in the Pac-10 behind USC's Charles White (6,245).
That all assumes Quizz is back at OSU for his senior year.
He is listed as the third-best running back for the 2012 draft by NFLdraftscout.com behind Mark Ingram of Alabama and Jamie Harper of Clemson, but what happens if he is rated as a potential first-round pick for the 2011 draft?
"Oh no, I'm not thinking about any of that,'' he said. "Right now you just have to look at it as, you're coming back for your senior year. I keep all that to the side. I don't worry too much about it. When the time approaches, I'll make that choice.''
- PB
[SIZE=14pt]Oregon State spring football: Believe it or not, Jacquizz Rodgers looks faster and stronger[/SIZE]
By Paul Buker, The Oregonian
CORVALLIS - Because he is nationally known, has his own Wikipedia page, and serves as the face of Oregon State football, tailback Jacquizz Rodgers can't do anything on this campus without being noticed.
To a slightly smaller degree, the same goes for his older brother, wide receiver James Rodgers.
The Rodgers Brothers get stares, whether they are in the classroom, the Dixon Rec Center, or the weight-room facility across from Reser Stadium that might as well be their second home.
It has not gone unnoticed that despite the truckload of press clippings and awards the Rodgers brothers have already earned at OSU, both of them approached off-season workouts - and spring football - as if they were hungry walk-ons fighting to earn scholarships.
"Amazing,'' said Beavers coach Mike Riley.
Quizz will be on numerous All-America lists and may pop up as a Heisman candidate before he ever sets foot in Cowboys Stadium for OSU's 2010 season opener against Texas Christian.
He is clearly one of the top running backs in college football, but he says individual statistics aren't on his mind as he approaches his junior year.
"I don't worry too much about that stuff, I worry about winning games and doing what my team needs me to do,'' said Rodgers, who finished No. 3 in Pacific 10 Conference rushing in 2009 behind Stanford's Toby Gearhart and Oregon's LaMichael James but was voted first team all Pac-10 by the league's coaches.
Quizz is much more effusive about his current physical condition than he is numbers and rankings. He is listed at 5-foot-7, 188 pounds (exactly the same as his brother) but watch him this spring and he appears to be a little bigger.
And quicker.
"Believe it or not,'' said Riley before Friday's practice, "I think he (ital) has (end ital) gotten faster. ... he's a faster guy than he was last year. Stronger, too. His numbers were way up in the weight room. ... he looks like he's ready to go, right now.''
Quizz said all of the above is true. "I feel quicker,'' he admitted. "And with experience, I can see things happening, I can make moves quicker than last year.''
Last year wasn't bad. Quizz ran for 1,440 yards and 21 touchdowns, caught 78 passes for 522 more yards, and even found time to throw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brady Camp out of the Wildcat formation.
He had seven 100-yards or better rushing games and he tied Steven Jackson's 2003 school record by scoring 132 points.
If Rodgers stays healthy and Oregon State's offensive line does its job, those rushing totals are likely to go up. "I think we'll be OK (on the line) once we get everybody healthy,'' said Rodgers.
Meanwhile, Quizz said he isn't the only Oregon State player to hit off-season workouts with an attitude.
He said losing the Civil War and getting embarrassed by Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl made everyone anxious to get a jump-start on 2010.
"Man, it left a bad taste,'' said Rodgers of the BYU loss. "But I think guys came in remembering that game and they were ready to work right off the bat.''
Of course, Quizz has another reason for wanting to wipe the BYU game out of his memory banks: his only official fumble in 656 touches happened in the 44-20 debacle.
Quizz is already No. 5 on Oregon State's all-time rushing list with 2,693 yards and he needs just 1,169 to move into second. At his present pace Rodgers would finish with 5,498 career yards and be No. 2 all-time in the Pac-10 behind USC's Charles White (6,245).
That all assumes Quizz is back at OSU for his senior year.
He is listed as the third-best running back for the 2012 draft by NFLdraftscout.com behind Mark Ingram of Alabama and Jamie Harper of Clemson, but what happens if he is rated as a potential first-round pick for the 2011 draft?
"Oh no, I'm not thinking about any of that,'' he said. "Right now you just have to look at it as, you're coming back for your senior year. I keep all that to the side. I don't worry too much about it. When the time approaches, I'll make that choice.''
- PB
