ABILENE -- Life after Bernard Scott begins for the ACU Wildcats in 2009, and while that would seem to be a daunting task, head coach Chris Thomsen said his team is in good shape at one of the highest-profile positions on the team.
Scott took his 2,156 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns from 2008 to the NFL where he's plying his trade with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his place are a handful of talented players vying to replace him in the Wildcats' backfield.
Justin Johnson -- who transferred to ACU from Oklahoma -- is listed as the No. 1 running back after nine days of practice, but both
Reggie Brown (transfer from Blinn College) and
Daryl Richardson (transfer from Cisco Junior College) will each see plenty of playing time.
Richardson might well have bloodlines in his favor as he is Scott's younger brother, and his on-field likeness to the Wildcats' all-time leading rusher is uncanny.
Johnson was one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of Gilmer High School two years ago, and Brown ran for more than 1,200 yards last year in junior college.
Clearly the Wildcats won't be hurting when it comes to finding someone to carry the football.
"All three guys are new, and they're learning what they're doing in this offense," Thomsen said. "But I like what I've seen from each of them so far. The key will be to get into the season and figure out what each of them can do for us as the season goes along."
At 6-1, 210 pounds, Johnson has the brute force to punish defenders, as well as the speed to outrun them. Brown is more of a slasher, while Richardson is a slasher, but has shown good feet, vision and the ability to take on would-be tacklers.
"All three of them have good speed and can go the distance at any time," Thomsen said. "What remains to be seen is how we're going to use them in games. We don't tackle very much in two-a-days, so it's hard to tell. But I feel good about the three players and I feel confident they'll each be a big part of our offense."
