As the final days tick off the clock of the 2016 preseason, a number of storylines are circulating regarding what to expect from Arizona State. Some expectations are positive, some are negative, but one area that is unanimously acclaimed as a spectacular strength of the 2016 Sun Devil team is its sensational one-two punch at running back in juniors Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage.
Preseason predictions have risen so high that confidence exists that many believe that each member of the pair could surpass 1,000 rushing yards – a lofty, yet perhaps attainable goal.
To break this topic down to a granular level surfaces quite a few questions which will be identified in this session of Sun Devil Science:
How common is it for two Sun Devil backs to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season?
What are some of the best running back combos in ASU history?
How does the Richard/Ballage pair rank among some of ASU’s all-time greats?
In this edition of Sun Devil Science, I break down the individual seasons of ASU’s top running back duos with the cutoff point being that both players had to each rush for 600 yards in that particular season.
Since 1956 (the earliest point accessible statistic records are available), there have been 15 seasons in which ASU had to backs rush for at least 600 yards each. This was established as the cutoff point to truly emphasize the importance of both backs contributing at a high level and not having a stable that is merely top-heavy with one superstar.
Additionally, this analysis only includes running backs, tailbacks and fullbacks and not quarterbacks or players from other positions, even if that player surpassed 600 yards.
Top ASU Running Back Duos (Minimum 600 Yards Each, Since 1956)
15. 1980 – 1,435 Combined Rushing Yards (Willie Gittens 759, Robert Weathers 676)
Gittens earned Second-Team All-Pac-10 honors as ASU’s leading rusher while as a junior, Weathers recorded what at the time stood as the most productive season as a Sun Devil.
14. 1977 – 1,442 (Mike Harris 794, Arthur Lane 648)
Though overshadowed in the offense by the duo of Dennis Sproul to John Jefferson, Harris at fullback and Lane at halfback did their part to help lead ASU to nine wins and a Fiesta Bowl berth.
13. 1990 – 1,487 (Leonard Russell 810, Kelvin Fisher 677)
Ultimately a first-round NFL Draft selection, Russell was ASU’s leading rusher and a Second-Team All-Pac-10 pick at tailback in his only season with the Sun Devils. Fisher provided a solid additional rushing presence from his fullback position.
12. 2005 – 1,514 (Keegan Herring 870, Rudy Burgess 644)
Herring broke the ASU freshman rushing record and was joined by Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 member in the all-purpose do-it-all fan favorite in Burgess.
11. 1981 – 1,602 (Gerald Riggs 891, Robert Weathers 711)
A standout one-two punch of the early Pac-10 era for ASU, the two seniors had career years in 1981. Riggs was an Honorable Mention All-American, First-Team All-Pac-10 honors recipient and ultimately became the ninth overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, while Weathers was a Second-Team All-Pac-10 honoree.
10. 1986 – 1,651 (Darryl Harris 1,042, Channing Williams 609)
ASU’s run to its first and only Rose Bowl victory heavily relied on the rushing of this pair. Harris, an Honorable Mention All-American, and Second-Team All-Pac-10 member, became at the time just the second 1,000-yard rusher for the Sun Devils in the Pac-10 era, while Williams also was an Honorable Mention All-American and Second-Team All-Pac-10 pick at fullback.
9. 1969 – 1,678 (Dave Buchanan 908, Art Malone 770)
Both Buchanan and Malone ended their ASU careers on high notes as both rushers earned First-Team All-WAC recognition. Though Buchanan was ASU’s leading rusher at halfback, the fullback Malone earned greater national prestige as he was a Second-Team All-America honors recipient.
8. 1987 – 1,711 (Darryl Harris 948, Channing Williams 763)
Though the Sun Devil football team wasn’t able to duplicate its historic 1986 season as a whole in 1987, the pair of Harris and Williams had a similar impact from ’86 to ’87. Harris earned First-Team All-Pac-10 accolades while Williams was a Second-Team honoree, with Harris garnering Honorable Mention All-America distinction as he did the year before.
7. 2015 – 1,757 (Demario Richard 1,104, Kalen Ballage 653)
Both players showed major glimpses as true freshmen in 2013 and with D.J. Foster moving to full-time wide receiver for his senior season, both Richard and Ballage enjoyed breakout seasons as sophomores in 2015. The primary ball carrier, Richard posted seven games with 100 or more yards, making him just the fourth player in school history to have that many in a year, joining ASU Hall of Famers Woody Green, Art Malone, and Freddie Williams. On a multitude of occasions Ballage showcased his next-level combination of power and speed and if not for three missed games during the season his output could have been even more impressive.
6. 1970 – 1,763 (Bob Thomas 1,024, Monroe Eley 739)
The season that by many accounts put Sun Devil football on the “map”, Thomas netted Second-Team All-WAC recognition at fullback after surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for ASU. The duo also combined for 35 of ASU’s 49 points in the landmark Peach Bowl victory over North Carolina, with halfback Eley taking home Offensive Most Valuable Player honors for the bowl game. Guided by Thomas and Eley, ASU averaged 298.9 rushing yards per game, at the time the most since 1950.
5. 1957 – 1,807 (Leon Burton 1,126, Bobby Mulgado 681)
In Dan Devine’s final season at Arizona State, the pair of Burton and Mulgado were irreplaceable keys to Arizona State’s undefeated 10-0, Border Conference championship season. Both players were First-Team All-Border Conference picks, as Burton was the NCAA leader in rushing yards, yards per attempt (9.6), yards from scrimmage (1,320), touchdowns (16) and points scored (96). The jack-of-all-trades Mulgado was also Arizona State’s leader in punting, punt returns and interceptions in 1957.
4. 1997 – 1,946 (Michael Martin 1,031, J.R. Redmond 915)
What likely comes as a surprise to many is that in 1996 ASU did not have a pair of rushers each to exceed 600 yards, but the next season the Sun Devils put together what remains the top performing combination on the Pac-10 era for Arizona State. After a serious injury cost him the majority of the 1996 season, Martin bounced back remarkably by topping 1,000 yards. Both Martin and Redmond earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 accolades as important figures in the offense of a Sun Devil squad that finished the year ranked 14th in both the Coaches and AP Polls.
3. 1971 – 2,227 (Woody Green 1,310, Benny Malone 917)
The first glimpse of both the top individual running back and what many believe to be the best pair of backs in Sun Devil history, Green and Malone joined fellow sophomore Danny White at quarterback in a legendary ASU backfield in 1971. Green was awarded First-Team All-WAC honors at halfback and Malone started his Hall of Fame career at fullback as the rushing pair was pivotal in ASU’s 11-1, WAC champion team that defeated Florida State in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl.
2. 1973 – 2,499 (Woody Green 1,313, Benny Malone 1,186)
The only season of official record in which two Sun Devils surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the same year, Green and Malone individual and collectively enjoyed a spectacular 1973 campaign as both players closed out their ASU careers. Green collected his second straight Consensus All-America distinction and ranked eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting as he surpassed Wilford “Whizzer” White to become ASU’s all-time leading rusher. Green was also a First-Team All-WAC pick for the third straight year, while Malone topped the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his illustrious career to complement Green.
1. 1972 – 2,553 (Woody Green 1,565, Brent McClanahan 988)
Green enjoyed a career year as his junior season ended with what remains the school rushing record with 1,565 yards, helping to statistically make this the top performing combination in ASU history.Though Benny Malone was Green’s top sidekick in 1971 and again in ’73, McClanahan served as ASU’s primary fullback as senior in 1972. Largely aided by the work of these two, ASU won its fourth consecutive WAC title and went two-for-two in Fiesta Bowl appearances as Green and McClanahan helped create the school single-season team rushing average of 344.4 yards per game. On an individual scale, Green’s record-setting junior year earned him the first of two Consensus All-America honors, while both Green and McClanahan were First-Team All-WAC honorees.
