It appears fullback will return to Gamecock offense. Here’s how Bobo uses that spot
New South Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Bobo seemed bemused that anyone brought up Adam Prentice at all in his introductory press conference.
“You know who Adam Prentice is, huh?” Bobo said.
Prentice is a football player with a rare designation these days: fullback. The 6-foot, 236-pounder was a versatile blocking back in Bobo’s Colorado State offense, a former walk-on who played some fullback, some tight end and a few other roles.
Bobo said back then he had not found a Prentice yet in watching film. This week he added Prentice as a grad transfer, the former CSU player announced Monday.
“If you’ve seen a lot of offenses that I’ve ran, we played with a fullback and had a two-back running game,” Bobo said. “Quite frankly, a lot of teams don’t defend a two-back game anymore because they’re defending spread. It’s something teams don’t practice all the time, the fits that you gotta fit as a defense vs. two-back.”
The fullback has seemed to be a source of fascination and perhaps worry for Gamecocks fans. On one hand, the idea of trying to play traditional downhill football against other SEC teams that often bring more talent creates some angst.
But in contrast, there’s often a suggestion of more under-center looks (especially in short-yardage) and a fullback on the goal line, not to mention references to the memory of Patrick DiMarco, a fullback in the mid-Spurrier era who grew into an NFL all-pro.
This past season, USC used running backs Mon Denson and Kevin Harris as short-yardage fullbacks as well as former walk-on linebacker Spencer Eason-Riddle as a blocking fullback.
In Bobo’s experience, his fullbacks have tended to be walk-on linebackers who might not be fast enough, or tight ends a little short on length.
“I think you can find those guys,” Bobo said. “They’ve got to be unselfish guys. But you know, a guy like Prentice was a guy that was a little bit more than a sixth lineman. He could do a lot of stuff. He could play wing for us, he could insert, he can catch the ball. But I feel really good about some tight ends that we have on this team.”
Prentice finished last season with seven catches for 44 yards and one carry for a yard.
Bobo said his offensive outlook has always been an evolving one, and that likely will continue. At Georgia, a slew of NFL tailbacks meant more traditional I-formation sets. At CSU, his offenses early on relied on three-receiver or two-tight end sets, but last year they ended up with more looks that had two backs and a tight end.
He said he felt good about where the tight ends are and how they could be used at USC, whether it be inserting as a lead blocker or creating some misdirection on zone runs (Prentice often did those things too).
This week’s news means Bobo now has his man for the position. But he’d already had plans to install schemes that involved a fullback just in case.
“That’s part of what spring practice is,” Bobo said just after his hiring. “We’ll introduce all those schemes to our offense, our offensive line, our quarterback. We might not have the Prentice to do it and we might not run that scheme but will introduce it in case we do find one.”
And now they really have one.
