Rutgers Football: Scarlet Knights look for success in 2018

Running backs

Rutgers hasn’t had a true feature tailback since Ray Rice was a Scarlet Knight, and instead have utilized more of a platoon system for the ground game.

The team will be without Gus Edwards, last year’s leading rusher and Robert Martin but have two backs that should be productive enough for the offense to be multi-faceted.

Raheem Blackshear will be entering his true sophomore season and can evolve into a breakout star for the Scarlet Knights. He doubles as a pass-catching back in addition to performing the normal duties of taking handoffs from the backfield. He’s somewhat undersized for the running back position standing at 5-foot-9, but he more than makes up for it with his speed and toughness.

In 2017, he didn’t have spectacular numbers, but could definitely improve as his volume of opportunities increase. Blackshear rushed for three touchdowns and 238 yards. He also caught seven passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Another Rutgers running back that could play a factor next season is graduate transfer Jonathan Hilliman. He joins the Scarlet Knights after spending the last four seasons at Boston College.

Much like Flacco, Hilliman is originally from New Jersey. He wasn’t the most prolific running back as a Golden Eagle, but last season was his best in terms of yardage and touchdowns.

In 2017, he rushed for 638 yards and five touchdowns, but he also caught 24 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Hilliman is built more like a prototypical running back with a 6-foot, 220-pound frame.

Both of these backs provide more than just the usual running back capabilities and this can surely leave more options to expand the playbook and the passing game as a whole.