Honolulu Star-Advertiser wrote:THIS BRINGS us to Alex Green. He ran for 1,037 yards in a good JC league in 2008 and for 453 as the Warriors' No. 2 back in '09. At 6 feet 2 and 230 pounds, he's a complete player.Click Here for Full Story
"When you go out recruiting for a running back, you look for Alex Green," Rolovich said. "And we got him."
Washington almost snagged him first. But one of his classes from Butte (Oroville, Calif.) Community College wasn't accepted at UDub, and Green was left to choose between Hawaii -- which hadn't produced a 1,000-yard rusher in 17 years -- and Liberty, an FCS program.
"You think of the system, you think of how many running backs they use. You think of how many times you're going to touch the ball," said Green, who was committed to Bowling Green before a late coaching change. "But it was kind of no choice. It was here or Division I-AA in Virginia."
Green adapted to sharing playing time and he learned what being a running back at UH is mostly about: blocking.
"You get a little humbled," running backs coach Brian Smith said. "JC offenses' protections are not as complex, and there's not as much emphasis on it. But he understands our protection schemes and has a lot of confidence in them."
Of course, he'd rather run the ball than block. And he will get that opportunity, even in the run-and-shoot. As the Warriors showed in 2006, there's plenty of football to go around, even on a team loaded with excellent receivers.
"I had to change my mentality," Green said. "(The offense has) made my game more dynamic. The best thing is the coaches are using all the talents we have."
Smith said he is a leader, and Rolovich concurred.
"If Alex Green says something in the huddle, they shut up and listen," the offensive coordinator said.
And, on this team, in this offense, that might be just as valuable as 1,000 rushing yards.
- By thecomeback
- By jmclaughlin