Top Performing Running Backs of Week 3

Week 3 featured dozens of excellent ground performances throughout Michigan. Today, I'll be going over five running backs who successfully caught my attention after an impressive week 3 performance.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Running Backs</h2>    I'm happy that Brady finally has some tape. Although it is JV tape, I know he's a 3-quarter guy, and he's undoubtedly the future of the RB position for De La Salle. His very first highlight is extremely promising- Brady immediately gets hit around the line of scrimmage, then breaks two tackles on his way to a 7-yard gain. The next play shows the same thing: a hard-nosed run with good contact balance. While Brady doesn't have a ton of tape so far, he's playing exactly how I'd expect a De La Salle running back to play.      PJ has caught my attention a few times over the past couple of weeks. Now, it's time to take a look at his week 1-3 tape. Most of the tape shows PJ running through gaping holes left by his offensive line, which is equal parts impressive for the line, and PJ for making the most of those carries. Take a look at the play at 0:52- PJ takes the ball on the pitch and very smartly cuts inside, cuts back outside, breaks a tackle, and turns upfield. In fact, the most impressive highlights on this tape are his pitch plays. On those plays, PJ proves to have good vision and sneaky-good open-field elusiveness. I'm looking forward to seeing PJ's full-season highlight tape, and he might be in for a rankings boost.      I had to watch Elijah's performance against Caledonia, because, well, Elijah carried East Kentwood to the huge upset. His first highlight showcases an explosive 60-yard touchdown on what I can only call a HB dive. The right tackle pulls and pushes out the DT, the linebacker hits the wrong hole, and Elijah simply runs up the middle and he's off to the races. Once he hits the open field, it was just a matter of if he was fast enough to score, and he was. The next play features a great outside zone run. Though the last play, Elijah scampers in the backfield for a moment before finding a WIDE open hole and taking advantage of the blown defense. Good on Elijah for having good enough vision and speed to turn some standard runs into explosive game-changing plays.      Tyler had an incredibly productive day on not a ton of carries. Generally, Tyler showed very good patience, vision, and at times- power. His first highlight shows him earning what looks like 10 yards after contact. For someone who is 5'9", 160, any power is impressive. For the rest of the tape, Tyler played good, smart football. This was not the flashiest performance, but instead it was just a great example of how to play running back within the structure of the offense.      Ian missed quite a bit of time last season, so I've been looking forward to watching some of his tape this season.   His first highlight immediately shows off his good explosiveness and top speed. The defense reacts poorly to the run, and Ian takes full advantage by hitting the outside and taking off down the sideline. The next highlight showcases a block, which I LOVE to see from any running back. Next, the play at 0:30 shows solid running on the counter. Ian hits the hole perfectly and earns an extra 10 or so yards after contact as he successfully regained his balance.   I really like Ian's foundation. He's athletic and hits top speed very quickly. I look forward to seeing what he can accomplish against other River Cities Alliance programs.

Week 3 featured dozens of excellent ground performances throughout Michigan. Today, I'll be going over five running backs who successfully caught my attention after an impressive week 3 performance.