AJ Rose

[screwduke1]

Can't believe there's not a thread just for him after that game last night.

IF he plays like that this coming season, our run game is going to be very, very good. And its already pretty good with Snell.

 

[North Carolina Blue Wildcat]

Good chance we field 2-1,000 yard rushers again. They will be fun to watch.

 

[TuckyFB]

Yep and with Rodriguez & Smoke coming.

 

[mrschwump]

Can't believe there's not a thread just for him after that game last night.

IF he plays like that this coming season, our run game is going to be very, very good. And its already pretty good with Snell.

Don't forget a couple of years ago it was considered a toss up between Rose/Snell on who'd play as a true fr and who'd RS. Snell, of course, got the nod but he and Rose were neck and neck then. Two things impressed me with Rose, his burst and his confidence. Bodes well IMO.

 

[K_TIME]

Yep and with Rodriguez & Smoke coming.

Rose, Smoke and Rodriguez might not be a huge downgrade when Benny leaves

 

[mrschwump]

Rose, Smoke and Rodriguez might not be a huge downgrade when Benny leaves

I agree and I'd say at least one of those 3 will be a 1000+ yrd rusher within the next 3 years.

 

[TuckyFB]

I’m excited to see Smoke in fall camp. I think he could play as a TFR but I think Rodriguez needs to RS.

 

[UKSanders]

Rose, Smoke and Rodriguez might not be a huge downgrade when Benny leaves

I hope you are right, but Benny's production is nothing to sneeze at...

Just remember the only RBs in the SEC to have 1000+ rushing seasons as FR and SO are Snell, Herschel Walker, and Knowshon Moreno.

 

[UKSanders]

I hope you are right as that would be FANTASTIC, but Benny's production is nothing to sneeze at...

Just remember the only RBs in the SEC to have 1000+ rushing seasons as FR and SO are Snell, Herschel Walker, and Knowshon Moreno.

 

[gamecockcat]

I wasn't able to watch. Was the OL giving Rose huge holes or was he creating some yards himself? Hope the DL isn't as porous as 300+ yards rushing looks.

 

[mrschwump]

I wasn't able to watch. Was the OL giving Rose huge holes or was he creating some yards himself? Hope the DL isn't as porous as 300+ yards rushing looks.

I said elsewhere the DL is still a concern IMO. He had nice holes to run thru but more to the point the blocking was pretty vanilla. I thought the OL carried the day.

 

[seccats04]

I wasn't able to watch. Was the OL giving Rose huge holes or was he creating some yards himself? Hope the DL isn't as porous as 300+ yards rushing looks.

Rose looked great and showed some great open field moves. He juked Gilliam out of his shoes on the long TD run.

If the DL is this porous against the run then it is a combo of bad coaching and schemes. Middleton, Bohanna and Paschal are a solid starting group and Bohanna and Paschal should be huge talent upgrades. If we suck on D again then heads need to roll because we have 10 returning starters including 4 guys that turned down the NFL.

 

[CB3UK]

AJ showed what all the fuss was about. Dude definitely needs snaps this fall. The Benny and AJ Show....coming to an SEC town near you in 2018!

 

[K_TIME]

I wasn't able to watch. Was the OL giving Rose huge holes or was he creating some yards himself? Hope the DL isn't as porous as 300+ yards rushing looks.

It is a fair question in spring games.....but to be fair guys like Bunchy, Big George and Stenberg have been mainstays for two years as UK has pounded the rock vs SEC play. So I’m feeling very confident in our OL play this year to be honest If guys like Landon Young or EJ price live to potential...watch out!

 

[Rockford]

I'm going to echo what I've read (and agree with) elsewhere.

He's developed into a strong one cut runner with excellent vision, decent speed and now, a little more size.

Hopefully he's an SEC level back now, deserving of carries (don't think he was last year) and can provide enough depth to keep Benny strong all year to the very end and a bowl victory.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Looked great. Still needs his pad level a bit lower or he's subject to huge hits. Ran high last year and was lit up in the spring game.

 

[screwduke1]

Looked great. Still needs his pad level a bit lower or he's subject to huge hits. Ran high last year and was lit up in the spring game.

I thought his pad level looked better last night. Ran more physical than I remember him last year.

 

[jauk11]

Can't believe there's not a thread just for him after that game last night.

IF he plays like that this coming season, our run game is going to be very, very good. And its already pretty good with Snell.

You are right. And now we have one.

Thanks.

 

[LukaszObrzut]

Probably just means our run defense is terrrrrrible per usual

 

[K_TIME]

Probably just means our run defense is terrrrrrible per usual

You may be right. But that OL has ripped off tons of games the last two years by pounding the rock. And plenty of high level Sec teams have struggled to deal with our run geme

 

[pickled cat]

I’m excited to see Smoke in fall camp. I think he could play as a TFR but I think Rodriguez needs to RS.

I personally was more impressed with Rodriguez, runs low to the ground for such a big guy.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

Most posters thought Rose was the better recruit when he and Snell arrived on campus. I won’t predict between Rodriguez and Smoke.

 

[aikenite4uk]

It is a fair question in spring games.....but to be fair guys like Bunchy, Big George and Stenberg have been mainstays for two years as UK has pounded the rock vs SEC play. So I’m feeling very confident in our OL play this year to be honest If guys like Landon Young or EJ price live to potential...watch out!

Yeah I agree. The O Line strength is run blocking vs. pass protection. That's why I'm so excited about the potential of Wilson at QB. Stephen Johnson was effective running the ball in the RPO. I think Wilson could be SJ on steroids.

 

[jauk11]

Yeah I agree. The O Line strength is run blocking vs. pass protection. That's why I'm so excited about the potential of Wilson at QB. Stephen Johnson was effective running the ball in the RPO. I think Wilson could be SJ on steroids.

Shhhhh!

SJ with a lot more NATURAL athleticism.

 

[aikenite4uk]

Shhhhh!

SJ with a lot more natural athleticism.

Terry made a couple of runs that gave me goose bumps....the incredible acceleration he displayed was special. He's the kind of dual threat guy that has crushed us in the past. I think he strikes more fear into opposing DC's than Hoak. Not that Hoak's a bad player, Terry's just a better fit for us.

 

[jauk11]

Actually I hope they can co-exist and swap off some, give the other team more to prepare for. There are drawbacks to having two QBs but Gran made it work great at Auburn quite a while ago.

In other words I hope we have TWO SEC worthy QBs.

 

[3kidsandme]

Actually I hope they can co-exist and swap off some, give the other team more to prepare for. There are drawbacks to having two QBs but Gran made it work great at Auburn quite a while ago.

In other words I hope we have TWO SEC worthy QBs.

I don't I hope one guy is just a flat stud. I think the offense will be similar to Smitty first year. Run run play action. Terry completion percentage will be around 56 percent but more explosive plays.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

Rose deserves a lot of credit. He was transitioning from a HS QB which often takes time. He saw Benny burst on to the seen. He struggled a bit and did not have the success he wanted. A lot of player would have folded and transferred. He kept working. That is a really good sign for him.

 

[gobigblue812]

Rose deserves a lot of credit. He was transitioning from a HS QB which often takes time. He saw Benny burst on to the seen. He struggled a bit and did not have the success he wanted. A lot of player would have folded and transferred. He kept working. That is a really good sign for him.

Agreed.

 

[bigbluedon]

Rose looked great and showed some great open field moves. He juked Gilliam out of his shoes on the long TD run.

If the DL is this porous against the run then it is a combo of bad coaching and schemes. Middleton, Bohanna and Paschal are a solid starting group and Bohanna and Paschal should be huge talent upgrades. If we suck on D again then heads need to roll because we have 10 returning starters including 4 guys that turned down the NFL.

Just look who the d-coordinator is. All you need to know.

 

[docholiday51]

I think Rose was doing pretty well in practice last year until ball security became an issue,the coaching staff lost some confidence in him and it went down hill from there.He has some talent but he must hang on to the ball.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

He evidently also had some nagging injuries, according to Freddie M.

 

[gobigblue812]

Huge positives for him was Snell getting limited carries, King being out, and no early enrollee RBs. He got the opportunity and made the most of it. He looked very confident during the spring game.

 

[Oldtrainer]

If Rose can stay healthy he's going to play and will be a big force behind Benny. To me our number of o.linemen are SEC impressive. Really liked #2's center Wolfe, guard Fortner and tackles Watkins, Dotson played Friday night!

 

[The-Hack]

And its already pretty good with Snell.

A touch of understatement.

 

[jauk11]

A touch of understatement.

And your "A touch of understatement" was a touch of understatement.

 

[The-Hack]

Just remember the only RBs in the SEC to have 1000+ rushing seasons as FR and SO are Snell, Herschel Walker, and Knowshon Moreno.

You know, it could be argued (and has been) who is the most impressive among these rushing leaders. One comparison that might add some fuel to the "Snell" fire is that [I think] he is the only one of the three listed who split carries with another 1,000 yard rusher during one of the seasons that he too rushed for 1,000 yards.

Just sayin'.

As to A. J. Rose, I have now re-watched much of the Spring game and was pleasantly surprised by his speed, and his obvious ability to hit even a small hole quickly.