Quayvon Hicks stepping into the fullback role

“We still like to run the ball in a physical way,” Richt said. “There’s a lot of great runs with a lead blocker. These fullbacks, they earn their keep.”

With that, we are off to the fullback races. With ten starters returning on offense, the only one that is up in the air is fullback. At the end of last season, Ogletree stepped in and took over when Hall went down in the Florida game. Hicks was out with a concussion and didn't make the trip to Jacksonville.

One thing Hicks brings that we saw out of Ogletree is the ability to catch the ball. While Hicks was a defensive star at Pierce County, he also often lined up at tight end in Pierce County's run first offense. That put him in position to catch a few balls.

Of course, the highest praise any running back can receive from Richt is about blocking:

“Quayvon never had a problem with wanting to hit somebody, never had a problem with contact. But knowing who to hit or placement, it’s so crucial,” Richt said. “Not only do you need to know who to block but you need to know what kind of leverage. Are you trying to get the right edge of that guy, the left edge of that guy. There’s a lot of technique that goes beyond knowing who to hit.”

If Hicks is being technical enough, his physical presence is enough to get him on the field plenty. Ad in his go hit somebody mentality, it'll be interesting to see him get some goal line carries or see 344-Fullback called for him, something I'm sure Blutarsky would approve of. You put Hicks at 6-2 and 260, Lynch at 6-5 and 255, or Rome at 6-6 and 255 with the ball in space, you are asking cornerbacks and safeties to bring down players that have anywhere from 20 to 70 pounds on them.

That is quite the mismatch.

TD

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