Wednesday, August 26, 2015
RBs Ruiz, Webb key Penguins’ offense
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
It didn’t show up in the standings, but in January of 2013, then-Youngstown State coach Eric Wolford survived a late rally by North Dakota State.
Wolford prided himself on finding overlooked recruits and he believed his staff had found a good one in Tampa, Fla., by the name of Martin Ruiz, a running back who got a late start to football and didn’t have a breakout season until his senior year, long after the bigger colleges had filled their recruiting classes.
“Youngstown was my first offer and Wolf was on me really crazy,” Ruiz said. “The week before signing day, North Dakota [State] offered me a scholarship and wanted me to come for a visit.
“When I told Wolf I was gonna take a visit, he went crazy. He wanted to jump through the phone.”
At the time, the Bison were coming off their second straight FCS national championship, which meant Ruiz would be playing for the best program in the country ... eventually.
“It was nice up there but they just had too much depth,” said Ruiz, who admitted it didn’t hurt that Allegiant Air offered direct flights to Youngstown from nearby St. Petersburg. “I think they had three or four running backs coming in along with me. Wolf told me I’d have a chance to compete and maybe play right away.”
Ruiz (5-11, 200) ultimately signed with the Penguins, giving them a player who broke into the starting lineup midway through his first season season and finished third in the voting for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in the FCS. Ruiz set YSU freshman records with 192 carries for 1,094 yards and 15 TDs and followed that up with 1,320 yards and 10 TDs last fall. Both years he was a second team all-conference pick.
Later in 2013, the Penguins added Jody Webb (5-9, 180), a Toledo native who originally signed with the University of Toledo but ended up grayshirting (i.e. delaying his enrollment) and never joined the team. He joined YSU in time for 2013 training camp and made an immediate impact that season, rushing for 345 yards and six TDs. Last year was even better, with Webb rushing for 715 yards and nine TDs while adding another 215 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
“They’re a good 1-2 punch,” YSU coach Bo Pelini said of Ruiz and Webb. “They’re very similar, although Martin is a little bit bigger, and I think they complement each other well. They can both run outside and inside, they both have good vision and they’re versatile guys that can catch the ball out of the backfield. They do a lot of different things that help our offense.”
Although the Penguins lost third-stringer Ryan Moore (118 yards in 2014) to an ACL tear in the spring, they still have good depth at the position with senior Demond Hymes (a Warren Harding High graduate with nearly 300 yards rushing over his career), sophomore Sidney Sandidge (an intriguing prospect from Virginia who was briefly moved to cornerback), freshman Joe Alessi (South Range) and freshman walk-on Tevin McCaster (New Castle).
“Demond Hymes, he’s a real solid back; he’s able to do a lot of things for us,” said YSU running backs coach Pepe Pearson, a former Ohio State running back who spent the past 10 years coaching at Ohio Dominican. “Joe Alessi, I can see some promise in him. He’s really fast, but he’s just a young pup and still needs to learn the system. Tevin McCaster has done a great job and he’s really solid and Sidney has a lot of ability and is a big, strong, fast guy.
“I’ve inherited a great group of guys and I’m just trying to fine-tune their fundamentals and techniques and make them better from top to bottom. That’s my goal — from top to bottom, to have the best group in the country.”
YSU ranked third in the Missouri Valley in rushing offense last season with 189 yards per game behind Illinois State (240) and North Dakota State (227), who played each other in the national championship game. The Penguins finished in the top three every season of the Wolford era, including first in 2011, and YSU will run the same offense under Pelini, who retained Wolford’s offensive coordinator, Shane Montgomery.
“I think you have to run the football and control the line of scrimmage to be a really good football team,” Pelini said. “You can throw it all you want, but if you can’t have success running the football, you’re gonna have problems. I think we’ll be able to do that.”
Ruiz worked on adding speed in the offseason — “I already had power and it’s time to avoid some contact,” he said — and knows his role will change in his third year.
“I need to step up and become a big leader on this football team,” Ruiz said. “A lot of people look up to me.”
Webb included.
“I’ve learned so much from playing with him and I feel like it’s an honor to play with him,” Webb said. “I’m sure he feels the same way about me. It’s good to have a guy out there who you know is willing to put it on the line for you. I’ll do the same for him.”