San Diego State’s Juwan Washington prepared to be the Aztecs’ next standout running back
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Reprint of an article from San Diego Union-Tribune by?Kirk Kenney?Contact Reporter
It has been nearly nine months since Juwan Washington took a significant hit on the football field. {{more: continue …}}
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San Diego State?football coach Rocky Long does not want his starting running back ? the bell cow he?s counting on for 25-30 carries a game ? involved in any unnecessary roughness before the 2018 season starts Friday night at 13th-ranked Stanford.
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So, like D.J. Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny before him, Washington spent the spring and summer watching from the sidelines.
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About the only thing Washington has been allowed to run is his mouth.
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In that regard, the junior from Fort Worth, Texas, is in midseason form. [KHS Class of 2005]
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SDSU linebacker Ronley Lakalaka compared Washington to comedian Kevin Hart.
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?He has a joke up his sleeve every conversation we have,? Lakalaka said. ?He?s funny. Very laid back. Smart. He?s always got something to say.??
During a spring scrimmage, Washington was good-naturedly riding the refs before turning his attention to teammate Parker Baldwin when the safety missed a tackle.
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?Get in there,? Baldwin responded after absorbing one barb.
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?I can?t,? Washington said. ?Talk to my coach.?
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During a kick return drill in a recent practice, Washington mixed words of encouragement with wisecracks.
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?Weave it, weave it,? he yelled on a carry by Chance Bell.
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?Take it to the crib,? he shouted to Tyree Bracy before a kick return.
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Before another kick, Washington directed at Kyre Richardson: ?I?m going to get back here (near the goal line) to see the holes because I know you?re going to miss them.?
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Washington has been allowed to go back for kickoff and punt returns himself on occasion, but he?s limited to fair catching the football or making returns pretty much untouched.
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?He?s probably the freshest guy in camp,? Long said.
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Washington has been able to show some moves, nevertheless. He danced and danced and danced to a Bruno Mars song two weeks ago while waiting for the punt unit to take the field during a practice held at MCAS Miramar.
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?When we went to the Hawaii Bowl (in 2015), Juwan went on stage and was totally killing it (doing the hula),? SDSU quarterback Christian Chapman said.
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?He?s got a dynamic personality,? said Jeff Horton, SDSU?s offensive coordinator and running backs coach. ?Even when he redshirted as a freshman, he was always dancing around on the field.
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?He?s always got a song. He?s quick off the cuff to be able to say things to pop on people. He?s just fun to be around. He?s never had a bad day on a football field. ? It?s great to see young people smiling and having fun, and he certainly leads the parade.?
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During practice Wednesday night, Washington ran out on the field to help celebrate a teammate?s touchdown. He jumped around and gyrated his hips before dropping to his knees at the 15-yard line and strumming an air guitar.
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Finally, it is time for Washington to let his play speak for itself.
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The first thing people want to know is whether Washington can give the Aztecs three straight 2,000-yard running backs.
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Pumphrey (2,133 yards) and Penny (2,248) each did it ? making SDSU the only school in history with back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons by different backs ? while leading the nation in rushing.
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When asked about a 2,000-yards back in the spring, Washington said, ?That?s the plan.?
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With the season so close now, his words are more measured: ?That?s up to the O-line. If it comes, it comes. It?s not something I can try and force.?
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The running back is doing everything he can to create a bond with the players blocking for him, however.
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?Those are my guys,? Washington said. ?I talk to them all the time. We?re close. I?m getting to know them on and off the field so when we get out there, there?s a connection we have.?
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?Is he going to rush for 2,000 yards?? Horton says, repeating the question. ?I?m not going to put that pressure on somebody. Obviously, that was the first time in NCAA history where two different guys rushed for 2,000 yards, so it?s not like it happens all the time.
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?I know Juwan is ready to assume the role. He?s proven he can make plays at this level. He?s a big-time playmaker.?
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Said Chapman: ?Juwan is a beast. He?s going to step in for Penny and be perfectly fine.?
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The 5-foot-7, 190-pound Washington has been described as a Pumphrey/Penny hybrid ? more solid but with similar shiftiness to the 5-8, 170-pound Pumphrey; Smaller than the 5-11, 220-pound Penny, but still able to pack a punch.
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?He kind of has deceptive speed, so it looks like he?s gliding at times,? Horton said. ?But when you see him run back the kickoffs for touchdowns or break off long runs, he can certainly go get it.
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?He has a very uncanny way of being able to slide through holes. He?s running behind all of those big guys; the other team doesn?t see him until it?s too late.
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?When he needs to, he can be a physical back. He?s not just a small back, he can bring a little wallop with him.?
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Washington has provided glimpses of greatness, just as Penny did before his breakout season.
San Diego State’s Juwan Washington rushes for a 60-yard touchdown on a fourth-quarter run last season
against New Mexico. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Averaging 10 carries a game last year, Washington rushed for 759 yards and seven touchdowns. His performance was highlighted by a career-high 134 yards at San Jose State and a career-long 60-yard TD run against New Mexico.
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Washington also returns kicks, most memorably a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening play of the game against Northern Illinois and a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown just before halftime against Army at the Armed Forces Bowl.
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Washington?s three career TD returns place him among the nation?s active leaders in the category. With two years left to play, Horton believes Washington can challenge the FBS-record-tying seven TD returns that Penny had during his career.
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It?s nothing that surprises Richard Barrett, who was Washington?s coach at Texas? Kennedale High.?
?I know with Juwan there?s a fire burning inside him wanting to prove and show to everyone around the country that he can be that same kind of back that Penny is,? said Barrett, who is in his 18th season at Kennedale. ?Obviously, he?s not 6-1, 220 pounds, but I can assure you Juwan will do a lot of good things for San Diego State every time that ball is snapped. That?s the kind of player he is, and he has a burning desire to excel.?
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Washington had a prolific career with Kennedale?s Wildcats, rushing for 6,776 yards over three seasons while scoring 103 touchdowns. He averaged 9.5 yards a carry over his last two seasons in the team?s Wing-T offense.
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?He was one of those guys that every time he touched the ball he was a threat to go all the way,? Barrett said. ?He was the perfect tailback. Juwan could use his athleticism and his speed, but he was also so strong. He had such a burst. He could change directions. He could put his foot in the ground and go from right to left, accelerate, break tackles.??
Washington is eager to take that first hit at Stanford, saying ?I?m excited to go out there and play a real football game again.?
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While he enjoys bantering with teammates in practice, the running back said he is a man of few words with opponents.
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?I don?t say too much,? Washington said. ?If they say something to me, I might say something here and there. I?m not really too much of a talker in a game.?
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Now, if he somehow finds himself surrounded by the Stanford band ? it could happen ? Washington might be moved to be a more active participant.
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?I used to be in percussion in eighth grade,? he said. ?I played the snare drum and all kinds of other instruments. That was good.?
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Music to the ears of Aztecs fans would be hearing Washington?s number called again and again against the Cardinal.
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In other words, more bell cow.
