University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Lewis Wants To Carry Load
September 25, 2002 | Football
Sept. 25, 2002
By Adam Lucas
Depending on who you ask, sophomore tailback Jacque Lewis may or may not be ready to carry the majority of the rushing load for North Carolina this season.
Start with Lewis himself. "I can carry the ball as many times as [the coaching staff] would like," he said. "I am going to hurt, but I have to be able to play with pain. That is the name of the game. That's what Coach Bunting always talks about."
Lewis is starting to amass the numbers to back up his contention. He got seven carries in the season opener against Miami of Ohio, carried the ball 17 times in the win over Syracuse, and piled up 84 yards on 20 carries against Texas, plus a pass reception that went for 16 yards. He also joined the Bitty Block Club started by Jarwarski Pollock's crushing block on a Sam Aiken touchdown pass against Miami. Lewis copied that pancake that was delivered by another one of the smallest Tar Heels when he leveled a Texas defender on Darian Durant's 27-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half against the Longhorns.
On that play, Lewis suffered a stinger to his left shoulder, the same injury he sustained during the last week of training camp. Although initial reports were that it was questionable if he would return, he started the second half. Still, questions linger about how his 5-9, 180-pound body can handle a full season of pounding. The durability question coupled with Carolina's depth and talent at running back, including Andre Williams and Willie Parker, has John Bunting skeptical about assigning the full tailback load to one player.
"Do I think he can carry the ball 25 times per game?" Bunting said this week. "I would be highly suspect...He will get more carries, but I expect Andre' and Willie to continue getting in the game."
All three players, running behind an improved offensive line that is starting to open more defined holes in the rushing game, have contributed in 2002. Bunting did single out Lewis's blocking ability as the best of the tailback triumvirate, a key part of the package given the head coach's fervent desire to protect the quarterback.
Lewis saw his first action as a Tar Heel last year against Florida State, when he ripped off a 27-yard gain in the rout of the Seminoles. He always had big-play potential, as he showed with back-to-back 40-yard and 28-yard rushes against Duke, but it wasn't until he learned how to pick up the tough yards that he became a serious contender for playing time.
"I think he is a lot better at seeing the hole and hitting it," Bunting said.
"In high school, I was used to putting moves on people and going down the sideline without worrying about contact," Lewis said. "Now I've realized that I can take the contact, so I just run as hard as I can...I've learned from [running backs] Coach Powell that you just have to hit the hole hard and anything we get after five yards is a plus."
Closing in on a starting position is a somewhat unusual spot for a player who admittedly doesn't much care to watch football games. While some players holed up in their apartments for all-day game viewing this past weekend during the off week, Lewis said he didn't watch any games. In fact, he usually doesn't even watch the Super Bowl.
That meant that some education about Carolina's tailback tradition was required when he got to Chapel Hill, a product of Northeastern High in Elizabeth City.
"I honestly wasn't aware of the thousand-yard rushers from North Carolina," he said. "But when I got here, I saw the list hanging in the locker room, and it's also in our meeting room for the running backs."
It's possible that there might be room in the future for a new name on that list of talented tailbacks. Until then, Lewis will spend his time like an election-year politician, lobbying his skeptics and petitioning for more airtime.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
