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San Diego State RB Juwan Washington Ready to Break 2,000 Yards in 2018.
San Diego State running back Juwan Washington is gaining national attention for 2018 college football season
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San Diego State’s running back is getting national looks.
In his junior year, things are looking good for Juwan Washington as he takes the reigns from Rashaad Penny with two more years of eligibility at San Diego State. With Washington’s talent and a cohesive offensive line, it is in possible that he breaks 2,000 yards this season. This week Sports Illustrated took a look at the running back ready to take on 2018.
In 2015 Texas high schooler, Washington was recruited by Jeff Horton to head west and be a part of the San Diego State system. Then senior Chase Price and junior Donnel Pumphrey were the team’s one-two punch in the backfield. Washington chose to redshirt his true freshman year and ready himself for 2016.
“We’ve been blessed the last couple of years,” Horton says. “It’s never been done in the history of college football. Can he do that? I know he’ll really seize that opportunity. For his size, he’s a physical runner. He can make people miss. He has great vision. He understands how we’re blocking plays and has the acceleration for being able to hit it. I tell our guys this all the time, to have a big run, two things gotta happen.”
In 2016, Washington played in mop-up duty behind Pumphrey and Penny and in 2017, Washington had played a bigger role in backing up Penny. His workload increased from 55 rushing attempts in 2016 to 127 in 2017.
“I saw Pump running the football with his size and stature against this bigger school and told my mom, ‘This [system] is perfect for me,’” Washington recalls. “Here was this small guy getting a chance, and that was what I was hoping to get. Just an opportunity to show what I can do.”
If Washington is able to break 2,000 yards this season, it will be the first time a school produces back-to-back-to-back 2,000 yard rushers. For a school that switched from a pass-happy program to a pro-style offense this would be an amazing feat in NCAA. As well as national eyes onto Montezuma Mesa and the Mountain West.
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