White, Karim lead race for running back minutes

By Todd Hefferman
The Southern

CARBONDALE - If starting lineups simply progress from one year to the next based on stats, Richard White will be Southern Illinois University's starting tailback Sept. 5 at Marshall.

White rushed for 343 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games last season, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The 5-foot-9, 188-pound sophomore caught seven passes for 47 yards and returned nine kickoffs for an average of 22.9 yards per return.

Tailback Larry Warner, however, did more than run, catch and return in his final season last year.

Warner, a Payton Award nominee, led the Missouri Valley Football Conference in kick return average (31.2 ypr), and was the Salukis' game breaker. He scored a team-high 13 touchdowns, and wasn't nicknamed Larry Lightning for nothing by the voice of the Salukis, broadcaster Mike Reis. Five times last season, Warner scored on a play over 50 yards.

"You miss a Larry Warner, but you gotta replace him somehow, some way," SIU coach Dale Lennon said. "You already start where you ended, and Richard White was one of our main backs. We feel very good about him. Deji Karim is a redshirt that's played a lot of football in the past, so, we have to see where he's at with his game. Lucien Walker is another guy who's had a lot of experience, so, our depth is pretty good there."

White, who will be a junior this fall, said he wants to become a leader in the backfield in his third SIU season. White missed one game after injuring his knee on a kickoff return, but said he's at 100 percent going into spring drills.

"Coach is really coming down on us this year. He really wants to see some explosion," White said. "The biggest part last year, where we had a lot of turnovers, as far as fumbling, so, he's going to be definitely watching our ball security. Just going out there and being a leader, and working for it. I think that's going to be the biggest key."

Walker, a 6-foot, 209-pound sophomore and Karim appear to be the other frontrunners for the starting tailback spot. Walker started the season as a fullback, but after White went down with a knee injury, he stepped into the backup role, and averaged four yards a carry. In 10 games, Walker rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown.

Karim, a fifth-year senior this fall, was the team's third-leading rusher in 2007. He led the Salukis with eight rushing touchdowns, and averaged over five yards a carry.

The starting tailback will likely have to run and catch the football well, as the Salukis ran one of the most balanced offenses in the league last season. SIU rushed for 2,031 yards and passed for 2,241 on the way to a 9-3 record. Forty-nine of the team's 198 pass completions went to a running back.

"It's going to be, how can we have a good complement to backs?" Lennon said. "I really do feel that you need about three backs to make it through a season, and I think we have those quality backs."