Next game
Who: Southern Illinois Salukis (0-1) vs. Miami RedHawks (0-1)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Yager Stadium, Oxford
Web: ESPN3
Radio: WMOH-AM (1450), WDBZ-AM (1230), WONE-AM (980), WFMG-FM (101.3)
In a perfect football world, somebody would step up and put a death grip on Miami University’s running back position.
It might happen. It might not. But Jamire Westbrook wouldn’t mind getting his hands on it.
The freshman from Kings High School is making a serious bid for the RedHawks’ starting job. Not with great numbers, but with the effort and ability to help the team in a variety of ways.
“Personally, I feel I can do it,” Westbrook said. “No question.”
Four running backs carried the ball in the season-opening 56-10 defeat at Ohio State: Justin Semmes (five carries, 13 yards), Robert Williams (three carries, 10 yards), Westbrook (four carries, 7 yards) and Spencer Treadwell (two carries, 4 yards).
Not exactly eye-popping statistics, to be sure. Yet Westbrook also caught four passes for 19 yards and showed a willingness to do some downfield blocking. He’s also got arguably the best mix of speed and power among the running backs.
“His time for playing is definitely going to improve,” Miami coach Don Treadwell said. “He is a tough young man.”
The 5-foot-9, 214-pound Westbrook is taking nothing for granted.
“It’s just the maturity at this level,” he said. “I have to get experience from game to game. It’s going to take me getting to know my offense a little bit more and going full speed in practice every day. I try to see what each player does so I can better myself.”
Semmes and Williams are still listed 1-2 on the depth chart, but Treadwell said that’s not set in stone. In other words, a guy like Westbrook could get a first-string shot when the RedHawks host Southern Illinois on Saturday.
“Westbrook is an impressive guy,” MU offensive coordinator John Klacik said. “I think he likes football. There’s two things you can’t teach a running back. You can’t teach how to take a hit, and you can’t teach vision. We’re working on the other stuff with him. He has the stuff you can’t teach.”
Klacik pointed out that whoever gets the start on any given day probably won’t play the entire game.
“We’re still a tailback by committee, and I don’t think that’ll change in the near future,” Klacik said. “I think we need to play a bunch of guys until we find a rhythm of who’s going to become that guy.
“I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can do the job, and I think they help each other every day. I don’t think we’ve got a guy that’s ready to play 35 snaps at tailback. I think we’ve got a bunch of guys that are ready to play 20.”
Westbrook said he looks up to seniors Erik Finklea and Semmes. He calls them his role models.
Asked to describe himself as a running back, Westbrook said he’s a hard worker that can run with strength and quickness.
“I can do both when it’s time,” Westbrook said. “I can put on the jets when I need it, and I can slow down, be patient and run over that guy.”
And if he had to choose?
“I’d rather run over a guy because you really show that you can destroy that man,” Westbrook said. “I like that personally.”
As expected, he had some jitters in his first collegiate game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Yet he never found the situation to be overwhelming.
“My first jitter went away on my first caught pass,” Westbrook said. “When I got hit on the sideline, I was like, ‘Oh, this is nothing. I can contribute with catching and everything.’ All I’ve got to do is get stronger. That’s what I’ve got to focus on.”
Treadwell said Westbrook showed some want-to on Dawan Scott’s 58-yard reception last Saturday. It was the kind of play that separates players in a coach’s mind.
“If you go back and look at that highlight, you’ll see one guy streaking all the way down the field and knocking the safety flat on his butt,” Treadwell said. “That’s No. 5, Westbrook.”
“I always have that effort when they need me to do that,” Westbrook said. “I saw that Dawan had caught the ball, so I was like, ‘Oh, I can make another block.’ Even though the guy wouldn’t have made the tackle, I still came in there and hit him to show the coaches I can do it.”
Westbrook likes catching the ball out of the backfield and did it quite often at Kings. He also likes the daily competition among the running backs. He feels it’s made him better.
“When you compete like that, you feel more confident when you do go in,” Westbrook said.
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