He is a hybrid back with the power to run inside and the speed to break away once he reaches the second level. He will be a handful for the Iowa defense in Saturday’s 11 a.m. matchup at Heinz Field.
Through three games, the Hawkeyes rank as one of the best in the nation against the run, surrendering just 88.7 yards a game, but they’ve seen nothing like McCoy.
Not even close.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
He’s good. He’s real good. When he hits the hole, he hits it hard. He runs in a bad mood. He’s a good runner, and he kind of runs the way you coach guys to run the ball. He runs down hill. He lowers his shoulder. He’s not stepping out of bounds. He’s a big, physical back. — Iowa linebacker A.J. Edds
He’s a Reggie Bush-type back. Don’t give him too much space, or he can hurt you. He’s a big back. He’s got a lot of heart. Once he gets in the open field, he can hurt you. So, get ready. — Iowa linebacker Jeremiha Hunter
LeSean is a bigger back, a stronger back (than Tony Dorsett). Tony was probably more elusive, had better breakaway speed. They’re similar with the intangibles. They both work extremely hard. They’re both tough guys. They can both catch the ball well. Some of those things are a lot more similar than their running style. — Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt
He’s just a tough runner. He’s garnered a lot of attention, justifiably so. He had a great year last year as a first-year player. He’s a tough runner … he’s awfully good. — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz
THE MCCOY FILE
Position: Running back
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 210 pounds
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Harrisburg, Pa.
High school: Bishop McDevitt
In high school: Finished high school career as Pennsylvania’s ninth all-time leading rusher with 6,640 yards and 75 touchdowns.
Statistics
Year Att. Yds. Avg. TD
2007 276 1,328 4.8 14
2008 43 164 3.8 4
Totals 319 1,492 4.7 18
IOWA'S HUNTER HAS READ ON MCCOY
Jeremiha Hunter has the goods on LeSean McCoy.
So much so, Iowa’s sophomore linebacker says, that he can sit in a film room and read McCoy’s body language before the snap and call out whether or not Pittsburgh’s sophomore sensation is going to get the ball.
That figures to be an advantage for Iowa’s defense when the Hawkeyes (3-0) meet the Panthers (1-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Heinz Field.
“You know when he’s getting ball and when he’s not getting the ball,” Hunter said Tuesday. “When he’s getting the ball, he’s intense, he’s ready. When he’s not getting the ball, he’s kind of lackadaisical.”
Hunter has plenty of experience trying to stop McCoy, who last season set a Big East Conference freshman record with 1,328 yards rushing and broke Tony Dorsett’s Pitt freshman mark with 14 rushing scores. Hunter and McCoy grew up just miles from each other and played at rival high schools in Harrisburg, Pa.
Their teams played for the city championship in 2005, Hunter and McCoy’s senior season, and McCoy’s team won that day, though McCoy was knocked out of the game by Hunter’s younger brother.
“In high school, that game, the city championship, is like Iowa State-Iowa,” Hunter said. “That was our city championship right there. We played for a trophy. You wanted to give a little extra and leave it on the field. That’s what I’m going to try to do against Pitt.”
Hunter and McCoy are friends. They got to know each other on the camp circuit in high school and have kept in touch since Hunter made the decision to leave home and come to Iowa. McCoy made a one-year stop at Milford (N.Y.) Academy before landing at Pitt last season.
They keep in touch over the phone, and, naturally, the trash talking started early this week when McCoy called Hunter after Iowa’s win over Iowa State.
“He told me he was watching some film on us, trying to pick up our blitzes,” Hunter said. “I told him we haven’t blitzed too much to watch. He said we’ll have to be blitzing a lot if we’re going to stop him.”
At least Hunter will know what’s coming.
Contact Eric Page at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
nate wheeler wrote on Sep 20, 2008 2:16 PM: