Sam Pittman makes the case for freshman Rashod Dubinion to receive more carries

A staple of Arkansas‘ offensive attack is their running game, as last season they had four ball carries reach the 500-yard mark on the ground. As they look to find this year’s quartet of rushers to match last year’s production, they have to look no further than freshman running back Rashod Dubinion, who head coach Sam Pittman spoke about on Wednesday.

“I think he’d done a great job, he’s a tough kid, tough runner, never late for a class, never on any list,” Pittman said. “Just a wonderful addition to the team and he brings that toughness, that Cedar Grove Georgia toughness that Jimmy (Smith) and the newer coaches instilled in him there at Cedar Grove.”

Dubinion has made the most of his carries this year in a crowded running back room, that features star running back Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders, who’s already reached the 500-yard mark this season, sophomore AJ Green, and Dominique Johnson, a 500-yard rusher a season ago.

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“That’s the one to be honest with you, I know we’ve talked a lot about AJ, and Domonique, and of course Rocket, but that’s the one right there that I would like to see get more carries in a game. He certainly had a couple of really good, nice carries in the A&M game, and that’s the one we probably need to learn a little bit more about,” Pittman said.

Despite Arkansas’ depth at the running back position, Dubinion has been able to stand out in his limited touches, picking up 54 yards and a touchdown on his 14 carries, while also displaying a unique skillset in comparison to his ball-carrying counterparts. He received two carries in critical moments during the fourth quarter of the Razorback’s last game versus Texas A&M, picking up 17 yards on the ground, which included 14 on an explosive first-down run play.

“Absolutely, it’s a little bit more of a changeup, a guy that can cut on a dime and things of that nature. He’s just a different back of course that would change it up immediately, but his running style’s very unique and we trust him,” Pittman said. “Certainly showed him a lot of trust there and I was glad that he got those carries in those critical situations because we believe in him.”

It’ll be interesting to see how Dubinion continues to impact Arkansas’ offense moving forward, and if his role continues to increase the more he continues to impress Pittman and the rest of the Razorback coaching staff.

“But I’ve been extremely pleased with him, he can cut on a dime and I think he’s gonna be a really good player for us. He is now, but I think he’s gonna be a really really good running back for us,” Pittman said.