Mario Anderson's old-school mentality isn't by accident
From the moment South Carolina transfer running back Mario Anderson arrived in Columbia, observers quickly noticed his “old school” running style.
With his oversized thigh pads and bring-the-physicality punch as he hits the hole, Anderson is best described as a throwback player for the Gamecocks.
So much so that when running backs coach Montario Hardesty was looking for an NFL player to compare Anderson’s style to, he went deep in the archives and pulled out some tape of Emmitt Smith.
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Anderson, who was a guest on last week’s Garnet Trust Hour on 107.5 The Game, said his style is not by accident.
“Growing up, my Uncle Sam, that’s all I used to do, watch guys like (Emmitt Smith), Marshawn Lynch, Derrick Henry, Adrian Peterson,” Anderson said. “That’s all I did was just study old school backs. Eddie George. That’s what I do. And people kind of laugh at me because my thigh pads and my knee pads isn’t the small pads, it’s the real big pads like back in the day. And that’s just my swag. That’s how I like it. I feel as though that’s my niche.”
After playing sparingly in the first three games of the season, Anderson has started to earn more snaps in the last two as fans have gotten more of a look at his signature play style.
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He was South Carolina’s leading rusher two games ago against Mississippi State, rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
Anderson earned his first career start as a Gamecock last weekend against Tennessee and rushed for 101 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown, on 10 carries.
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“All of those guys had a kill mentality, had a physical mentality, and just being able to convert that to my game, being able to trust my instincts and everything, trust my training like Coach Mo and them say, and just run hard every play and give it all I can, fall forward, get positive yards and everything,” Anderson said. “And I try to do what those guys did because that’s what I came up on.”
After a bye this past week, Anderson and the Gamecocks return to action Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium with a 3:30 kickoff vs. Florida.
