SEATTLE — Trust is not something given lightly to a freshman running back.
Usually the true freshmen running backs can be found in the third rank on the sidelines, holding their helmets in their hands and just hoping their coaches know their names well enough to call them on those rare instances when they’re needed. Or even more often, they’re dressed in jerseys and jeans as they redshirt through their first year of college. Trust is something freshmen have to earn.
But Myles Gaskin hasn’t just entered the circle of trust, he’s grabbed it and dragged it into the end zone.
The University of Washington running back put the cherry on top of a record-breaking freshman season, rushing for 143 yards and two touchdowns as the Huskies ran over the Washington State Cougars 45-10 Friday afternoon at Husky Stadium to claim the Apple Cup.
With his performance, Gaskin, who graduated from O’Dea High School in Seattle but lists Lynnwood as his hometown, became the first true freshman in Washington history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for a season. His 1,121 yards also broke the school’s single-season rushing record for all freshmen, besting the 1,113 redshirt freshman Chris Polk accumulated in 2009.
Gaskin’s two touchdowns gave him 10 this season, which also broke a Washington freshman record, besting the nine Rich Alexis scored in 2000.
Those things don’t happen without having the trust of the coaches, and the coaches showed all kinds of trust in Gaskin on Friday.
Trust to carry the ball 32 times in a game that determined whether Washington would be eligible to go to a bowl game.
Trust to carry the load at the game’s critical juncture, handing him the ball on seven of the 11 plays following Washington State’s only touchdown as the Huskies responded with a TD drive of their own, ending any thoughts of a comeback.
Trust to even receive the ball on the snap in the wildcat formation on multiple occasions, perhaps even with the ability to decide whether to hand the ball off or keep it himself — Gaskin wasn’t willing to divulge whether he was given the trust to make a decision, or whether the ball carrier was determined pre-snap.
This from someone who didn’t enter the starting lineup until the sixth game of the season.
When asked if he ever had this much trust in a true freshman running back before, Washington coach Chris Peterson answered with a simple, “No.
“I really almost think you can take the ‘freshman’ out of it,’” Petersen continued. “The guy is reliable, you kind of know what you’re going to get.”
How does having that trust feel?
“Great,” Gaskin said. “I feel like that trust is built off the field more when eating dinner and stuff like that. We really can bond as people before the player-coach relationship and then it develops into that. It’s just a great vibe with the coaches and the players.”
Gaskin didn’t earn that trust because of his measurables. He’s small for a running back at 5-foot-9 and 192 pounds. He doesn’t possess blinding speed. He doesn’t exhibit the Barry Sanders-like moves that leave defenders grasping at air.
No flash, just functionally effective. He takes what’s available and doesn’t try to do too much.
“When I look at him out there running I just think that’s a mature running back, and he’s only a true freshman,” Petersen said. “That’s just how he runs. He’s patient, he’s crafty, he’s hard to tackle, you can give him the ball a lot of times, so he does a great job. Every game, you think we’d get used to it and say that’s what we expect, and we kind of do now.”
Gaskin showed that maturity in his patient approach during Friday’s game. He didn’t find much running room in the first half, gaining just 29 yards on 11 carries before the break. But he stayed with it and produced when the Huskies needed it most, going for 114 yards on 21 carries as Washington played ball control with its second-half lead.
“You got to take your time,” Gaskin said “Their safeties play really far up in the box and they’re great tacklers. You just have to be patient, you can’t get frustrated in things like that, in any position. You just got to take your time, take a breath, come to the sidelines, talk to your coach, hear what he’s got to say because he knows what he’s talking about, and go out there and execute.”
Gaskin didn’t make much of the freshman records he set Friday. Indeed, he said he wasn’t really paying attention to the possibility of writing his name in the Husky record books.
“A few of the guys have been telling me (about the approaching records),” Gaskin said. “I don’t really look at numbers like that. My dad told me yesterday when I went home for Thanksgiving. It’s just weird to hear because you don’t really think about it. It kind of snuck up on me, but it’s not like I was going for that, it’s just go out there and try to win games.”
That’s the kind of answer that draws smiles from coaches. And it’s an example of why Gaskin is a freshman worthy of trust.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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