SEATTLE With a thin tailback corps and a young offensive line, Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham said it’s likely that the Huskies fullbacks could become an even bigger part of the offense this season.
And that’s good news to Mark Palaita and Luke Kravitz. While they both appreciate the chance to do their jobs as lead blockers, it’s always nice to get a chance to get a carry here and there.
And it appears that that’s what will happen this season. In an effort to take some pressure off of Washington’s tailbacks, the Huskies have inserted a couple of new running plays designed for the fullback. Also, because the UW offensive line is fairly inexperienced, there could be added pressure on the fullbacks to provide either blocking help or a safety valve in the passing game.
“I always looking forward to being a part of the running game,” said Palaita, a fifth-year walk-on who started both games that the UW opened with a fullback last season. “That’s exciting to me. It’s something I’ve definitely been working on.”
“I’m happy about it because I played tailback in high school and I’ve been itching to get the rock ever since I’ve been here,” said Kravitz, a sophomore who played in two games on special teams last season. “Also the quarterbacks are working through their progressions more and me and Mark are on the tail end of that. Once they get through it all, they just dump it to us.”
Last year, James Sims entered the season as the fullback but was used primarily as the tailback, leading the team in rushing. Palaita had just three carries for four yards, scoring a touchdown against Notre Dame. Ty Eriks had the only reception among fullbacks.
That may change this year.
“We’re going to be more creative in how we use our fullback,” Willingham said. “Those guys are capable of doing a lot of things to help this football team and we’re excited to find a way to get them more involved.”
Playing fullback has been an adjustment for both players. Palaita, a 5-foot-10, 240-pounder valued for his blocking, had 98 tackles and nine sacks as a linebacker in his senior year at Kennedy High School. After sitting out the 2001 season, he walked on in 2002 and redshirted, then was on the scout team in 2003 and played on special teams in 2004, getting one carry at fullback.
“I had never been a running back, never been a fullback,” Palaita said. “I had always played linebacker. But I came here and they switched me to fullback and I love it. It took a lot of time and a lot of work. I just try to hit the linebacker before they hit me.”
Kravitz, the son of former UW defensive end Al Kravitz, was an outstanding tailback at Olympia High School. As a senior, he ran for 2,460 yards and 41 touchdowns and finished his career with school records of 4,300 yards and 77 touchdowns. But he came to Washington as a fullback.
“When I first got here, I found myself watching film and just looking at the running backs even though that’s not my position,” Kravitz said. “It was a big adjustment. Hitting D-one linebackers, that’s something I never experienced. It took a little while but I’m comfortable there now.”
Palaita impressed the coaches last year with his willingness to simply go out and block and never complain about his role, or the fact that he was a starter but not on scholarship. Willingham has mentioned Palaita as someone who could be awarded a scholarship this season.
“Mark is a guy you don’t have to worry about,” Willingham said. “He will go out, do his job to the best of his ability and always give full effort. Coaches love those kinds of players.”
“We’ve talked about (the scholarship),” Palaita said. “We’ll see how it goes. I don’t let it worry me too much. I just try to play the game and I leave everything else up to the coaches.”
Kravitz impressed coaches during the spring when he was needed to fill in at tailback because of injuries. He flashed the same ability to carry that ball that he had shown in high school.
“I guess I did pretty well, I made a couple nice runs,” Kravitz said. “Coach was impressed and he said he wanted to try to get me more involved in the run game.”
“Luke has some of the same ability you see in tailbacks, the ability to find holes and make plays,” Willingham said. “But as a fullback, he’s also developed the ability to be physical. A player like that, we can do some things with.”
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