Warren looks to build on last season’s performance
, buddy@rustonleader.com
08-05-2008
GRAMBLING — Frank Warren will be trying to rush for more than just yards at Grambling State University during the 2008 season.He’ll also be trying to rush away from any so-called “sophomore jinx.”
At whatever level sports you might be talking about, avoiding a second-year slump is high on the list of objectives for any student-athlete who makes an immediate impact as a freshman.
So it will be for Warren, who had one of the best first-year performances of any player in Grambling State history.
The 6-foot and 185-pound running back finished among the top five ground gainers in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, led the Tigers in the same category and was named as the Freshman of the Year in the league.
Warren ended with 901 yards and five touchdowns on 196 carries while helping the G-Men compile an 8-4 overall record and 8-1 Western Division championship slate in the conference.
“It was surprising to have that kind of year, but I was happy that I could help our team have success,” Warren said at the end of Grambling State’s spring workouts. “I just tried to go out every game and every practice and give it my best. Fortunately, things worked out well during the season, but it was disappointing that we couldn’t win the conference championship.
“That’s a goal we have all set for ourselves this year. We have the talent and desire to have another good year and make it back to the championship game.”
Warren, who came out of the Alabama prep ranks (Pleasant Grove High) as one of the Tigers’ top recruits last year, is more interested in seeing the Tigers hoist a SWAC championship trophy than winning any individual awards or leading the team in any statistical department.
“It’s about team and doing the things that will help our team win,” he said. “If I have a good game and score several times or gain a bunch of yards and it helps us win, then I’m happy. But it doesn’t mean a thing if we don’t win.”
Warren was tough on opposing defenses from start to finish, immediately applying a major impact to a Tigers’ offense that featured a wide range of weapons. While new head coach Rod Broadway preferred to establish a strong running game, the presence of a talented pass-catch grew made it feasible to demonstrate as much versatility with the unit as possible.
“We knew we had the ability to be successful either running or throwing the football,” said now-departed quarterback starter Brandon Landers, who won’t be with the team this season after grade problems. “We had some great receivers like Clyde Edwards, but Frank and Cornelius gave us another option with their running.”
Fellow freshman Cornelius Walker also made a smooth transition to the college ranks with his 565 yards and five touchdowns on 131 carries.
The “W&W” duo combined for almost 1,500 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
By mid-season, some opposing teams might have figured that the two first-year starters would slow down and that their statistics would start taking a dip southward.
They never did.
“I just tried to be consistent every game, but I never worried about the number of yards I got or whatever,” Warren said. “I just tried to run as hard as I could and hoped something good would come out of it.”
More times than not, they did.
And not only did Warren prove valuable in the running game, he also caught 20 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. His catch total was the fourth-highest on the team and the three players ahead of him were all wide receivers.
“Running or receiving, if it helps Grambling win, that’s all I care about,” said Warren.
Well, that, plus also avoiding a sophomore jinx.
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