Tag: Sione Houma

Michigan vs. Rutgers Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Sione Houma. I’m not in love with Houma as a tailback, but it sure is fun to watch him play with his hair waving all around and his 240 lb. body barreling into people. He finished the game with 6 carries for 19 yards and 1 catch for 32 yards. He’s a decent enough threat at fullback now that I think opponents are going to have to keep on eye on the fullback dives and traps, and that might spring one of the tailbacks on the outside at some point. Houma isn’t quite the blocker that Joe Kerridge is, but Houma is good enough at catching and running that I think it mostly makes up for the blocking differential.

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2014 Season Countdown: #36 Sione Houma

Sione Houma

Name: Sione Houma
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 240 lbs.
High school: Salt Lake City (UT) Highland
Position: Fullback
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #39
Last year: I ranked Houma #52 and said he would be the backup fullback and special teams player. He had 2 catches for 14 yards, 1 kickoff return for 19 yards, plus 8 tackles.

Houma was a part-time starter (two games) last season, as he was locked in a battle with Joe Kerridge. Both played decently well, but neither stood out. It’s tough to be a standout fullback, though. Houma looked pretty quick on a 9-yard catch against Akron, returned a short kickoff 19 yards against Iowa, and caught a 5-yard pass against Kansas State. He has always looked like the best athlete of the fullbacks, but Kerridge has supposedly been the better blocker.

This is the year I’m expecting the tide to turn at the position. When Houma was a freshman in 2012, you could see the inexperience and tell that he wasn’t really ready for college football. Things were moving too fast for him, and Kerridge was the best option. Last year Houma seemed to catch up mentally. This year the edge Houma has on Kerridge physically should help him win the job, relegating Kerridge to a backup role. Based mostly on my gut, I think new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier will prefer a more athletic fullback on the field (whenever the position itself is deemed necessary). Nussmeier likes to spread the field a little more than the departed Al Borges, and Houma has running skills that Kerridge lacks. I wouldn’t expect either to touch the ball very much, but I think Houma is a guy you can play as an H-back type and hit in the flat occasionally with positive results.

Prediction: Starting fullback; 3 catches, 20 yards, 1 touchdown

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Preview: Running Backs

John Hubert (#33) is essentially Kansas State’s only running back.

MICHIGAN
Starters: Late in the season, freshman Derrick Green (5’11”, 240 lbs.) essentially took over the starting role and bowled his way to 265 yards and 2 touchdowns on 82 carries, a 3.2-yard average. Green looks to be the guy, but really, any of three players could garner the bulk of the attempts. He has some giddyup, but mostly, he’s a between-the-tackles runner who won’t make many people miss. The other likely option is fifth year senior Fitzgerald Toussaint (5’10”, 200 lbs.), a scatback type who has been slowed a tiny bit since a broken ankle suffered in 2012. He’s started most of the games this year and has 183 carries for 646 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, plus 17 catches for 203 yards. Toussaint has the best big-play ability of the backs and seems to have taken on more of the third down back type snaps late in the season. The starting fullback is redshirt sophomore Joe Kerridge (6’0″, 238 lbs.), who has 1 carry and 5 catches on the season, mostly playing the role of a lead blocker.
Backups: Freshman De’Veon Smith (5’11”, 224 lbs.) is the main backup after the first two guys, and he’s a ball of churning legs who runs like I imagine a stegosaurus might: slowly but dangerously for anyone trying to bring him down. He has just 22 carries on the year for 110 yards, but his best game came in the regular season finale against Ohio State (7 carries, 57 yards). Redshirt sophomore Justice Hayes (5’10”, 192 lbs.) is mostly a third down back and has spent some time at slot receiver; he has just 1 carry for 7 yards on the year, plus 3 catches for 18 yards. I do not expect to see him much. Sophomore fullback Sione Houma (6’0″, 231 lbs.) has 1 catch for 9 yards and fills in occasionally for Kerridge.

KANSAS STATE
Starter: Fifth year senior John Hubert (5’7″, 191 lbs.) gets the vast majority of the running back carries and will likely surpass 1,000 yards in the bowl game; he currently has 182 carries for 968 yards and 9 touchdowns. He runs with a fair amount of power and quickness and has gone over 900 yards for three consecutive years. Look for Hubert to try to take advantage of cutback lanes out of the pistol, and he’s quick enough to get on the edge with some option looks. The Wolverines are solid against the run, but Hubert presents a challenge and is coming off a 220-yard performance against Kansas. Redshirt freshman Glenn Gronkowski (6’3″, 234 lbs.) is the younger brother of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and the starting fullback. He’s rarely used in the running game, but he has 4 catches for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns; his scores have gone for 67, 50, and 29 yards, so he can be dangerous out of the backfield.
Backups: Senior Robert Rose (5’4″, 176 lbs. and no, that’s not a typo) is the only notable backup, but he has 22 carries for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. Co-starting quarterback Daniel Sams (profiled yesterday) is essentially Hubert’s partner in crime in the backfield.

THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan’s running backs have yet to put fear into anyone this season, and despite a slight improvement in the running game over the past couple contests, the likelihood is small that Michigan blows the doors off KSU on the ground. Of course, much of that is the result of a young, underperforming offensive line. Meanwhile, Hubert has had more room to run than Michigan’s guys, and he has a skill of elusiveness that . . . uh . . . eludes Michigan’s trio of runners. We have seen the Wolverines come out with some innovative game plans in recent years (2008 against Florida, 2013 against South Carolina), but offensive coordinator Al Borges has limited options with what his line can block and what his backs can do. The Wolverines will probably do what they’ve been doing over the past couple games (lots of inside zones, bubble screen draws), and the Wildcats will also probably try to do what they do best and run inside zones and some powers with Hubert and Sams.


ADVANTAGE: Kansas State

2013 Season Countdown: #52 Sione Houma

Sione Houma

Name: Sione Houma
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 229 lbs.
High school: Salt Lake City (UT) Highland
Position: Fullback
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #39
Last year: I ranked Houma #86 and said he would redshirt. He had 1 kickoff return for 9 yards and 2 tackles on special teams.

Houma entered last season as the third fullback, but a mid-season departure from Stephen Hopkins opened the door a little bit more for playing time. Joe Kerridge was the starting fullback, but Houma played a couple games there and also saw quite a bit of time on special teams. He didn’t touch the ball offensively, but that’s just about par for the course in Michigan’s offense.

This year Hopkins is out of the way, so it looks like Houma will be the primary backup to incumbent starter Joe Kerridge. True freshman Wyatt Shallman, brought in as a running back, may eventually play some at fullback, too. Houma has been praised for his lead blocking, and he also has some value as a special teamer, so he should get a fair amount of playing time.

Prediction: Backup fullback, special teams

2012 Season Countdown: #86 Sione Houma

Sione Houma

Name: Sione Houma
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Salt Lake City (UT) Highland
Position: Fullback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Houma was in high school.  He struggled with injuries but ran 93 times for 790 yards (8.8 yards per carry) and 8 touchdowns.

Final TTB Rating: 66

Houma is going to be an interesting case study for Michigan, because he’s essentially a high school tailback.  Highland runs an option offense and used him as the primary ball carrier whenever he was healthy.  Whereas Michigan used to employ big, bruising fullbacks who weren’t much of a threat to run the ball, Houma is a West Coast-style fullback – a guy who can run the ball once in a while, catch some passes out of the backfield, and block.  Michigan hasn’t really used much of a true I-formation fullback since Obi Oluigbo in 2007.

As for the 2012 season, I don’t think the Wolverines will really need Houma’s services.  The starting fullback is Stephen Hopkins, backup tailback Thomas Rawls can play there, and then there’s a walk-on option in redshirt freshman Joe Kerridge.  Typically, a team doesn’t need to use more than two fullbacks in a season unless there’s a significant injury.  Meanwhile, Michigan learned toward the end of last season that Denard Robinson operates better out of a shotgun spread offense.  With the loss of Kevin Koger and no heir to the position, Michigan’s best choice for a base offense will likely be a spread look with one tight end; multiple tight ends will require putting multiple guys on the field who aren’t “the best eleven.”  Without a capable tight end, the I-formation becomes ineffective and a fullback becomes harder to use.  That means Houma should have the luxury of redshirting, bulking up, and learning the ways of the college football world.

Prediction: Redshirt