Ka'Deem Carey may not have played in the first half of the Northern Arizona and Oklahoma State games, but do not expect that to be the case this weekend against the Stanford Cardinal. According to Anthony Gimino of the Tucson Citizen, the highly talented freshman may see a much bigger workload this time around:
"We have to get him more touches for sure," Stoops said Monday. "Ka'Deem is another player who we feel is worthy of helping us become a better football team.
"We have to force it," Stoops continued, talking about getting Carey into games earlier. "He's too good of a player. He can run and make something happen for us. We have to get playmakers in there and give him an opportunity to see what he can do."
As for Carey, the fans cannot wait to see the local product shine under the bright lights. The centerpiece to the 2011 recruiting class, the strong-yet-quick running back has already recorded 78 yards on just 15 carries. Compare that to senior Keola Antolin and his 69 yards -- 21 of which came on one play -- on 19 carries and it is easy to see why a change may be coming.
"I just love running the football," he said.
"But in this league you have to be an all-around player. Just picking up the blitz is the main key to me. They came at you a hundred miles per hour. But I think it's coming along well. I've been out there, putting in extra time learning to pick up the blitz."
If there is an aspect of Carey's game that may or may not be up to par, it would be his pass protection. Stanford runs a tricky 3-4 defensive scheme and blitzes can come from all areas. If the freshman is unable to protect Nick Foles and find the running lanes, it will be back to more carries in the fourth quarter. If he is able to improve in these areas, though, the future of the running back position for Arizona may be here to stay.
Worth Reading:
The guys at Arizona Desert Swarm, SB Nation's UA blog, recently exchanged questions with the Stanford bloggers of Rule Of Tree. Be sure to check it out.