#CuseCamp17 Position Preview: Running Backs

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Running backs coach/special teams coordinator Justin Lustig is one of two new assistants in the midst of their first fall camp with the Orange. He came on board in March after a stellar season as the head coach at Edinboro University (Pa.) and immediately began the process of improving an SU ground game that generated 119.6 yards a contest in 2016.

Junior Dontae Strickland said Lustig's tutelage is paying off.

"He's teaching us a lot of new techniques and we're doing different drills that will carry over to the games," Strickland said. "He's really critiquing us more individually. Pass blocking for me is something I need to work on, so he's really driving that into my head."

Strickland ascended to the top of the depth chart at running back in 2016 and enters his second season as SU's primary ball carrier. He led the Orange in rushing with 566 yards on 162 carries (3.5 avg.) and logged five games with 50+ rushing yards last season, including a career-best 127 yards on 30 carries versus USF. Strickland also demonstrated his versatility, throwing an 84-yard touchdown pass in SU's victory against Virginia Tech.

After dabbling at inside receiver during the spring, sophomore Moe Neal is charted as Strickland's backfield backup. Neal was SU's second-leading rusher as a freshman. He scored a 49-yard touchdown on his first career carry and is a threat to go the distance whenever he touches the ball.

With Neal trying his hand at receiver, junior Tyrone Perkins and sophomore walk-on Otto Zaccardo logged carries in the spring. Perkins joined the running back contingent after spending 2016 at wide receiver. As a freshman, Perkins played the role of hybrid back in former coordinator Tim Lester's offense.

Rounding out the running back rotation are freshmen Markenzy Pierre, Allen Stritzinger, Jack Guida and Luke Erickson. Pierre attended Liberty High School in Florida. He was the No. 52 running back in the country, according to ESPN, and rushed for more than 2,500 yards as a senior. Stritzinger prepped at De La Salle High School in Michigan. He earned all-state honors from USA Today and amassed more than 3,000 all-purpose yards in his scholastic career. Guida and Erickson were both New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA) All-State selections in high school. Guida rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and accounted for 32 touchdowns as a senior quarterback at Brewster High School. Erickson is the son of former SU offensive lineman Dan Erickson, who was a member of the Orange from 1986-90. The younger Erickson totaled more than 3,000 career rushing yards at Greene High School and set the Greene single-season rushing record with 1,318 yards in 2015.

More two-back sets could be in the future with the addition of freshman fullback/tight end Chris Elmore. A devastating blocker at 280 pounds, Elmore helped Phillips Academy (Ill.) to an undefeated season and state championship in 2016.

Season tickets, partial plans and group tickets for Orange football are on sale now online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). Season tickets start at $125.

Single-game tickets for all home games are also on sale. Tickets start at $25 for non-conference games against Central Connecticut State, Middle Tennessee and Central Michigan, $30 for ACC matchups with Wake Forest and Boston College, $35 for the Oct. 7 Pittsburgh game on Orange Central Weekend, and $45 for the Clemson game on Oct. 13.

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Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Chris Elmore

Luke Erickson

Jack Guida

Moe Neal

Tyrone Perkins

Markenzy Pierre

Allen Stritzinger

Otto Zaccardo

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