An idea of the Brandon Peoples' running style.
Just by sheer dumb luck, I ran into Brandon Peoples the other night.
I was coming out of the LA Fitness Center and holding the door right in front of me was a young man wearing an Archbishop Wood jacket and "B. Peoples" across the back.
"Welcome to Temple," I blurted out.
He flashed a broad smile and an inquistive look.
"How'd you know that?" he asked.
I told him I'm a big Temple football fan.
We shook hands.
Potential TU backups at RB
(numbers represent rushing figures during each player's final high school season while playing the tailback position:
Kenny Harper, Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz (2010) _ 17 carries, 179 yards, three touchdowns (mostly played defense).Darius Johnson, Philadelphia Overbrook (2007) _ 147 carries, 1051 yards, nine touchdowns (his last high school year was indeed 2007).
Brandon Peoples
Brandon Peoples, Archbishop Wood (2011) _ 103 carries, 1,013 yards, 22 touchdowns.
Spencer Reid, Harriton (2010) _ 142 carries, 960 yards, 12 touchdowns.
Note: Khalif Herbin and Jalen Fitzpatrick, currently tabbed as slot receivers, had the most mind-boggling senior year rushing stats but those came out of the quarterback position. Herbin (Montclair, N.J.), had 105 carries, 1,950 yards and 43 touchdowns. Fitzpatrick, from Harrisburg, finished his senior year with 1,116 yards rushing with 13 TDs on 115 carries.
Sources: tedsilary.com, pennlive.com, NJ.com., Gainesville Sun.
"Good luck, man," I said.
"Thanks," he said.
(Geez, I should have asked him if he was related to Gary Peoples. I used to play fullcourt noontime pickup basketball 20 or so years ago at the Doylestown YMCA with a great player from Abington named Gary Peoples. The next time I see Brandon, I will ask.)
If I had left LA Fitness five SECONDS later or five seconds earlier, I might have never crossed paths with Brandon Peoples until he arrived at Temple. Funny how those things happen. Heck, I did not even know he worked out at the same place I do. (And I only go to that LA Fitness because they have the TVs attached to the cardio machines.)
Meanwhile, I've thought about that "good luck" remark for the past couple of days.
A real smart man once said that luck is result of opportunity and hard work.
It appears to me now that the opportunity part is right there for Brandon Peoples.
Matty Brown is the No. 1 back and he's earned it. Heck, I might be prejudiced by I think Matty Brown is the best running back in the Mid-American Conference by far and that's not an indictment of the MAC as it is my belief that Matty is THAT good.
The opportunity comes right behind Brown and that's where Peoples comes into play.
Right now, Temple's backups at tailback are (in no particular order) Spencer Reid, Jalen Fitzpatrick, Kenny Harper and Darius Johnson. None of them had particular distinguished high school careers running the football.
Peoples, on the other hand, did have an outstanding career running the football.
What was that Bill Parcells said?
Oh yeah: "The best predictor of future success is past success." (I wish Al Golden would have consulted that mantra before signing Vaughn Charlton, but that's a whole other story.)
Temple is about to sign a megastar in Montrell Dobbs, but it appears as though Dobbs won't be eligible for the 2012 season.
It does not look like that Addazio will reach out and get a big-time JUCO at the last minute, like Tiger Powell of Lake City, Fla.
That leaves the incoming recruits, led by Peoples.
I used to get Brandon and his cousin, Desmond, confused.
They both have the same last name.
They both played for Archbishop Wood.
I solved that by associating Brandon Peoples with another BP (Bernard Pierce).
If this BP has even half the career the other BP had, Temple's peoples (fans) will be pleased.
