OKFORD - When Ole Miss fans gather to discuss the Ole Miss list for 2022, there are many beliefs that Zack Evans will be a great runner this fall. They have support in that belief.
247 Sports puts him in 11th place in the nation at fullback. Here is an excerpt from the information given about Evans:
“With enough touch, Evans should cross 1,000 yards of total attack this fall as a threat to speed for the rebels,” says 247 writer Brad Crawford.
Full article: here.
Should Evans be considered for such a decoration while entering the SEC West game with Ole Miss? First, a few basic points need to be considered.
Indeed, Evans was known as a threat to speed during his high school career, as Crawford rightly noted, and this continued with his time at the college level for two seasons with the Horned Frogs. He ran 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns while playing for TCU. Now in Ole Miss, he can definitely influence Ole Miss’s attack in many ways, starting with being a great quarterback.
Even as a true freshman in 2020, Zack Evans broke the opponent’s defense with big games in running.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
First, Evans is not just a runner between catches. It can change direction in the blink of an eye. He will take the ball to the perimeter and run the defense down the sideline for the result when the intended hole was in space A. If that gap is open, boom! Evans can split the defense and lead right in the middle for a long score. That’s his style of play in a nutshell; use your natural speed to make great games.
After an average of 7.7 yards per wear in 2020 and 7.0 yards per wear as a sophomore in Fort Worth, Texas, there is certainly evidence for that. Now that the smarter junior is better versed in college games, Evans will also be consistent.
Sometimes it’s best to take three yards and move on to the next game. Many home defenders like Evans will not succeed in this, which is why they do not advance from college to professionals.
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When there is a bend to go through, Evans has the vision and speed to make a great game.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
If Evans is consistent and not only refuses the game of running outside at the first sign of trouble, he should fight to be the best defender in the SEC West. One simply cannot learn his naturally fast legs and explosive speed.
That tenacity between attempts is necessary for every Ole Miss runner, and that leads to an additional point that some may ignore regarding Evans and that is in the attack of head coach Lane Kifin.
Catching football could be the real difference for Evans. Not many security guards will be close to him, let alone the defenders, and these two position groups will be constantly challenged to cover him in the open field. Good luck to those players with the task of sticking to Evans when he runs the route.
It will be difficult for the defenders to fight Zack Evans on the open field, allowing him to end up in the end zone.
Jerome Miron, USA Today
He caught just 18 passes for 206 yards and one touchdown between his two seasons with TCU, but Kifin has always been adept at giving playmakers football in the passing game even if he runs away. Evans should continue that trend.
Will he be a 1,000-yard quarterback for Ole Miss this season? Possible. Combining his numbers as a runner and as a receiver is more important. It is safe to assume that he will not only cross 1000 yards between running and receiving, but the number of plays in the pieces he produces will also have an impact and change the momentum of the game.
That’s why 247 Sports is probably right to project Evans more than many others might think of him. Ole Miss gets a dynamic run at Evans that will help the Rebels in the big games in running and catching football, and that’s why he’s definitely one of the top 25 defenders in college football.
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