Jacksonville State running back DaMarcus James (32) is off on a long TD rune against UTC.He's a 5-foot-9, 220-pound block of muscle and the biggest headache for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defense going into this evening's showdown with Jacksonville State at Finley Stadium.
Gamecocks senior running back DeMarcus James has been compared to former NFL star Jerome "The Bus" Bettis because of his compact but powerful running style.
Even with other weapons throughout the JSU offense, James will be the main focus for UTC's defense when the two nationally ranked teams kick off at 6 p.m.
"We won't find a better one at our level. He's as good as there is in the country," UTC coach Russ Huesman said. "He's phenomenal, and it will be a real challenge for us.
"Where Jacksonville State is so dangerous is they've got so many good players. The quarterback is another dynamic player and probably as good as we'll see all year at that position, and they have some wideouts who are special players. But we know we have to wrap [James] up and get him to the ground."
Last season James set a school record with 1,477 rushing yards and also rewrote the Ohio Valley Conference scoring record with 29 touchdowns, helping the Gamecocks reach the FCS quarterfinals. This year he's a consensus All-American, one of 20 players named to the Walter Payton Award watch list and one of eight JSU players named preseason All-OVC.
Aside from his natural ability, part of what makes James so tough to stop are the complementary weapons surrounding him, including sophomore quarterback Eli Jenkins, who compiled more than 1,800 all-purpose yards last year, and fellow running back Troymaine Pope, who added 633 rushing yards. The Gamecocks also return their top two receivers from an offense that averaged 442.5 yards and 35 points per game last year.
Last week, however, in a 38-point loss at defending Big Ten champion Michigan State, the Gamecocks managed only 22 yards on 25 rushing attempts. James finished with 17 yards on just three carries but should be much more active today with both teams looking to avoid an 0-2 start to a season with high expectations for both.
"His legs are huge and he does really well after contact," said Mocs defensive lineman Josh Freeman, a preseason All-Southern Conference selection. "You don't see him on film going down after the first hit, because he's a big guy, so we have to get 11 guys to the ball and get him to the ground.
"Hopefully practicing against Keon [Williams] every day will help us. There's a lot of similarities there. Both are very powerful runners. We probably won't see a better back all year. He's really, really good."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.