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In Arizona’s 38-31 loss at USC tonight, junior running back Ka’Deem Carey continued to run ahead of the pace he needs in the regular season to catch Trung Canidate for the Wildcats’ career rushing mark.
He gained 138 yards on only 21 carries against a USC rush defense that ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12. In 17 games over the last two years Carey has carried the ball 21 times or less in a game seven times. He carried the ball 16 times against UNLV after not rushing in the first quarter.
He did not score a rushing touchdown, however, so he fell behind the pace in the regular season needed to catch Art Luppino’s school record 44 touchdowns set in 1953-56. Carey has 34 career rushing touchdowns in only 28 games.
Entering tonight’s game, Carey needed to average 129.9 yards per game and 1.3 touchdowns to reach Canidate and Luppino in the regular season (if Arizona reaches a bowl, the averages would be slightly reduced).
Canidate stands at 3,824 rushing yards from 1996-99.
Carey is at 2,923 in basically his second full season. He had only 91 carries for 425 yards as a freshman in 2011. His nation’s-best 1,929 rushing yards last season put him in the position to break Canidate’s record without having to play his senior season if he opts for early entry into the NFL draft.
Carey has 569 rushing yards in 94 attempts (6.1 yards per carry) in four games after missing the season-opener against NAU and the opening quarter against UNLV for disciplinary reasons. A remarkable stat about Carey: He has lost only three yards rushing the ball in his 94 carries. Against Washington and USC, he was not tackled behind the line.
Here’s a breakdown of where Carey stands now with seven regular-season games remaining:
Career rushing yards: Canidate gained a school-record 3,824 yards from 1996-99. Carey now has 2,923. He needs 901 yards to reach Canidate. That means he must average 128.7 yards per game to reach Canidate. Carey is 34 yards away from reaching Nic Grigsby for No. 6 on the all-time UA rushing chart.
Career rushing touchdowns: Luppino “The Cactus Comet” scored a school-record 44 rushing touchdowns from 1953-56. Carey now has 34. He needs 10 to reach Luppino. That means he must average 1.4 touchdowns in the next seven games.
These averages are only considering Arizona’s regular-season schedule. The Wildcats, who play 12 regular-season games, need at least three more victories to become bowl eligible.
ARIZONA TOP 10 CAREER RUSHERS
[table “” not found /]WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes blogs for Lindy’s College Sports and TucsonCitizen.com.
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