Saturday’s running backs rank among elite

The school of thought used to be there was no learning curve for running backs. The great ones were born, not made.

But class has always been in session for Diocemy Saint Juste, and teammates and coaches say that’s why the University of Hawaii senior is among the nation’s best at his position.

“I think it’s things a lot of people don’t see, his attention to detail,” said fellow running back Ryan Tuiasoa. “In meetings he’s completely focused on how to get better, and he helps the rest of us get better. With him it’s not just get the ball and do whatevers.”

On Saturday, the talents of Saint Juste and San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny will both be on display at Aloha Stadium.

Penny is third nationally with 1,115 rushing yards and Saint Juste is fifth with 1,094. But Saint Juste is ahead of Penny in yards per game since the Aztecs (6-2) have played on more game than UH (3-4).

Last year, both shared time with a teammate that had rushed for 1,000 yards the previous season, and both managed to hit that milestone themselves in 2016.

That might make you wonder what more Saint Juste and Penny might have accomplished last year without the presence of Paul Harris at UH and Donnell Pumphrey at SDSU. But the time-share plan could benefit them in the future. Before drafting running backs these days, NFL scouts take a hard look at the wear on the tires.

Penny went over 100 yards in all of SDSU’s first six games (all wins). In the recent losses to Boise State and Fresno State he rushed for just 53 and 69 yards.

But Hawaii’s defense has been less than stellar this season, and the Rainbow Warriors know first-hand that Penny can exceed what he did against the Broncos or Bulldogs on one play; he exploded for a 73-yard TD run in SDSU’s 55-0 romp of UH last year.

“He’s a big back that can run,” Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich said of the 5-foot-11, 220-pound Penny. “It’s going to take gang-tackling.”

Saint Juste is smaller at 5-8 and 195. But the lack of height combined with his strength often works in his favor when it comes to leverage — he is rarely pushed back. He is patient at the point of attack, and displays a quick burst to exploit holes.

He has three games of more than 200 rushing yards this season and at 2,686 yards for his career is second only to Gary Allen’s 3,481 on UH’s all-time list.

Linebacker Jahlani Tavai describes him as “the best back I’ve seen in college.”

Despite 1,243 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Santaluces High in Lantana, Fla., Saint Juste was not heavily recruited. He chose Hawaii over several other schools, including Power 5 conference programs Illinois and TCU.

“I had faith in Norm Chow and I came out to the islands and fell in love with the place,” Saint Juste said.

Hamstring injuries and cramps limited his playing time until last fall. Strength and conditioning coach Bubba Reynolds has worked closely with Saint Juste to improve his ability to stay on the field.

“He’s learned how to fine-tune his skills,” Reynolds said. “He’s very explosive and very strong.”

Offensive coordinator/running backs coach Brian Smith describes him as “special.”

”He’s different from a lot of backs we’ve had here, partly because with the run-and-shoot offense we tended toward bigger backs,” Smith said. “He’s very smart and approaches the game very well. He’s really hitting that midseason stride. He’s in great shape.”

That conditioning came in handy when he rushed a school-record 39 times for 202 yards in UH’s win against San Jose State two weeks ago.

“With D, he has really made himself into the player he is,” Rolovich said. “He has done all the little things to prepare himself. And we’re starting to see a little more of his leadership coming through. I heard him make some noise. Not a lot of words, but powerful ones.”

Saint Juste is extremely quiet by nature, especially during practice and games.

“Barely a sentence,” Tavai said. “I mean, when we’re just hanging out we’ll have conversations. But when it comes to football, he’s just dialed in, and he just does everything in his power to perform at the level he is now. And he does a great job for our defense, because we get to (practice) against a great runner.”

That might help especially this week, as the Warriors prepare for Penny.

But true to his nature, Saint Juste isn’t worried about out-gaining the other team’s running back, except in the context of helping Hawaii win the game.

“It’s all team goals,” he said.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.