Carmon Boyd-Anderson’s first glance at a packed Memorial Stadium will have his emotions in a sword fight.
Excited? Nervous? Relaxed? Indifferent?
Beats him.
“I really don’t know what to expect,” Kansas University’s freshman running back said.
This is a guy coming from high school football heaven, too. The stereotype of small-town Texas ceasing to operate on Friday nights was almost dead-on in Boyd-Anderson’s hometown of Jacksonville.
“Not the whole town,” he said, “but pretty close.”
So how can entertaining a big crowd be a mystery to one of KU’s young stars? Well, for one, Jacksonville has a population of around 14,000. Boyd-Anderson’s high school team played in a stadium dubbed the Tomato Bowl, with a capacity a fraction of 50,071-seat Memorial Stadium.
So, yeah, Saturday’s 6 p.m. season opener against Central Michigan is going to be a pretty cool experience for Boyd-Anderson. Don’t doubt that.
“Coming from Jacksonville, we played in front of some packed crowds,” Boyd-Anderson said. “The (Tomato Bowl) was nowhere near as big as this stadium. It’s human to be a little nervous playing your first game.”
Boyd-Anderson is skipping a red-shirt this fall thanks to his work ethic this summer. The talent oozing out of his stocky 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame only cemented the fact he wouldn’t – or perhaps couldn’t – sit out.
And get this: He’s on no special teams. The KU coaches’ decision to get him on the field was made with nothing but Boyd-Anderson’s offensive capabilities in mind.
“He has a great focus on his work,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “Very serious, businesslike guy. He’s going to absorb everything being taught to him. When he makes a mistake, he learns from it.
“He has good acceleration and really good vision. He can cut and make people miss. So far he has shown that he should be on the depth chart, and he’ll have opportunities to play.”
The other running backs on the depth chart have their niche. Sophomore Jake Sharp is the speedy, open-field guy. Senior Brandon McAnderson is the bruising bully and tremendous blocker.
Boyd-Anderson falls somewhere in between, to the point where it’s hard to put a finger on just what kind of running back he is.
“He’s a smooth runner,” McAnderson said. “He has good vision. He doesn’t run like he’s never ran in the offense before. He’s confident in his ability. He has a little bit of speed, a little bit of wiggle, and he can finish runs, too. I think he’s a really good back.”
Added Boyd-Anderson: “I think I’m a more of a in-between-the-tackles runner. But also, I can stretch the defense. I’d probably be considered balanced.”
It’s that all-around ability that attracted several schools. Boyd-Anderson picked Kansas over offers from most of the Big 12 North programs, as well as Iowa, TCU and Oklahoma State.
Truth is, KU coaches told Boyd-Anderson just what he wanted to hear during his official visit last December. He committed right away.
“They said I had a good chance at coming and playing here my first year,” Boyd-Anderson said. “It wasn’t guaranteed, but they said I could come in and work for it.
“It was something I saw and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to come up here. And if I don’t get that much playing time, get some experience quicker than other places I could’ve gone.”
Boyd-Anderson took the dangling carrot for what it was – something he had to work for. Looking to replace single-season rushing king Jon Cornish with a committee approach, the coaching staff immediately was impressed by Boyd-Anderson and fit him into the mix.
He earned the early playing time despite KU’s backfield having some horses with Sharp, McAnderson and sophomore Angus Quigley.
Calling it a competition, though, makes Boyd-Anderson do a double-take.
“It really wasn’t a competition,” Boyd-Anderson said. “When I came in, instead of shunning the new running back and making him learn the hard way, Angus, Brandon McAnderson and Jake and Donte Bean all just brought me in and helped me out with all the things : pass routes and running routes, working on my steps, B-Mac with blocking techniques.
“They took me in, and I’m thankful for that.”
As for the first-game jitters? Well, no advice can get Boyd-Anderson ready for what emotions will win out inside of him when he runs onto the field.
He’s on his own there.
“I guess we’ll have to wait until Saturday,” he said with a slight grin, “and see.”
