By MATT VAUTOUR
There was a point early in the 2016 season when it looked like Sekai Lindsay might be UMass’ breakout freshman running back.
The 5-foot-8, 215-pound Melbourne, Florida, native had coach Mark Whipple’s confidence on a roster of backs he was at times leary of. He finished with 114 yards on 34 carries in six games, including a touchdown at Notre Dame, before a broken ankle against Toledo ended his season.
His injury partially opened the door for fellow freshman Marquis Young to emerge as a future star.
Lindsay is healthy again and eager to make up for lost time.
“I’m back doing the thing I love, having fun playing football,” he said. “It was tough. Things happen, you just have to roll with the blows. I’m 100 percent now. It was good to come out and make football cuts, it’s different than just running. I know that I can react to what I see quickly.”
Lindsay said he didn’t waste his time off trying to learn as much as he could by watching and studying.
“I’m better with protections and I have the playbook down so I can play faster and let my natural ability take over,” Lindsay said.
“He’s come off the broken ankle and had a good two days,” Whipple said.
Lindsay and Young are both sophomores now preparing for the 2016 season, which begins Sept. 3 at No. 25 Florida. Lindsay said they’re excited about what they might accomplish together.
“We joke around and call each other thunder and lightning,” said Lindsay, the more compact of the two backs, making him thunder in this meteorological pairing. “It doesn’t let a defense get use to one style of running.”
With UMass breaking in new starter Ross Comis at quarterback, Lindsay said the running backs plan to make his job easier.
“If we get the running game coming, they have to bring extra people down in the box to stop us. That opens up the passing game and lets us air it out more,” he said.
Whipple thought true freshmen Bilal Ally and Peyton Pickett could contribute as well.
“The two young guys, Bilal and Peyton, have been pretty good. They’ve been here all summer and that’s really helped them. I think we’re better there than we’ve ever been.”
ROSTER ADDITIONS — UMass’ two late junior college addition have both been cleared to play, giving the Minutemen size and experience.
Rod Jones Jr., was a CCCAA First Team All-American playing defensive end and linebacker at City College of San Francisco. He had 53 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 26 tackles-for-loss, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries last year according to Scout.com.
DaVone Hall, a 6-foot-3, 315-pound defensive tackle will likely get a chance to contribute right away. The Brooklyn, New York, native played at Butler Community College in Kansas last year.
JALEN WILLIAMS HURT – Senior receiver Jalen Williams left practice Tuesday with an ankle injury, but Whipple didn’t sound concerned about its severity.
“It’s a sprain. We’ll see,” Whipple said.
Williams missed all of last season with a leg injury.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage