JACKSONVILLE — Lucas Farrington isn’t even listed on the Jacksonville State running back depth chart, but guess who was getting the ball as the Gamecocks closed out Middle Tennessee on Saturday night?
The hard-to-tackle sophomore had 12 carries for 94 yards in the 23-13 win, and seven of those rushing attempts came in the final quarter. He ran the ball on the Gamecocks’ last three plays, as they needed a first down to keep the Raiders from getting the ball again.
He got 3 yards, then 5. On third-and-two after Middle Tennessee had called its final timeout, Farrington broke off a 19-yard gain to lock up the victory.
To paraphrase Nuke LaLoosh, a character from the 1980s movie “Bull Durham,” Farrington announced his presence with authority.
Jax State coach Charles Kelly may or may not put Farrington on top of next week’s depth chart, but it’s easy to think he’ll find his name somewhere on it. At running back, Jax State currently lists junior Jalen Likely as the starter, freshman Cedric Kouemi as the backup and junior Khristian Lando at third team.
Lately, Farrington has pushed a little bit harder to be included. Two weeks ago, he caught three passes for 34 yards in the four-overtime loss at Ohio. Last week, he rushed for 44 yards on four carries in a win over Georgia Southern.
Then on Saturday against Middle Tennessee in Jax State’s Conference USA opener, Farrington got plenty of chances with the game still in doubt.
He responded by doing what he does best.
The 5-foot-9, 195-pounder has a knack for charging forward and disappearing into a scrum of blockers and defenders. Then he comes out the other side with the defense trying to drag him down after he’s picked up 5, 6 or 7 yards.
“I mean, Lucas, he’s always shown flashes in practice,” Jax State defensive back Marc Woods said. “He’s always done what he’s supposed to do. I just knew when he got his number called, he was going to be able to execute.”
