Rutgers RB Paul James out for season with torn ACL
Rutgers put up 284 yards on the ground in Saturday’s win over Navy, but it lost its top backfield threat in the process.
Scarlet Knights’ head coach Kyle Flood announced Sunday that starting running back Paul James tore the ACL in his right knee against the Midshipmen and will miss the rest of the year.
James, a redshirt junior, already had 96 yards on the ground on seven carries in the first half when he was injured at the end of a long run in the second quarter. The knee injury is the second serious leg injury for James in the last two seasons. He missed four games with a broken leg last season and missed four games before returning for the team’s last five games. Despite the missed time, James gained 881 yards and nine touchdowns and was named first-team All-AAC.
Through four games in 2014, James, a former walk-on, gained 363 yards and scored five touchdowns on 63 carries – good for a 5.8 yard average.
“It means we have one less guy in the rotation, a guy that has created a lot of big plays in the running game, did it again yesterdau,” Flood said, per ScarletNation.com. “Paul is not going to be an easy guy to replace. He is a very good football player.”
In James’ absence, sophomores Justin Goodwin and Desmon Peoples will see the bulk of the carries for the 3-1 Scarlet Knights.
After James went out, Goodwin rushed for 104 yards on 26 carries, while Peoples registered 82 yards on 19 attempts.
Rutgers will host Tulane Saturday at home before entering Big Ten play for the rest of the season.
For more Rutgers news, visit ScarletNation.com.
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