How bad did it get for the Bowie State offensive line last weekend against Morgan State? Decimated by injuries, sophomore fullback Rashad Wright was forced to change his jersey and fill in midway through the game.
“He had played O-line a little bit last year before we moved him to fullback so we were able to do that,” said Bulldogs coach Mike Lynn. “We changed his jersey, we put him at O-line, center, tackle, whatever. We had to move him around to a couple spots. That’s how bad it got for us.”
One player was seemingly unaffected – senior running back Nathaniel Queen – who had his third straight game with 20 or more carries. Queen gained 76 yards – not quite as many as his career-high 179 yards the week before against Johnson C. Smith, but it was another solid performance as the featured running back.
“It’s been a great opportunity,” said Queen, who will relinquish the sole starting role this weekend when Bowie State (2-1) expects the return of all-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference junior running back Isaac Redman, who missed the first three games of the season due to a family emergency at home in New Jersey. “We strive on the next man being ready, no matter what the situation is.”
Queen (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) has been ready for three years. The Fairmont Heights High graduate had big expectations as a freshman but saw little action. Then former coach Henry Frazier left, and both Redman and Lynn arrived, making for a tough position battle.
Queen had 103 carries for 444 yards in 12 games last season, but was overshadowed by Redman, who piled up 1,512 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Undeterred, Queen rededicated himself to the weight room in the offseason and his perseverance has helped him shed a tendency toward injury and portrayed him in a new light to his coaches.
“I think what he decided to do was to fully commit himself to the weight room, so that injuries wouldn’t be the reason that he wouldn’t play,” said Lynn. “It paid off for him that fact that we had to rely on him a lot, his body was physically prepared to do it.”
Offensive coordinator Michael Carter wants Queen to finish runs better, and Lynn contends some of the Bulldogs’ most formidable packages include both Redman and Queen.
“We’re in a great situation here. We’ve got running backs that either one can do a great job for us,” said Lynn. “We’re going to use that. Of course, when Isaac comes back and he’s ready to play, he’s going to play. We’re not so much going to take away from Nate Queen because he’s been doing a great job.”
