“I told him at the beginning of last season that if you want to be an NFL running back you can’t have these things on film,” Crenshaw said. “He took the challenge and improved immensely. He wasn’t afraid to throw his body in there and be physical. If it was a dire situation where we absolutely had to have a play, and he was responsible for picking up a blitz, I wasn’t worried about him at all. In fact, our quarterback was young and inexperienced and Pierre would adjust the protections for the offensive line and make sure we were prepared properly.
“I always tell him pass protection is the biggest thing they want you to learn. If you can be really good at it that’s the way you get on the field the quickest. That’s what his niche will be.”
While Strong may be a candidate to replace White one day, he enjoyed a stellar career at South Dakota State running the football. His one-cut, downhill style created a lot of big plays for the Jackrabbits, as evidenced by the 27.3-yard average he…