Terrence Whitehead stood disappointed in Autzen Stadium’s west end zone, waiting to be interviewed after a sub-par performance in the 2003 spring game.
The sophomore knew his 49 rushing yards didn’t help him toward becoming Oregon’s featured running back.
Whitehead said he just needed another chance to prove himself. For the time being, however, he returned to his role as one piece of Oregon’s tailback-by-committee approach.
He split carries with Chris Vincent, Ryan Shaw and Kenny Washington early in the 2003 season. Whitehead never complained, however, instead focusing on improving his shortcomings as a ball carrier.
After noticed improvements in his speed, strength and power, Whitehead was named the unquestioned starter for the final nine games of the 2003 campaign.
Now a junior, Whitehead has built himself into one of the Pacific-10 Conference’s best running backs. Even more impressive is the fact that the Los Angeles native is just now truly understanding the position.
Whitehead was recruited as one of the best prep safeties in the country while at Crenshaw High School. He played some running back and wide receiver as well, but his strength resided in the defensive backfield.
When the 5-foot-10, 210-pounder arrived at Oregon in 2002, the coaching staff decided his talents would best serve the team at running back.
Terrence Whitehead’s elusiveness as a runner and his pass-catching ability have turned him into one of the most feared running backs in the Pacific-10 Conference.
“I wasn’t upset about it,” Whitehead said. “It was just something that was put on me so I just took it and ran with it.
“I’ve really caught onto the running back position. I hadn’t really played it before, so it’s really starting to sink in now.”
His talents were obvious from day one. A shifty runner with a low center of gravity, Whitehead was always capable of leaving embarrassed tacklers hugging air.
But it wasn’t until running backs coach Gary Campbell helped Whitehead address his flaws that the ex-defensive back became a complete offensive threat.
Whitehead’s running style used to mimic his off-field personality: laid back. Campbell, who enters his 22nd season coaching running backs at Oregon, made exploding through tacklers a priority for the evasive tailback.
“(Whitehead’s) running with more determination,” Campbell said. “He’s always been an elusive kind of guy who could avoid tackles in the open field but he wasn’t as good at breaking tackles. We worked on him getting his knees up and running with the determination not to be tackled.”
Campbell, a former fullback at UCLA, said Whitehead has always possessed the physical tools to be a good runner, he just needed a mental adjustment.
“I had to make him realize that most people don’t tackle very well,” Campbell said. “We get tackled a lot of the time because we take for granted that we’re going to be tackled.
“There is a physical aspect to it, but I don’t think you can use those physical tools unless you have in your mind that those things are going to work for you and you’re going to break tackles,” Campbell said.
Whitehead’s weakness remains his lack of breakaway speed. While the junior and his coach agree he’s gotten faster since arriving at Oregon, he lacks that extra gear that many great running backs exhibit.
Though it’s hard to argue against tremendous speed making a runner more dangerous, Whitehead has proven it’s not essential to the success of a tailback. He has four career 100-yard games at Oregon and ripped off the longest run of his career on Saturday, a 53-yarder at Washington State.
Campbell compared Whitehead to Derek Loville, another Oregon running back whose decade-long NFL career evolved despite a lack of speed.
“Terrence has all the moves and the vision just as much as any guy I’ve had here,” said Campbell, who has coached the likes of Maurice Morris, Onterrio Smith and Saladin McCullough. “It’s the speed factor that he doesn’t have. He has
adequate speed, he just doesn’t have that blazing, breakaway speed. He obviously has enough to break for 40 or 50 yards and if he can do that, he’s good enough for us.”
Whitehead has rushed for 492 yards and a touchdown on 85 carries this season. After five games, he ranks third in the Pac-10 in rushing yards and yards per game (98.4). He gained a season-high 166 yards on the ground against the Cougars, falling just short of his career high of 172 yards, set last year against Stanford.
He is also second on the team with 21 receptions and has scored on a pair of shovel passes.
While the offense struggled to move the ball through the air prior to Saturday’s win, Whitehead’s production on the ground has been solid. He’s averaged 126 yards during Oregon’s last three games and has been a receiving threat out of the backfield.
“I have been extremely pleased with Terrence Whitehead,” head coach Mike Bellotti said. “He is improving every single week and lifting his level of play. He’s making quicker decisions, he’s seeing the field better, he’s trusting his speed better and he’s just running with balance and a physical approach that he won’t be brought down by one person. He is continuing to run and gain significant yardage after initial contact, which I think is the mark of a great running back.”
Whitehead has come a long way since the 2003 spring game. While he has become a more violent runner on the field, his off-field demeanor hasn’t wavered. He’s still a mild-mannered friend and teammate who is always up for a laugh.
“He’s a good guy to be around,” fullback and road roommate Dante Rosario said. “He does have a laid back personality, but he’s kind of a clown too. He’ll make fun of you here and there, but it’s only to make you better.”
