Navarro: Homer, Dallas are the leaders Hurricanes' offense needs to get past Thomas fiasco

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.  — One silently leads by example, is 31 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard rushing season and 21 yards short of becoming the 11th running back in Miami Hurricanes history to eclipse 2,000 career rushing yards.

The other taunts opposing crowds on the road, pushes the sled after practice with the offensive line when they get in trouble, and went to see a sports psychologist recently to overcome a rare case of fumblitis.

Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas were by no means perfect this season. But their performance in Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh was another reminder things could have been a lot worse had the Miami Hurricanes not had them around.

Together on Saturday they more than made up for the sudden loss of leading receiver Jeff Thomas, who parted ways with the team last Wednesday.

Homer, a 5-11, 205-pound junior, became only the 10th FBS running back since 2000 to run for 165 yards or more on fewer than eight carries in a single game (he finished with 168 yards and one TD on eight carries).

Dallas, meanwhile, a 5-10, 220-pound sophomore, only ran for 39 yards, but he scored on a 3-yard run out of the Wildcat formation in the fourth quarter and returned a punt 65 yards for a score in the first half thanks to a big block by Homer.

“I felt that block when I ran by it,” Dallas said of Homer’s perfectly timed and delivered shoulder block into the chest of Pittsburgh tight end Jim Medure (6-2, 235 pounds). “You could feel it like the wind. I felt that. I wanted to look, but it was like, (go for the) touchdown or (look at the) block.

“Just watching it, dang, Travis was crazy. I know he’s a physical dude. That’s just what he does.”

Running behind an offensive line in constant upheaval and playing alongside a quarterback position that remained unsettled for nearly the entire regular season, what Homer and Dallas combined to accomplish this season should not be ignored.

The Hurricanes (7-5) have run for 2,368 yards this season, fifth-most in school history,  trailing a Don Bosseler-led Hurricanes team in 1954 (2,558 yards), a Frank Curci-led team in 1957 (2,540 yards), a Lamar Miller-Damien Berry-led team in 2010 (2,388 yards) and a Willis McGahee-led 2002 team (2,379 yards).

Together, Homer and Dallas have run for 1,578 yards on 259 carries.

Nov 24, 2018; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back DeeJay Dallas (13) waves after celebrating a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to rushing tandems at UM where both players had at least 100 carries during the same season, that rushing total ranks fourth all-time behind only Mark Walton and Joseph Yearby in 2016 (311 carries, 1,725 yards, 21 TDs), Ottis Anderson and Kenny McMillian in 1978 (349 carries, 1,671 yards, 12 TDs) and James Jackson and Clinton Portis in 1999 (312 carries, 1,620 yards, 17 TDs).

Former Hurricanes running back Don Soldinger, who coached greats such as Edgerrin James, Frank Gore, McGahee, Portis, and Jackson, said recently the group Miami has in the backfield now – with emerging freshman Cam’Ron Davis – reminds him a lot of some of the talented trios he had during his heyday.

“I always had three guys,” said Soldinger, who attended Miami’s Paradise Camp last summer and visited Miami’s new indoor practice family two weeks ago. “When you have three guys that can play, and you can keep them fresh, and guys know they’re going to get their reps, they play pretty hard. That’s what these three are doing. I think that’s the strong suit of their team really. It’s the running backs.

“Each guy adds a little something different. You watch Homer, he’ll block, run, catch. I like Homer a lot. Plus, he’s strong for a little guy. DeeJay is just having problems hanging onto the ball now. But he’s good, too. I’ve never heard him talk, but he’s a leader type guy. He really wants everybody to do well around him. He tries to pick up guys around him. I think that’s a must. By putting the ball on the ground, it’s kind of taken him out of that role a little bit, put him down emotionally. It shouldn’t. Just don’t do it again. Keep the ball high and tight.”

Dallas, who has run for 609 yards on 105 carries, said he felt no shame seeking help after he fumbled the ball a combined four times in losses to Duke and Georgia Tech.

“You’ve got to put that pride aside,” Dallas said. “You’ve got to set a goal and if you want something you’re going to go get it. I felt like that was the process that I needed to go through in order for me to achieve what I wanted to achieve, in order for me to help the team.

“The mental side of the game is everything. (Running backs coach Thomas) Brown always says the game is 90 percent mental. With me, I was in my head. The first fumble (against) Duke I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want to fumble again.’ And that ultimately led to me fumbling again and again. Then, Georgia Tech came around I was like, ‘OK, I’m good, I’m ready,’ and I didn’t see the doctor that week. But I fumbled again. And I felt like it was a freak fumble, but at the same time I fumbled and you can’t fumble in the position that I’m in.

“After Georgia Tech, coach Brown texted me and was like, ‘I recommend you go see this doc. He’s on our staff so why not utilize him.’ I feel like more athletes should do that at all positions, no matter offense, defense, special teams. I felt like they helped me out a lot.”

Homer has had his own issues with fumbles. He coughed it up for the third time this season late in the first half against Pittsburgh. But he more than made it up for it with a 64-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

His nine runs of 30 yards or more this season are tied for second nationally with Illinois’ Reggie Corbin and Wyoming’s Nico Evans. Only Memphis junior Darrell Henderson (14) has had more. By comparison, Miami’s all-time leading rusher, Duke Johnson, had nine runs of 30 yards or more combined between his sophomore and junior seasons.

“That’ll be wonderful for him to get 1,000 yards,” coach Mark Richt said of Homer. “He deserves it.”

Personally, Homer said, he liked his block that sprung Dallas for a touchdown more than his long touchdown run.

“It’s real nice (to end the season with two wins), especially since the season didn’t go how we planned it to go,” Homer said. “Like they say, we have a plan, but God has a different one. We just have to see it out.”

Losing Thomas was a curveball nobody saw coming. His loss along with Ahmmon Richards’ earlier this season left a huge void in Miami’s offense.

But it’s not something Homer or Dallas are worried about anymore.

“We like to say one man can’t stop our show,” Dallas said. “(Thomas) was a big part of our team, but we moved on.”