By Brian Bohl
A career-best season for Kareem Huggins has likely come to a premature end. The Pride’s senior running back and CAA leader in all-purpose yards suffered an ankle injury against Villanova Saturday, potentially ending the college career for the senior from Sewell, N.J.
Huggins leads the conference with 932 all-purpose yards after serving as Hofstra’s feature running back and primary kickoff returner. His 209.8 yards-per-game average his 37 yards more than the second closest player-Richmond’s Tim Hightower-helping the Pride start 6-2 and remain in contention for a Football Championship Subdivision playoff spot.
There is an outside chance Huggins could return for the postseason should his school qualify, though he is not expected to play in the three remaining regular season contests. He rushed for nine touchdowns and 932 yards for a 5.5 yards per-carry-average, helping him earn CAA Offensive Player of the Week honors earlier in the year.
While setting a career-high in rushing figures, Huggins also returned two kicks for touchdowns and set a career-best mark with 14 receptions, adding to his three multi-touchdown rushing games.
“It doesn’t look good, but it’s not broken,” said Cohen, who indicated that Huggins could have returned to action if he suffered the injury earlier in the year.
The burden to replace Huggins will now fall on Everette Benjamin and Jeff Aime, two freshmen with limited carries in their NCAA careers. Aime, a 5-foot 9-inch, 118-pound Queens Village product, is credited with just nine yards on four carries.
Benjamin, a 19-year old tailback who starred for nearby Amityville in high school, is coming off an 11-carry, 24-yard performance against the Wildcats. Overall, the 6-1, 218-pound rusher registered 105 carries in 32 rushes for the season.
“Everette Benjamin is a very good running back,” Cohen said. “We’ve got some good answers. I don’t know if it’s anyone of Kareem’s caliber, experience or track record, but we have other capable players.”
To snap a two-game losing streak and remain in the hunt for the FCS playoffs, junior quarterback Bryan Savage will be asked to help compensate for the absence of the Pride’s top playmaker when his team hosts William and Mary at Shuart Stadium Saturday.
The Tribe are ranked last in the 12-team CAA in rush defense, surrendering 215 yards per game. That could help Savage, who has shown flashes of brilliance but is still looking to establish consistency. Savage has a 62.2 completion percentage, but his 10-15 touchdown-to-interception ratio is a big reason why the Pride possess a minus-4 turnover margin, a figure Cohen’s cited as a reason for the 35-31 loss to Villanova.
Even if Savage limits mistakes and expands on his 126.2 QB rating, Benjamin and Aime will need to shorten the field and prevent W&M from dropping defenders into coverage. Hofstra’s most successful efforts have come with a balanced offense, making it no surprise that Savage’s 50 pass attempts against UNH two weeks ago came in a blowout loss.
“If we don’t run the ball effectively, it’s going to be too much for the [passing game],” Cohen said. “It’s very important that we keep that balance.”
A young offensive line helped open holes for Huggins and will now be asked to do the same for his replacements. But the unit will also need to regroup in pass protection after Savage was sacked four times against Villanova.
“It’s pressure and not having the necessary time to step up and throw,” Cohen said. “It’s a problem. He’s got three hitters coming up at him.”
Against the Wildcats, Hofstra committed two turnovers and allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown, handing the Wildcats 21 points without the defense stepping onto the field. Even with a healthy Huggins, the Pride’s top-ranked defense cannot prevent scoring drives if opponents score on Pride offensive plays or special teams, making ball security and tight return coverage a priority to recapture the momentum generated from a 6-0 start.
Charles Sullivan can help recapture that momentum with another big receiving game. The fifth-year senior is following in the footsteps of current Saint Marques Colston and Shaine Smith as Pride wide outs who emerged as primary options for their quarterbacks.
Sullivan already registered five touchdown receptions to go along with 65 total catches and 819 yards and will be counted on even more to alleviate the pressure off Savage and the young backs.
“What we consider game-changing plays are 20 yards-or-more plays,” Cohen said. “We need some more of those.”