Dominique Brown
Dominique Brown

Dominique Brown was listed as a participant in the win over Boston College, but  he never touched the football. Once thought to be the best hope for the running game, he appears to have become an afterthought for the coaching staff.

Brown tweeted after the Boston College game something to the effect that he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t getting chances and the coaches weren’t telling him why. If Coach Bobby Petrino would ever to respond to a tweet, it would most likely be in a negative way.

Maybe the reason he has fallen off the chart has been the emergence of Brandon Radcliffe and Michael Dyer as the primary rushing threats. No explanations coming from the coaching staff lately, and no reports of Brown having been injured.

The only comment Coach Bobby Petrino had made publicly is that Brown needs to lower his shoulders when he gets the ball. Most of Brown’s success comes when he’s going full speed. Rarely does he change direction or break tackles.

The stock of the big 6-foot-2, 242-pound running back has fallen off sharply since the opening game against Miami.  Seemingly unstoppable in that game, racking up 151 yards and a touchdown in 33 carries. Running over people in that game, seemingly headed for a memorable season.

However, over the next four games — against Murray State, Virginia, Florida International and Wake Forest — he would manage only 150 yards in 34 carries. He would get three carries before fumbling a handoff in the Wake Forest game and getting pulled from the game. Against Syracuse he would gain 41 yards rushing and 39 on a pass play. At Clemson, he would put up 51 yards rushing and 39 on a reception.

Through the first seven games, Brown had gained 393 yards on the ground, averaging 3.9 yards per carry, and scored four touchdown. But then came the big games against Florida State and Boston College where he was nowhere to be found in the offense.  The first player to commit to Charlie Strong in 2010, Brown had rushed for 1,417 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career coming into this season.

Petrino goes with the players based on how well they do in practice.  Brown’s best chance of becoming relevant again is to start lowering those shoulders during practice sessions leading up to the Notre Dame game. That simple adjustment, combined with the noticeable improvement in the offensive line’s performance, could reap some significant dividends for him and his teammates.

Playing with more emotion and staying off Twitter wouldn’t hurt either.

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.