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The Cardinal Countdown: 33 Days Until Kickoff

By CardinalStrong
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#33 Malin Jones

Class: Senior

Ht/Wt: 6-0/225

Position: Running back

Hometown: Naperville, Ill

Twitter: @M_Jonezy33

Thoughts: Malin is somewhat of an enigma to me. After transferring into the program from Northwestern two seasons ago I envisioned Jones being part of the “bulk” rushing attack that Petrino likes to utilize at times, splitting carries between two, three, and sometimes four players to wear down the defense. Did I expect Jones to unseat Radcliff or Scott as the lead back? No, but I certainly expected more than the 1 carry for 2 yards he got in 2015. I guess it would be easy to group Malin in with the rest of the RB’s that I described yesterday as “underwhelming” but it’s not really fair to call one attempt disappointing. Petrino and company obviously know much better than I do but for a player who I thought would have some impact the running game in 2015 to only see the ball once…well, I was confused.

I get it, there is only one football and we still have some studs on the depth chart but I would be shocked…yes, shocked…if Malin doesn’t get 10-15 carries this year, and because I’m feeling frisky on a Saturday, I’ll throw in a TD as well. He showed in the Spring game that he has speed to break off a long run (65yds) and has similar measurables (ht/wt) to that of LJ Scott and Jeremy Smith, meaning he can put a bruise or three on some folks as well. For some reason I get the feeling that as Lamar expands his arsenal in the passing attack as the season wears on the lanes will be there and Radcliff, Scott, Smith, and Jones will all reap the benefits. At the time of this post it appears most of you still peg Radcliff as the man for 2016 but I was glad to see Malin get some love as well.

When it becomes a “pick your poison” game for the opposing defenses this year I’d expect them to force our O-line and backs to prove their worth. The big question I guess will be if they can.

Sweet Tweet:

Every. Damn. Time.

While it typically ends with me watching a Louisville game from 8 years ago, last week I was actually 13 minutes into a product review of a five year old 3D printer I HAD NO INTENTION OF BUYING before I had my moment of clarity.

“What in the hell am I doing with my life?”

Damn you YouTube.

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