"Melvin is a guy with a lot of upside,
he's a great athlete," White said. "He's
already a great player in this program
and he's only going to get better."
30
I not getting more carries? I should be out there
more. I'm better than this guy.' You're thinking this
and that.
"But like I said, there are different roles for everybody on the team. I just had to accept my role and
make the most of the opportunities that I got each
week."
White learned a great deal from Montee Ball.
"He's a guy who practiced hard and, when you
do, it makes it that much easier on Saturday," White
said. "That's something I still take with me to this
day."
It's something that he has shared with Melvin
Gordon.
"Melvin is a guy with a lot of upside, he's a great
athlete," White said. "He's already a great player in
this program and he's only going to get better.
"We've become really close friends. We hang out
//
VARSITY November 28, 2013
off the field and I've just tried
to keep him level-headed. He
has to learn that every game
is not going to be a breakout
game.
"You just have to keep working hard in practice and those
breakout games will come."
It's the same message that he
has sent freshman Corey Clement.
"He's going to be great in
this program as well," White
said. "He isn't getting too much
playing time right now, but he
knows his role on this team and
he continues to get better each
week.
"Regardless if he's getting carries or not, he's taking the coaching and trying to be the best
player that he can. He has shown
a lot of determination."
White credited running backs
coach Thomas Hammock with
creating a competitive environment which has allowed each of the tailbacks to get
better while honing their edge.
"He's going to get the most out of you," he said of
Hammock. "He's going to push you during practice,
but it's your show on Saturdays."
Hammock has stressed winning the one-on-one
battles in the open field.
"When it's just me and him," White said, "I have
to win those situations and create explosive plays. I
try to get tacklers overly aggressive and when they
think they have me, I make my cut.
"I just try to keep them off-balance. You really
have to sell it. I try to make full-speed cuts because
you really can't slow down. I feel my best asset is
when I'm in space.
"When you're running full-speed, the defender might think you're going in a certain direction.
