When 5-foot-7 rookie RB Kendall Hunter went to the San Francisco 49ers, it didn’t look like an ideal situation. They had an established veteran in Frank Gore, one of the top backs in the league, running the ball, and the 49ers were historically known as a team that was pass-first.
But under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, the San Francisco 49ers achieved their 8-1 record this year on the strength of their tenacious defense (1st in the league at stopping the run) and a power running game (7th in the league). Gore is still their top back, but Hunter has been used increasingly, and with Gore listed as questionable this week with a knee injury, Hunter could get even more carries this week.
Hunter is second on the team in rushing – Gore has 165 carries for 782 yards and 4.7 yards per carry and Hunter has 54 carries for 257 yards and 4.8 yards per carry. He’s made the most of his opportunities with the same yards-per-carry average as Gore, and 2 TDs to Gore’s 5.
While he can’t match Gore’s power, he is more of a threat on the perimeter. He has shown outstanding quickness at getting to the corner, great acceleration and elusiveness in the secondary. Hunter racked up 4,181 yards in four years at Oklahoma State, and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. His senior year, he rushed for 1,548 yards and 16 TDs.
Gore is hardly a giant at 5-foot-9 and 217, but he’s got 2 inches and almost 20 pounds on Hunter. And although he’s quick, Gore is a power back and does more of his running between the tackles. Thirty percent of his carries and yards are up the middle, and only 20 percent of his carries make it to the sidelines.
Hunter has only 5 runs up the middle, accounting for -1 yards, but he is dangerous around the perimeter. He’s made it to the sidelines on half of his carries, and he is averaging 5.7 yards per carry on runs outside.
Plus, he seems to be hitting his stride with the 49ers, as they learn how best to make use of his talents. Over the last five games, he is averaging about 7 carries per game and 5.6 yards per carry.
The 49ers have found an excellent complement to Gore, and a back who can take the ball outside and do some serious damage on perimenter runs. And with Gore questionable, he’s likely to see even more carries today.
