Matt Elliser, The Examiner
2007-12-27 08:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

SAN FRANCISCO -

Keon Lattimore referred to his partnership with Lance Ball as “thunder and lightning,” but in truth the two Maryland running backs feature more smash than flash.

The 5-foot-11, 223-pound Lattimore has combined with the equally physical Ball to form one of college football’s most productive running back duos. The Terrapins are one of just four Division I teams with two tailbacks who have each rushed for at least 750 yards. And both Lattimore (789 yards and an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 13 rushing touchdowns) and the 5-foot-9, 223-pound Ball (763, 12 TDs) said that as the game progresses, they can see the cumulative effect of their powerful runs on a defense.

“We both have the attitude that we’re going to keep pounding you until you don’t want to tackle us anymore,” Ball said. “It’s a fun competition for us — if one of us makes a big play, the other wants to get out there and match it. And then things just snowball from there.”

Running the ball could be a challenge for Maryland (6-6) in the Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park in front of a national television audience on ESPN on Friday night at 8:30. Oregon State (8-4) is second in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 75 yards per game.

But the Terrapins have found success on the ground the hard way all season, as three starting offensive linemen, including preseason All-America left guard Andrew Crummey, have missed significant action.

Still, the Lattimore and Ball have produced in Maryland’s most important games, as Lattimore had 134 yards rushing and a touchdown in a 34-24 win on Sept. 29 over then-No. 10 Rutgers and Ball went for 109 yards and two scores in a 42-35 upset of then-No. 8 Boston College on Nov. 10. Both had two touchdowns when Maryland beat N.C. State, 37-0, in its regular-season finale to become bowl-eligible.

“We know [what linemen are] in the game but it doesn’t effect what we do,” Lattimore said. “We’ve been young before, so we just tell them ‘You’ve got two veterans behind you and as long as you stay on your blocks, we’ll make you look good.’”

The two running backs have split time for the past three years, each typically getting all the carries on two consecutive series before being replaced by the other. Lattimore, whose older brother is Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, started off this season by rushing for more than 100 yards in four of the first five games before being slowed slightly by an injured hamstring midway through the year. Ball, who ranks fourth on Maryland’s career rushing list in yards (2,482) and touchdowns (26), took over the bulk of the work until the bruising partnership could be resumed.

“We consider them both to be first-team backs,” Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. “They’re on a rotation basis, and we always have a fresh guy in there.”