Central Gwinnett held Byrnes on their opening drive and then jumped out to a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. The Rebels didn’t panic. They just kept playing and ended up dominating the game from about mid way through the second quarter on.
One reason Byrnes should never panic is because they have Marcus Lattimore on their team.
The five-star back just kept running hard, keeping his legs moving, and finding the end zone. The South Carolina back finished with a tough 133 yards on 26 carries and 3 touchdowns in game one of the Progressive Challenge.
The numbers are not gaudy, but he was still productive. He feels the timing and the temperature played into his play a little.
“I know I could have played better, but I am not used to these 5pm games and it was very hot out here,” said Lattimore. “I like playing at night and the heat got to me today. The offensive line did good and I just kept running hard.”
“I might as well get used to the heat though.”
Yes he should get used to it. He is one of the most sought after recruits in the country and he will be playing a lot of games on Saturday afternoons in the coming years.
He feels the team adjusted well and played well overall in their 43-7 win.
“It is always like that for us and we get better as the weeks go on. We came on, it was our first game, and I think we played pretty good. We will continue to get better and we will be a good team by the time the state championship gets here.”
Like Byrnes as a group on Saturday, the number one running back in the country got rolling as the game progressed. That is a big strength of his and one of the many reasons why he is rated as he as he is.
Lattimore scored three times Saturday. |
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He is a durable back that can really wear a defense down.
“I always have those jitters at first and as soon as I get hit for the first time, I am ready to go,” said the number two player in the country. “Central Gwinnett had a good defensive line, but we just had to attack them with the run. We got it going and I think I ran pretty hard once I got going.”
As soon as Lattimore entered the stadium on Saturday, the majority of the crowd and spectators knew who he was. People at the Progressive Insurance tent asked about him and his ranking, so he knows on a weekly basis that he has eyes on him.
That doesn’t matter to him though like it would some.
“I am going to go out and play hard every game no matter who is there, where I am ranked, or anything else. I don’t really worry about any of that stuff.”
Some may think with that ranking and publicity comes an attitude, but that is not the case with the 6-foot, 210 pound back out of Duncan.
His family life taught him to be a team first kind of guy.
“All of us pull for each other and we want each other to score. I was just brought up that way and the coaches here teach that too. I am as excited when a teammate scores if not more than I am when I score. I get that from my coaches, from my family, and just everyone where I am from really.”
Right now all that is on his mind is team. When asked about recruiting, Lattimore did not have much to say really.
“Byrnes is the main goal right now and I am not going to worry about recruiting again until after the season when we win state,” he said.
Auburn, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, and South Carolina are his finalists.
Chad Simmons is the Recruiting Analyst for the South Region and he can be reached at ChadSimmons@Scout.com.