Lions will face another tough running back in CCSU’s Mallory

Last weekend, Columbia’s defense faced one of the premier running backs in the region in Fordham’s Xavier Martin. The Light Blue came up big, limiting the Rams’ junior—who had rushed for over 100 yards in each of the past two meetings between the New York City rivals, both Fordham wins—to only 63 yards. Most importantly, coach Norries Wilson’s squad kept him out of the end zone. The Lions’ success at stopping the run played a big role in getting the year started off right with a big 40-28 win in the Bronx. The run defense will have no time to reflect on its performance, however, with another big-time performer coming to town in the form of Central Connecticut State University running back James Mallory. Mallory terrorized opponents for over 1,520 yards last year, including an offense explosion against Bryant University. In that game, the 5’10’’ 200-pound back turned in the fourth-highest rushing total in all of FCS, ending the day with 256 yards. The performance was highlighted by a 94-yard touchdown run, the longest running play from scrimmage in FCS last year. Although James Mallory’s big game against Bryant gave notice to any and all future opponents that he had arrived as a collegiate running back, Mallory’s journey as a football player began in Buffalo, N.Y. at Kenmore West High School. At Kenmore West, Mallory was a three-sport athlete, starring in basketball and track as well as football. On the gridiron he played on both sides of the ball, recording over 300 tackles as a defensive back. He did not disappoint running the ball either, tallying over 5,000 yards in his career. Thanks to these gaudy numbers, Mallory arrived in New Britain, Conn. at CCSU’s campus with four All-League selections, two All-State selections, and a pair of League MVP trophies to his name. His career began slowly as he waited for his turn to shine. Mallory redshirted his first year as a collegian, and so did not see any playing time in the 2005 season. During the next two seasons, Mallory showed signs of what was to come, rushing 22 times for 130 yards in 2006 and appearing in all 11 games in 2007, totaling 243 yards on 42 carries. In addition, he nearly averaged a staggering six yards a carry during the 2007 campaign. It comes as no surprise, then, that the CCSU coaching staff decided to give him the reins to their offense during the next season, prompting his breakout year. Now a senior and captain of the Blue Devils’ squad, Mallory has been a huge part of the Central Connecticut State offense in its first two contests. He contributed both touchdowns in CCSU’s 33-14 loss to FCS powerhouse William & Mary—currently ranked 7th nationally—and rushed for 117 yards and another touchdown in the Blue Devils’ 28-21 season-opening win against Lehigh. In both games, the Blue Devils leaned heavily on Mallory to move the chains and put points on the board, so expect to see a battle in the trenches as the Columbia defense looks to control the ground game yet again. The Lions should anticipate heavy doses of the senior running back—he had 31 carries in Central Connecticut State’s game against Lehigh and an additional 20 touches against William & Mary, a game in which the Blue Devils fell behind early and had to play catch up for the rest of the day. Forcing CCSU to throw the ball more and limiting Mallory to only 2.8 yards a carry were both winning tenets in William & Mary’s game plan that Columbia will surely try to replicate. However, the task won’t be easy: with the Blue Devils idle last weekend with a bye week, CCSU’s star back will be well-rested and ready to go.