[CBFF] Matt Forte - RB

[Steve Behrens]

 Matt Forte
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 224 | Position:RB | College: Tulane

  Overview

The Green Wave boasts one of the elite tailbacks in college football. Much
like his predecessor, Mewelde Moore (2000-03), Forte' is a multi-talented
athlete who must be accounted for by the opposition, as he can break free
for a long run, take the ball up the middle for tough yardage, catch the
ball coming out of the backfield, deliver the big tackle on the special
teams coverage unit or utilize his strong arm to complete the option pass.

A creative open-field runner, Forte' has drawn comparisons to Arizona
Cardinals standout Edgerrin James, as he shows the same balance, body
control and burst to gain valid yardage after the initial hit. He ranks
second on the school's career-record lists with 808 rushing attempts for
4,145 yards on the ground, while his 38 scoring runs established the Tulane
all-time record. Forte' also became the 11th player in NCAA Subdivision
(1-A) history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season during his
senior year.

After leading the nation in rushing for a good part of 2007, Forte
eventually finished second with 177.3 yards per game. He was also second in
scoring with 11.67 points per game and fourth with 201.7 all-purpose yards
per game. His five 200-yard games tied the single-season NCAA record held by
three players (Marcus Allen of Southern California in 1981, Barry Sanders of
Oklahoma State in 1988 and Jamario Thomas of North Texas State in 2004).

In 2007, Forte' gained 620 yards in a two-game span (vs. Southern Methodist
and Memphis), the most by a Division 1-A runner since Ricky Williams of
Texas gained 668 yards in 1998 (318 vs. Rice and 350 vs. Iowa State). His
2007 three-game span of 829 yards (vs. Southern Methodist, Memphis and
Alabama-Birmingham) are the most gained by a Division 1-A runner in three
consecutive contests since Sanders totaled 937 yards in 1988. His four-game
streak of 1,031 yards (vs. Southern Methodist, Memphis, Alabama-Birmingham
and Army) is the most in Division 1-A history since Sanders piled up 1,152
yards in 1988.

An Honor Roll student at Slidell High School, Forte' earned The St. Tammany
Parish Player of the Year Award and was named District 5-5A Offensive Most
Valuable Player as a senior. The All-Metro selection added second-team
All-State honors his final year and was a two-time All-District and
All-Parish choice. He also served as team captain and garnered squad MVP
honors his senior season.

Forte' amassed 2,432 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns in his career while
also catching 48 passes for 618 yards and five scores. He gained 1,375 yards
as a senior while averaging 6.7 yards per carry, scoring 23 touchdowns on
the ground. He also made 18 catches for 253 yards and a pair of scores. He
totaled 1,057 rushing yards with eight touchdowns and caught 30 passes for
365 yards and three scores as a junior. He also lettered in track.

Forte' became the third member of his family to play college football and
the second to suit up for Tulane. His father, Gene Forte' played for the
team from 1975-77, serving as team captain as a senior. His brother, Bryan
Forte', played football at McNeese State in 2004, where he competed as a
reserve linebacker, recording 20 tackles (12 solos) with 3.5 stops for
losses, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

The talented youngster made an immediate impact during his first season at
Tulane, earning Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors. He shared tailback
duties with Jovon Jackson, starting the team's final three games. He
finished second on the team with 624 yards and four touchdowns on 140
carries (4.5 avg). He added 180 yards and a pair of scores on 20 receptions
(9.0 avg) and gained 804 all-purpose yards. He also registered three solo
tackles on the punt coverage unit.

Forte' and Jackson would again share the brunt of the rushing load in 2005.
Forte' would go on to lead the team with 169 attempts for 655 yards (3.9
avg) and four touchdowns, as he started the first four and final two
contests. He ranked fifth on the Green Wave with 23 catches for 163 yards
(7.1 avg) and a score, finishing with 818 all-purpose yards.

Forte' received All-Conference USA third-team honors and was named to the
Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State second-team in 2006. He
started the first nine games, but suffered a torn meniscus and posterior
cruciate ligament in his left knee, missing the Green Wave's final three
contests. He still led the team in rushing with 163 rushes for 859 yards
(5.3 avg) and eight touchdowns. The team's fourth-leading receiver caught 28
passes for 360 yards (12.9 avg) and two scores. He attempted one pass,
recovered an onside kickoff and recorded seven tackles on special teams. He
totaled 1,219 all-purpose yards, ranking third in the conference with an
average of 135.44 yards per game.

Held out of spring drills as he continued to recover from his knee injury,
Forte' was primed for a banner senior campaign and certainly surpassed even
the wildest of expectations. He reeled off five 200-yard efforts, including
four in a row, with two of those performances compiling at least 300 yards.

He rushed 361 times for 2,127 yards and a school season-record 23
touchdowns. He added 32 receptions for 282 yards and returned one kickoff 11
yards. He completed one of 10 passes for four yards.

In 43 career games, Forte' started 30 times. He finished as Tulane's career
leader with 99.2 rushing yards per game, 39 rushing touchdowns and 44 total
touchdowns. He is second with 5,261 all-purpose yards, 4,265 rushing yards
and 833 rushing attempts.
  Analysis

*Positives:* Has a well-built frame with thick thighs and calves, V-shaped
upper torso with muscular arms, tight abdomen and broad shoulders … Shows
good initial quickness and adequate elusiveness for a rare sized halfback …
Has the ability to take a hit and keep his feet to break arm tackles … His
catching ability is above average, as he is sudden out of his breaks and
shows good hand extension to catch outside his frame … Has an adequate burst
of speed, but is precise in his cuts and hits the holes aggressively,
squaring his shoulders to execute through trash … Shows good vision and
field awareness, as he is developing into an efficient cut blocker … Does a
good job being patient and waiting for blocks to develop and has the vision
to easily locate the cutback lanes … Is very decisive through the holes,
picking his feet well while displaying the body lean to fall forward and
gain additional yardage after the initial hit … Is very alert to stunts and
blitzes, doing a nice job of facing up to the defender in pass protection …
His effort and drive is good taking the ball up the middle and also
demonstrates the second gear to elude along the perimeter … Runs hard and
ends most of his carries going forward … Is an adequate in-line blocker, but
shows good effort to sustain and control, keeping his hands active and with
proper placement … Hard worker on and off the field and is the type who
plays until the whistle … Not a real vocal guy, but is very good leader by
example … Can be relied upon to get his workouts done without being watched
and usually does extra work in the training and film rooms … Shows good
ability to hit the hole hard and getting up to full speed in a hurry once he
clears the line … Runs with good balance and does a fine job of setting up
his blocks … Does a good job of seeing the field and locating coverages to
settle underneath in passing situations … Has good strength and power and
has become more of a bruiser when running the ball during his senior year …
Consistently finishes his runs going forward and shows the ability to
consistently break tackles, even when he has to power through the pile … Has
vision and quickness to make first person miss and builds his acceleration
nicely, reaching full speed when turning the corner … His body control and
balance are evident by his ability to make hard cuts and get defenders off
balance … Had some fumble issues in 2007, but generally does a good job of
protecting the ball in traffic … Used mostly on controlled routes and
screens, but has the moves and route running ability to go up the seam for
the long throws … Doesn't shy away from contact and is very good at squaring
up to mirror defenders or make cut … Has steadily improved his ability to
create separation between him and the defender as a senior, keeping his pads
low and showing very fluid cutback agility, showing no ill effects from 2006
knee surgery … Comes out of his stance with good hip snap, doing a nice job
of locating the cutback lanes … Is a load to bring down in isolated coverage
(had to be brought down by multiple defenders on 99-of-314 non-touchdown
runs in 2007 and on 53-of-155 carries in 2006) … Has also become an
efficient in-line blocker, keeping his hands within his framework to latch
on and sustain … Drives hard with his legs in limited attempts as a lead
blocker, squaring his shoulders well to widen the rush lanes.

*Negatives:* Does a good job hitting the hole and reading his blocks, but
isn't the type of player who can suddenly explode past the smaller defenders
(better moving the pile than trying to elude. Does have the hip swerve to
quickly redirect to the cutback lanes) … Lacks the sudden burst to hit the
corner, but builds his acceleration nicely, using his power rather than a
second gear to break long runs … Has very good hands as a receiver, but the
system does not call for him to be split out, nor is he expected to run
wide-out routes, but you can see on film that he has the vision and hand
extension to catch outside his frame.

*Compares To:* EDGERRIN JAMES-Arizona … Like James, Forte' might lack
explosive speed, but his lower body strength, balance and body control allow
him to shift his weight, sink his pads and drive through arm tackles. He is
an efficient receiver out of the backfield and adds to his resume as a
gunner on special teams. Like James, he quietly goes about his job and is
slowly developing into a solid cut blocker. He seems to get stronger as the
game wears on and has made steady progress recovering from late 2006 knee
problems.