Forté's Running Sparks Wave
Nov 6, 2007 | Football
Oct. 25, 2007
By Jim Masilak
Memphis (Tenn.) Commerical Appeal
When Matt Forté was prepping at Slidell (La.) High, Division 1-A programs failed to identify him as a future college standout.
Four years later, they're still missing.
The nation's leading rusher this season with 1,261 yards in seven games -- second place isn't even close -- Tulane's senior running back is putting up scarcely credible numbers ahead of Saturday's game in New Orleans against the University of Memphis.
Fresh off a Conference USA-record 342-yard, four-touchdown performance in last week's overtime victory over SMU -- for which he earned Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors -- Forté has eclipsed 200 yards four times this season. Twice, he's gone on to reach 300.
Forté's average of 180.1 yards per game is more than 25 yards better than that of the nation's No. 2 rusher, UCF's Kevin Smith (155 ypg). And his 13 TDs are tied for second in the country.
Suffice it to say, he has the UofM's attention.
"You don't run for 300-plus yards by accident. It doesn't happen," Tigers coach Tommy West said. "You're pretty good if you can run for 300. That's unbelievable."
Forté's performance against the Mustangs and his 303 yards last month against Southeastern Louisiana are the second- and third-highest single-game rushing totals by a 1-A player in the past three seasons. (Former Northern Illinois star Garrett Wolfe ran for 353 yards last year against Ball State.)
"He is a good, good player," SMU coach Phil Bennett said. "You've got to gang-tackle him. When he gets in a pile, he doesn't go down. You've got to make sure someone gets a hold of him."
First-year Tulane coach Bob Toledo told Bennett that Forté is the best running back he's ever coached.
Previously the head coach and offensive coordinator at UCLA and the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, Toledo has worked with some good ones. He helped groom the likes of DeShaun Foster, Karim Abdul-Jabbar, Skip Hicks, Greg Hill, Leeland McElroy and Rodney Thomas, all of whom went on to play in the NFL.
Toledo was more than happy to reiterate his praise for Forté.
"I do believe that. I think he's the best running back I've ever coached," Toledo said. "I can't say enough good things about him. He's got the total package and he's gonna be very successful at the next level."
Forté isn't sure why the nation's top programs passed on him, but he's beyond caring. If he ever did, that is. He's more than happy playing at Tulane, where his father, Gene, was the team captain in 1977.
"I don't know why (he was overlooked)," Matt Forté said. "Maybe my high school wasn't getting too much exposure. I went to the camps and sent tapes out, but Tulane and McNeese State were really the only ones that offered me a scholarship.
"It made my choice easy."
Forté has the size (6-2, 225), speed and hands (92 career receptions for 885 yards) to play for anyone.
Toledo, understandably, was delighted to inherit a player of Forté's considerable caliber.
"You can only recruit so many guys now, and he did slip through the cracks, fortunately for us," Toledo said.
Forté, who missed the final three games of the 2006 season after a knee injury, has thrived in a Green Wave offense tailored to suit him.
"It was hard to (put up big numbers) in the early years here. We used to pass the ball a lot," Forté said. "Now we're running the ball. I kind of was looking forward to doing that."
On occasion, in an attempt to keep defenses honest, the Green Wave has lined up with Forté at quarterback.
"I've said he's a great player. I reserve that word for very few people, and he's a great football player," Toledo said. "He's really our football team right now, offensively."
Forté has struggled against the top teams on Tulane's schedule. Mississippi State limited him to 47 yards and one TD on 14 carries, and he also failed to reach 100 yards against Houston (17 carries for 85 yards) and LSU (16 carries for 73 yards).
But in his last three games against Army, UAB and SMU -- all on the road -- he has rushed for a total of 753 yards and seven touchdowns.
"I'm just really proud of our offensive line and receivers because they're blocking real well," said the soft-spoken Forté. "I'm also proud of myself."
