For a school that has Herschel Walker at the top of its storied list of top running backs, place in history matters when it comes to the Georgia Bulldogs backfield.
Heisman Trophy candidate Todd Gurley will no doubt land in an impressive spot in that lineage, but former Bulldogs running back Danny Ware isn't ready to put him above Miami Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno.
"It's kind of a hard comparison. Knowshon was a little smaller, but he was still beefed up. He did some amazing things. It's kind of tough. Todd has done his fair share of amazing things, but I think Knowshon, he came in and had two seniors in front of him and still ended up being the man," Ware said, according to onlineathens.com. "... Todd, I don't really know like who has been there to challenge him. Keith (Marshall), but their running styles are so much different. They complement each other rather than compete with each other. Knowshon was doing it on his own pretty much."
Moreno had two outstanding, and remarkably similar seasons at Georgia, rushing 248 times for 1,334 yards in 2007 with 14 touchdowns, followed by a 250-1,400-16 performance in 2008. He then went on to become the No. 12 overall pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2009 NFL Draft. Entering his third year as a starter, Gurley needs just 400 yards to pass Moreno's career-yardage total. He ran for 1,385 yards as a freshman, but slipped to 989 last year due to an ankle injury that sidelined him for a month.
Ware rightly noted that Moreno lacks Gurley's size and relied more on quickness. As college backs, they've been equally effective, but Gurley's size and straight-ahead, powerful style could be more suited to the NFL game.
Moreno had his best NFL season last year with the Denver Broncos with the first 1,000-yard season of his career, and 10 touchdowns. He signed with the Dolphins as a free agent in March.
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