Nate Sheppard doesn’t need motivation, but somehow the Duke running back keeps getting it.
The latest comes from Stanford cornerback Brandon Nicholson.
Obviously, watching those past two games, their running attack has been heavy, a lot of handoffs, and their running back, I believe, is one of the top rushers in the country over these past two games,” he said. “So knowing that's going to be a focus for them as a defense.”
Then the Cardinal junior issued a challenge to him and his defense.
“Nobody's going to run against our defense,” Nicholson continued.
As the kids would say: bet?
It’s just another challenge for Sheppard, who has been overlooked for several years.
Despite being a 247Sports composite 4-star at Mandeville (La.) High School, only two
SEC programs offered him a scholarship: Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. After signing with Duke, Sheppard had a record-breaking freshman year for the Blue Devils, rushing for 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns.
And somehow, before this season, Sheppard was left entirely off the Doak Walker Award Watch List. He made his opinion on the omission clear on Twitter, and then in his first game, rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns, ironically being named the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week. In Duke’s win against Illinois this past Saturday,
First-year Stanford head coach Tavita Pritchard knows what a challenge Sheppard presents.
“On the offensive side, their runner leads the country in all-purpose yards and rushing yards, and he has got great contact balance,” he said.
The Cardinal rank 33rd in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing just 83.5 yards on the ground per game, but did allow Miami to rush for 121 yards in a 45-6 loss to the Hurricanes two weeks ago.
No matter what, as Walker Eget comes in at quarterback, the Blue Devils will continue to depend on Sheppard to prove he’s one of the best running backs in college. If he does that, Duke will all but likely go to 3-0.
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This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Nate Sheppard provided even more motivation by Stanford defense
