Much we agree on in this exchange but I'm perplexed by the idea defenses don't affect how many rushing yards a running back can have.
TCU gave up 1.72 yards per carry and 47 rushing yards per game that year. The #2 run defense in the country that year was Alabama, which gave up 2.65 yards per carry and 74 rushing yards per game. That TCU run defense was a contender for the greatest in history. If you look at the 13 years since then, the most epically, historically dominant run defenses were 2016 Alabama (2.01 yards per carry, 64 rushing yards per game) and 2021 Wisconsin (1.99 yards per carry, 61 rushing yards per game). I'm not aware of any run defense in modern football history as good as 2008 TCU. Surely that has bearing on how Gerhart did? TCU had lead opponent backs that year who rushed for 9, 0, 23, 5, 30, 29, 19, 28 yards. Here's the really salient fact: NFL Offensive Player of the Year and three-time Pro Bowler DeMarco Murray had 23 yards against the Horned Frogs. That run defense was maybe the greatest ever. Boise State superstar Ian Johnson had 28 yards. The guys who did "better" than Gerhart were Wyoming and New Mexico backs padding stats in blowouts. For Stanford to rush for 71 yards and Gerhart for 45 was, believe it or not, a statement that the Tunnel Workers Union and Gerhart had arrived. Oklahoma, with future best offensive lineman on the planet Trent Williams blocking, future best running back on the planet DeMarco Murray running, and that year's Voldemort Trophy winner Sam Bradford taking pressure off the run game, rushed for 25 yards as a team. We did 2.84 times better than they did!
This is just illustrative of how much impact a great run defense has on a run game. Countless examples over an essentially infinite amount of football history would make the same point. The quality of your opponent matters, a lot. The enemy gets a vote. When you adjust for competition, our 2008 run game was great.
No doubt there was an improvement in OL play in 2009 as DeCastro and Martin in particular made their presence known. But that means we went from a very good OL to an elite OL. Our 2008 OL play was already quite formidable for opponents to deal with, as TCU learned. Nobody else challenged them like we did up front. Not even a line with Trent freaking Williams, the first lineman in the history of Planet Earth to get a perfect Madden grade at the NFL level! Blocking for NFL Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray!
TCU gave up 1.72 yards per carry and 47 rushing yards per game that year. The #2 run defense in the country that year was Alabama, which gave up 2.65 yards per carry and 74 rushing yards per game. That TCU run defense was a contender for the greatest in history. If you look at the 13 years since then, the most epically, historically dominant run defenses were 2016 Alabama (2.01 yards per carry, 64 rushing yards per game) and 2021 Wisconsin (1.99 yards per carry, 61 rushing yards per game). I'm not aware of any run defense in modern football history as good as 2008 TCU. Surely that has bearing on how Gerhart did? TCU had lead opponent backs that year who rushed for 9, 0, 23, 5, 30, 29, 19, 28 yards. Here's the really salient fact: NFL Offensive Player of the Year and three-time Pro Bowler DeMarco Murray had 23 yards against the Horned Frogs. That run defense was maybe the greatest ever. Boise State superstar Ian Johnson had 28 yards. The guys who did "better" than Gerhart were Wyoming and New Mexico backs padding stats in blowouts. For Stanford to rush for 71 yards and Gerhart for 45 was, believe it or not, a statement that the Tunnel Workers Union and Gerhart had arrived. Oklahoma, with future best offensive lineman on the planet Trent Williams blocking, future best running back on the planet DeMarco Murray running, and that year's Voldemort Trophy winner Sam Bradford taking pressure off the run game, rushed for 25 yards as a team. We did 2.84 times better than they did!
This is just illustrative of how much impact a great run defense has on a run game. Countless examples over an essentially infinite amount of football history would make the same point. The quality of your opponent matters, a lot. The enemy gets a vote. When you adjust for competition, our 2008 run game was great.
No doubt there was an improvement in OL play in 2009 as DeCastro and Martin in particular made their presence known. But that means we went from a very good OL to an elite OL. Our 2008 OL play was already quite formidable for opponents to deal with, as TCU learned. Nobody else challenged them like we did up front. Not even a line with Trent freaking Williams, the first lineman in the history of Planet Earth to get a perfect Madden grade at the NFL level! Blocking for NFL Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray!