UCF has dismissed running back William Stanback from the team Tuesday. The junior running back had struggled to see the field so far this year.
UCF has dismissed veteran running back William Stanback from the football team, the program announced Tuesday. The stated reason was for failing to comply with athletic policy and team rules.
#BREAKING Here’s the very brief #UCF announcement on dismissal of RB William Stanback. #FOX35 #CollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/EG3ThH6kXm
— Tom Johnson (@Used2BThatTVGuy) September 22, 2015
The veteran running back figured to be a key part of UCF’s offense returning from last year. Particularly with the key receivers leaving, Stanback figured to build off his injury-plagued 2014 season where he still led the team with 697 yards.
This year, Stanback had been noticeable by his absence. In three games, Stanback had only 12 carries for 11 yards. He did not play in Saturday’s loss to Furman. This was not the way he expected his junior year to go, especially considering the promise he had.
Instead, UCF has relied on Taj McGowan for the majority of carries with C.J. Jones filling in as a backup. McGowan though only has 111 total yards through three games on 35 carries. Wide receiver Nick Patti is second on the team in rushing after the Knights used him in several “wildcat” packages against Furman.
Certainly with questions at quarterback with Justin Holman’s injury, the Knights need some support from the run game. This is where the Knights have faced severe disappointment.
Why Stanback is not playing is not particularly clear. It was not completely clear if McGowan beat him practice or if his problem was an off-field issue. It was a matter of speculation among fans why Stanback was sitting out.
It is clear that this was an ongoing issue that finally hit a breaking point and they decided to part ways.
The Knights still have a lot of questions to answer on the offensive end. Losing someone who had produced last year and was clearly pretty talented is not going to help answer them.
