2012 Prep Pigskin Preview: Parish prep running backs off - and running by Jimmy Touchet - posted Thursday, July 26th, 2012 @ 12:00 pm  E-mail Story |  Print Story  Editor's Note: In the sixth installment of a weekly series exploring the top college prospects by position in the parish and state, The Ouachita Citizen takes a look at the running backs. We have gathered information from some of the state's top recruiting experts at www.sportsnola.com, www.louisianaprepinsider.com, www.dandydon.com and www.pelicanpreps.com and come up with a list of the "Blue Chippers" for our state and parish that are sure to be high on every college coach's wish list come next year. The series will continue each week leading up to the 2012 Football Preview, which will be released and distributed the week of the opening Jamborees. Next week, we will focus on the top returning linebackers in the state and parish for 2012. In the game of football, the running back is essential to any teams' success. A team that can run the football can open up the offense to keep the defense guessing on their attack. You often hear coaches say, "To set up the pass, you must first establish the running game." There many components of the successful running game, but at the heart of any running game is the running back. Some schools have made a tradition out of producing running backs. Case in point, "Tailback U" was a nickname for the University of Southern California that emerged during the regime of Hall of Fame college football coach John McKay (1960 - 1975) and continued by his former offensive coordinator and immediate successor, John Robinson (1976 - 1982). Running plays of this era included Coach McKay's well-known "Student Body Right" play, which emphasized hard-nosed running in the pass-friendly Pacific-10 Conference. McKay and Robinson produced a number of top- rated players at the tailback position, including four Heisman Trophy winners. Standouts included Mike Garrett, O. J. Simpson, Anthony Davis, Ricky Bell, Charles White, and Marcus Allen. Coach Pete Carroll (2001 - 2009) continued the trend in later years with current NFL players Reggie Bush, LenDale White and Justin Fargas. For the full story, subscribe to the The Ouachita Citizen's NEW E-Edition!