Running back/Fullback Preview: Black's time to shine

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With the loss of its top two running backs from a year ago, the Bryant University football team will turn to senior Ryan Black (Joppa, Md.) and a pair of underclassmen, Brenden Femiano (Northport, N.Y.) and Christian Martey (Centreville, Va.), to carry the load this fall.

The Bryant University football team kicks off its 2016 season on Saturday, September 3 against Merrimack at Bulldog Stadium. Leading up to opening day, BryantBulldogs.com will take a position-by-position look at the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs have an enjoyed an embarrassment of riches at the tailback position over the years, featuring the likes of Lorenzo Perry, Jerell Smith, Jordan Brown and Ricardo McCray. Now, it's Black and Co.'s turn to carry the torch and the ball for the Black and Gold in 2016.

"Our group of backs is very big, with two guys over 220lbs and another right around 210lbs," Black said. "I believe we still have the best backs in the conference and the expectations guys like Rico [McCray], JB [Jordan Brown] and Paul [Canevari] set before us hasn't changed."

Black is set to break camp as Bryant's No. 1 running back for the first time in his career. He has been the featured back before, however, starting the final seven games of the 2013 season after injuries to McCray and Canevari in back-to-back weeks. Black took the chance and ran with it, literally, rushing for a career-high 137 yards and a touchdown in his first-career start against Brown. He went on to carry the ball 102 times for 396 yards and five touchdowns on the season and enters this year with 513 career rushing yards.

The thing to watch will be how the Bulldogs utilize their youthful duo of Femiano and Martey. Last season, McCray carried the ball 200 times, accounting for over half of Bryant's rushing attempts on the year. That could change this season with both sophomores having shown well during spring camp. Femiano was a standout at St. Anthony's and Poly Prep, rushing for over 3,000 yards in his final two seasons, while Martey eclipsed the 1,500 mark in two seasons at the Flint Hill School (Va.).

"There's a couple things that Christian does better than most other guys, Femi is as explosive as any guy I've been around and I bring some experience to our group," Black said. "All three of us will get our chances and it's all about who puts the team in the best position to win for each play."

Also in the mix will be junior Frank Ansah (Worcester, Mass.) and freshman Alfred Dorbor (Pawtucket, R.I.). Dorbor was the 2014 Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year at Saint Raphael's before spending a postgraduate year at Blair Academy. He rushed for 1,305 yards and 26 touchdowns in his award-winning season.

Bryant also returns a very experienced set of fullbacks this fall led by junior Hunter Taute (Norfolk, Mass.). The Bulldogs' starting fullback in eight games last year, Taute had a career-year in 2015, posting 12 carries for 33 yards and 12 catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He'll be joined by sophomore Peter Corbett (Wantagh, N.Y.), who shined on special teams a year ago, and freshmen Kyle Mann (Cutler Bay, Fla.) and Hayden Panagos (Hillsborough, N.J.).