Duck commit is a big time player

Last Friday, we were in attendance for the Anaheim (Calif.) Esperanza- Los Alamitos (Calif.) game and the star of the night was easily Aztec running back Charles Neal. We knew the future Duck was a talent, but we didn't realize just how good he was until seeing him in person this past weekend.

At a rock solid 6-1, 210 pounds, Neal looks like a college running back right now. He's much bigger than we expected and runs as hard as any back in the state. Several times in this game, Neal was hit right at the line of scrimmage but was still able to rush for five or six yards on just about every play. He's extremely quick hitting the hole, has excellent balance and the first or even second guy never brings him down.

Neal finished the night with 178 tough yards on 27 carries and one touchdown and added an 85 yard kickoff return. This was all done against one of the best defenses in Southern CA. The Griffins had only allowed one team (Orange Lutheran) to gain over 150 yards on them all season and Neal did that by himself. He did it after spraining his ankle in the fourth quarter and was barely able to walk yet still busted a 36 yard run late in the fourth quarter that sealed the deal.

"He's the best running back we've ever had here," Aztec coach Bill Pendleton said. "He's so physical but he has great vision as well and sees things other backs don't see. He has good speed too, he doesn't always look like he's going fast but he won't get caught from behind. He knows how to use his blockers and has the ability to cut and make you miss as well."

As a sophomore, Neal rushed for 1,038 yards and 15 touchdowns and followed it up with a 1,575 yard, 18 touchdown season a year ago. He has rushed for 1,374 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and definitely should be mentioned among the top backs in the West region.

Neal's commitment to Oregon didn't draw a lot of fanfare as the back missed all the summer camps and combines and didn't have a lot of hype heading in to the season. However, after seeing him last weekend, we feel Neal is a top five back in the state and the kind of player who Duck fans should be very excited about in the near future.