Star Running Backs Clash in Tuscaloosa County Showdown
Two top-tier running backs squared off in tonight's Tuscaloosa County and Hewitt-Trussville's matchup: Armoni Goodwin and Damien Taylor.
Neither one of the speedsters compares to your prototypical sized running back: Taylor is listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, while Goodwin is 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds. For comparison, the average height for an NFL running back is 6 feet tall.
Still, several NFL standouts such as Tarik Cohen (Chicago Bears), and Phillip Lindsey (Denver Broncos) have had plenty of success playing the role of mighty mouse.
Despite being undersized at the position, these are two of the best backs in the state of Alabama.
Goodwin carried the ball 19 times for 215 yards and three touchdowns, absolutely gashing the Wildcat defense in the second half. He's the No. 5 rated running back in the 2021 class, according to 24/7 Sports, and a top 100 overall player in the class. Goodwin had offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Jacksonville State, but opted to play for Coach Gus Malzahn under Chad Morris' versatile offense at Auburn University.
Taylor had 16 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown and added three catches for 52 yards with a touchdown through the air. Taylor is committed to playing his college football for the Troy Trojans.
If you compare their stats head to head, Taylor only had 100 fewer yards and one less score than Goodwin.
The Huskies had a tough task trying to contain Taylor, but head coach Josh Floyd knew his defense would rise to the occasion.
"The thing about our defense is that they play good running backs every day in practice. That helps. He's a heck of a player, he'll go on to have a big college career," said Floyd.