Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411150023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Robert Baldwin didn't know if he had a future as a Duke football player when the 1993 season ended. Even his old role, as a blocking back who averaged seven carries per game, sounded good to him.
``I would have been comfortable with that,'' said Baldwin, who had never rushed for more than 332 yards in a season or 81 yards in a game.
Nobody would have been more surprised than Baldwin to hear that he would rush for a school-record 238 yards in the first game this season, pass the 1,000-yard mark in the eighth game and stamp himself as the early favorite for ACC offensive player of the year.
``I definitely wanted to stay,'' said Baldwin, who, as a fourth-year junior, was chosen one of Duke's co-captains for 1993, ``but I also knew that new coaches sometimes like to clean house. I saw a lot of players moving. I was worried that I wasn't what they were looking for.''
Baldwin wasn't going to play fullback because there was no fullback in first-year head coach Fred Goldmsith's one-back offense.
When spring practice started, however, there was a distinct shortage of tailbacks.
``The guy who was the leading rusher [David Lowman] had knee surgery,'' Goldsmith said, ``and the other guy [Tijan Redmond] wasn't in school for the second semester.''
So, the choice was between Baldwin and a converted defensive back, although Baldwin admittedly did not make the best use of winter workouts and did not leave a good first impression.
``They wanted me to lose weight,'' said Baldwin, a 6-footer who has played at 215 pounds all season. ``I weighed 230 [still his listed weight] and I wasn't able to move the way I can now.''
Although it took some selling by assistant coaches, Goldsmith finally became comfortable with Baldwin before the season and says now that the big numbers weren't totally unexpected.
``It's the nature of our offense,'' said Goldsmith, who coached the No.8 all-time Division I-A rusher, Trevor Cobb, when he was at Rice. ``The guy we had last year [Yoncy Edmonds] had 900 yards and was hurt in the ninth game.
``I kind of had a sense, in this offense and with the line we had, that [Baldwin] had a chance to be a 1,000-yard rusher. There weren't many guys he had to share the ball with.''
Baldwin has 211 carries after Duke's first eight games and the Blue Devils' second-most prolific ball-carrier, Lowman, has 24. No other ACC running back has more than 116 attempts.
No statistical quirk, Baldwin leads the conference in rushing by more than 50 yards per game. He also ranks first in the ACC in scoring with 12 touchdowns.
Nobody, outside of Goldsmith, deserves more credit for the Blue Devils' 7-1 record.
``He's an impact player,'' Georgia Tech coach Bill Lewis said, ``but I'm not just talking about his contributions. When he hits you, there's an impact.''
Baldwin says he never considered himself slow, but he won't be winning any track meets
``He's got moves,'' Navy coach George Chaump said, ``but he'd just as soon run over you if he can.''
Baldwin's old blocking skills have proven beneficial in the passing game and he always has been a threat as a receiver. Baldwin has 81 career receptions and 28 this season, good for 10th place in the ACC.
Baldwin's college career has mirrored his experience at Deland (Fla.) High School, where he hardly carried the ball until his senior year. A strong finish got him a scholarship offer from Duke, whose opposition was The Citadel and Toledo.
``Most of all, he's a wonderful young man, the kind of player the other players pull for,'' Goldsmith said. ``I wish we had him for 10 years, not just this one.''
by CNB