Ryan Ruffing 2009-11

Running BackHT: 5'11

Wt: 195

Stats:2009: 557 yards rushing, 95 carries, 12 Rushing TD's

2010: 861 yards rushing, 138 carries, 12 Rushing TD's

2011: 1,390 yards rushing, 193 carries, 15 Rushing TD's, 13 receptions, 172 yards, and 2 TD receptions

Career: 2,808 yards rushing, 426 carries, 39 Rushing TD's, 13 receptions, 172 yards, and 2 TD receptions

Articles:

W&J adjusting schemes to put talents of Thomas Jefferson products to work

It says something about a player's talent when a coaching staff adjusts its system to make the most use of those talents.

The Washington & Jefferson College football team is known for running a spread offense primarily with four or five wide receiver sets.

However, the Presidents are using a lot more formations featuring a tight end and/or two running backs these days because of the talents of two particular players, both Thomas Jefferson graduates.

Steven Licht is a senior tight end at W&J, while Ryan Ruffing is a sophomore running back.

“We traditionally use four and five receiver sets and one running back,” Steve Spence, W&J's offensive coordinator, said. “Now we're using the tight end more, and we're using two-back sets, because of those guys.”

The 6-foot, 200-pound Ruffing was a standout running back at Thomas Jefferson, graduating in 2012.

He has moved up the depth chart to the second team this year, and is second with 300 yards on 52 carries.

The Presidents feature a potential All-American candidate at tailback in senior Dion Weigand.

The coaching staff fully expects Ruffing to grab the starting spot next year.

“There's no question about it,” Spence said. “We look for him to be our horse. He'll be our go-to guy.”

However, instead of using Ruffing only in a backup role, the W&J coaching staff deploys two-back sets to get both offensive weapons on the field at once.

“He's our ‘second feature back,'” Spence said of Ruffing. “He could start for us; we just have an exceptional starter in Dion Weigand.

“But Ryan, he's the toughest runner that I've seen at this level. He just runs with an intensity. Every single time he touches the ball, he's one of those running backs who looks for contact. Because he's such a dynamic player, we've been using more two-back sets.”

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Licht has also forced his way to playing time.

A multi-sport athlete at TJ, Licht initially went to Washington & Jefferson as a basketball player before deciding to switch sports and go out for the football team before last season.

“We weren't quite sure where we were going to use him at first,” Spence said. “He has a nice frame, nice size. He's athletic, and has good hands.”

That made Licht the perfect tight end.

The only problem was that W&J used tight ends sparingly, primarily in short yardage and goal line situations.

However, because of Licht, the Presidents are working the tight end in a bit more. Licht had 13 catches for 135 yards last season, and already owns 13 catches for 200 yards in 2013.

“The year before we had him, we might have thrown to the tight end five times all year,” Spence said. “That changed for us when we got Steve into the lineup. He's a very reliable player with very good hands. He's a team oriented player. We still use a lot of four and five wide receiver sets, and Steve is ready to go as soon as his number is called. He never pouts or puts his head down in those situations.”

Both local products contribute off the field too, according to Spence.

Licht has a vocal, outgoing presence.

“He's a hard worker with a fantastic work ethic,” Spence said. “He also keeps the guys loose. He's one of the funnier guys on the team, loosening things up in the tense moments, but he also knows when to bring the intensity up for us.”

Ruffing leads more by example.

“Ryan is a very quiet guy. A man of few words,” Spence said. “But he's also ready to go any time we throw him in there.”

Both Ruffing and Licht are focused on this season. W&J is 6-2 overall, 5-1 in the NCAA Division III Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC) with two games left, meaning they have a shot at the conference title.

“Overall, we feel pretty good right now,” Ruffing said. “We are focused on winning out, beating Waynesburg, and getting into the playoffs. Once you're in the playoffs, you never know what could happen.”

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