One old football cliché says games are won and lost in the trenches. While that's a very true statement, skill players play a vital role in a team's success as well.

Granted, depth at quarterback and running back is a troubling problem for the Northwest football team, but the Rangers have talented skill players that can make huge impacts during the season.

Lack of depth hurt the quarterbacks and running backs grade somewhat, but the amount of potential playmakers at the two positions helped the group get the highest grade of the offense. With the athleticism at both the quarterback and running back position, the Rangers received a preseason grade of B.

Northwest will look to a one-two punch at the running back position.

Former University of Louisville commit Justin Crawford of Columbus (Ga.) is a very explosive running back that cuts quickly. He has a knack of making defenders miss tackles in the open field. He believes he needs to continue to get better quickly, however.

"I've put in a lot of work for the upcoming game against Jones," Crawford said. "It's been a major transition for me coming from high school to now being in college. I know I have to work extremely hard."

According to Crawford nothing has been tougher to adjust to than the speed of college football. What would have been a 70-yard touchdown run in high school ends on a 15-yard scamper because of the speed of college defensive backs.

"There isn't anyone in this league going to outrun somebody," Crawford grinned. "Everyone is about the same speed. You have to have technique and understand how to follow blocking."

Crawford has made a few spectacular plays during camp. He has great vision and is dynamite in the open field.

He's so talented in space that the Northwest coaching staff has involved him more into the passing game. He has soft hands and waits on the football before thinking about making a cut.

"I did that in high school so I'm very comfortable with it," Crawford said, describing his ability to catch the football from the backfield. "When I get passing plays, they open things up a lot. It helps me get into space. I'll do the same thing in running plays."

Crawford said he hopes to make plays early and often against Jones County on Thursday. He realizes his role as a big-play sparkplug on offense and he hopes to get the Northwest faithful to their feet early.

"I don't want to wait too late to make plays," Crawford related. "I want us to come out with good chemistry in the first game. I want us to play like we can be beat and it helps us come out victorious."

West Point (Miss.) native Roger Thomas will play more of the big-bruiser role at tailback on Thursday. At 6-foot, 220 pounds, Thomas bounces off oncoming traffic nicely. He has strong legs and keeps his shoulder pads low to the ground. He continues to churn his legs after contact and grunts his way to extra yardage on every carry.

"Whatever I can do to help my teammates progress moving forward and help us win," Thomas said. "Without breaking tackles you won't score, so you have to be as dynamic as you can. I have a lot of role models in the NFL. I want to have feet like Trent Richardson and a running style like Eddie Lacy. I look up to those guys."

A key backup running back for the Rangers is Terreous Johnson of Rosa Fort (Miss.). Johnson is another strong tailback that never gives up without a fight. He's a good blocking running back as well. He's a hard-nosed competitor that helps block in the passing game.

The three running backs are in good shape. After every carry during practice, the tailbacks would run the entire field until they reached the end zone. It never mattered how far away the goal line was, they sprinted the remainder of the field.

According to Thomas, it helped the unit get in better shape and believes it helps their mentality of scoring, too.

"It's an instinct," Thomas stated. "Once you get the ball, you want to burst through the hole. Also, you want to get used to scoring so it's second nature to you as a running back."

Quandez Lee of South Panola (Miss.) High School is the Rangers' fullback. At 260 pounds, he brings a load up the middle. He hits defenses with good pop and is quick off the snap of the football.

Lexington (N.C.) native Karsten Miller, who's rated a 3-star prospect by 247Sports.com, will lead the way for Northwest for a second consecutive year. Miller collected 1,755 yards through the air with 12 touchdowns a year ago. He averaged 195 yards passing a game. Accuracy became an issue at times for Miller, though. He threw 11 interceptions on the season.

Overall, Miller has looked very comfortable in practice. When he connects with his wide receivers early he's almost impossible to stop. He throws the football very hard with a nice, tight spiral most of the time.

His release can be a little slow at times, but the speed of his throws make up for it. He's also a very gifted deep ball quarterback.

Miller is athletic outside the pocket as well. He has solid escape ability and more importantly, he keeps his eyes down field when he's flushed from the offensive line's protection. He collected two rushing TDs a year ago.

Miller's backup is Kyle Morgan of Southaven (Miss.). As a sophomore, Morgan brings experience to the backup position. At times Morgan is on point with his throws. He seems to have a nice grasp of the playbook and his reads. He completed 19-of-41 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown last year.

He gets happy feet with pressure, however. If he can settle in the pocket and make confident throws, he will make plays for the Rangers when need be. Obviously, the backup quarterback of any college football team is an extremely important position.

While the depth isn't great for Northwest's quarterbacks and running backs, the Rangers have a nice group of talented players. When given the opportunity, they will shine during some big games this fall.
 
Northwest head coach Jack Wright talks about his group of running backs and quarterbacks…
Coach Wright discusses quarterback Karsten Miller's potential heading into the 2014 football season:
Fortunately, this is going to be the fourth, second year quarterback I've coached. I really think him being in his second year, that he brings something someone in their first year might not be able to bring to the table. He's not going to be wide-eyed and scared even though he'll be nervous like every other player. There will be a level of confidence that you can't coach. I think that will only help the teammates around him.

With the emergence of the zone read, more and more offenses are allowing their quarterbacks to take a beating on a weekly basis. Coach Wright said he hopes to keep quarterback Karsten Miller healthy by allowing him to stay in the pocket more. Coach Wright believes Miller is a talented runner, however:
We like to limit the number of hits those guys take. Every quarterback is going to get hit and end up running around some. It's a changing game, but my approach is to limit the number of real big hits that he takes. He's a good athlete and he has long legs. We played against him at Holmes last year. I noticed him when he got out of the pocket at times. He broke a long touchdown run in the Holmes game last year that I saw in person. I have 100 percent faith that he's athletic enough to play quarterback at this level.

Coach Wright says running backs Justin Crawford and Roger Thomas have contrasting styles:
They're very contrasting styles. Justin is a very good athlete. He's a basketball-type guy. He's very good in space and with the ball in his hands. He's tough to bring down when he gets his shoulders pointed downfield. Roger is completely different. He almost seeks out contact at times it seems. Look at the guy's body. He's put together properly. He has big legs and he doesn't have a lot of fat on him. He's a load to bring down.

Coach Wright forces his tailbacks to run to the end zone after every running play during practice. He believes it's both a conditioning and mindset philosophy:  
It's a mindset. To me, you get what you practice. If you want touchdowns, you practice getting touchdowns. It's a pretty simple philosophy. I'm not a huge believer in conditioning after practice. We want to make sure we get as much as we can from them during the time allotted. It's conditioning and a mindset.