Oct. 7, 2005
TACOMA, Wash. -
COREY BROCK, The Tacoma News Tribune
Jake Carlyle's fascination with Mighty Mouse began long before he ever carried a football for Western Washington University.
When Carlyle's teammates slapped the "Mighty Mouse" nickname on the 5-foot-7 senior tailback, it only validated what coach Rob Smith knew all along.
"I remember watching tape of when he was at Capital and being impressed with just how tough he played," Smith said. "He's a tough nut for a guy who is 5-7. But he runs hard. And you always know you'll get the best from Jake."
The Vikings got just that last week when Carlyle rushed for a career-best 175 yards on a career-high 31 carries as the Vikings defeated Humboldt State, 21-16, in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener for both schools.
Carlyle was named the GNAC offensive player of the week.
The Vikings (2-3 overall, 1-0 GNAC) face rival Central Washington (3-2, 1-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday in the third annual Battle in Seattle at Qwest Field.
The Vikings will do so with Carlyle in the backfield, trying to duplicate his successful - and somewhat unlikely - performance from last week's contest.
Carlyle went into the Humboldt State game with a combined 187 yards rushing in the first four games. He never had more than 15 carries in a game as Smith likes to utilize two other backs - Jordyn Jackson and Duncan Sherrard.
"We have the luxury of having good depth at running back," Smith said. "So we've typically gone with who has the hottest hand. We never intended to run the ball 31 times, but Jake was getting it done for us."
Carlyle - who wears a "Mighty Mouse" tattoo - said the push up front by the Vikings' offensive line almost made his job easy.
On several occasions, Carlyle found himself past the line of scrimmage before a defender got a hand on him.
"The offensive line pushing the defensive line back 3 or 4 yards on every play, that makes it much easier," Carlyle said. "So instead of making a cut behind the line of scrimmage, I was able to make my cut after I got through the line."
Carlyle became only the second WWU tailback to carry the ball more than 30 times in a game since 1996. Not that the additional carries bothered Carlyle - well, at least not during the game.
"It still felt great," Carlyle said of reaching his 30th carry in the fourth quarter.
Carlyle's success on the ground allowed the Vikings - who have struggled offensively since a 49-20 victory over Mesa State on Aug. 27 - to showcase a diverse offensive look, one that Smith covets.
Carlyle's running opened the passing lanes for quarterback James Monrean, who passed for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
"We had a good offensive night, and that started with our ability to run the football," Smith said.
Even with a 5-foot-7, 195-pound tailback.
"He'll pound it in there as much as a 5-7 guy can," Smith said. "But Jake is also able to slip and slide and find creases in the defense. And no matter what he is doing, Jake is always going forward
