Leaving ISU as an all-time great
Idaho State wide receiver Rodrick Rumble was a once-in-a-generation type of player. He was one of those rare players that was worth the price of admission. When fans look back at the last two seasons of Idaho State University football they shouldn’t view it as a disappointment but as a pleasure to watch one of the all-time great wide receivers in school history.
Against Cal Poly on Nov. 10, he cemented his name in ISU history. He became the all-time leader in receiving yards. He surpassed the legendary Ed “The Flea” Bell who has held the record since 1962 with 2,676 yards. Rumble finished his illustrious career with a total 2,863 total yards.
Rumble continued to smash the ISU record books. The next week against Weber State Rumble became the all-time leader in career receptions. He finished his career with 223 receptions, passing Eddie Thompson’s 219 receptions.
“What Rod Rumble has become is an icon at Idaho State University in a very desperate situation,” said head coach Mike Kramer. “I think both of those accomplishments in the 2012 season will stand alone in the test of time in terms of being great singular accomplishments.”
“Statistics aside, I’m proud of what [Kevin Yost and Rumble] did because we didn’t ask them to do that,” Kramer continued. “We asked them to play their position to the best of their ability and what we have is something historic at Idaho State University.”
Rumble has plans to play at the next level, the NFL.
“It would be a blessing and I would lying to you if I said I didn’t want to do it,” said Rumble. “It’s one of the goals that I would like to achieve when I’m done with ISU.”
Rumble’s numbers can largely be accredited to ISU’s offense. Kramer runs a spread offense on steroids. ISU quarterback Kevin Yost threw (and completed) the most passes in a single season ever in the Big Sky conference. The offense gave Rumble the opportunity to excel and Rumble took advantage of the pass-happy offense.
“I caught 112 balls last year, it’s all his offense,” said Rumble. “I don’t know anywhere else where they throw the ball that much. It has a lot do with the offense. I got a lot better but really the way the ball is thrown around, it really helped me a lot in this offense.”
Many NFL scouts loathe the spread offense since it can be hard to gauge whether or not a player’s success in the spread will translate to the next level.
It should be noted that even though Rumble played in the spread offense he still ran routes on every single play.
While NFL scouts don’t ignore the numbers put up in college, there is a stronger emphasis on physical characteristics and proper fundamentals.
Rumble has the physical ability to play at the next level. He is 6’2” and a sturdy 210 pounds. The top five receivers in the NFL weigh an average 216.4 pounds and are 6’3”.
In fact, Rumble was one of the most fundamentally sound players on this year’s team.
Yost, who helped Rumble became one of the all-time greats at ISU, said, “He’s a good receiver. He’s fast [and] he’s physical. I say it every week it seems like. He’s just a big-time player so it’s fun to play with him.”
“Rod did most of it himself,” Yost explained. “He’s a great player and he has a lot of skill and a lot of potential.”
“I’ve been extremely blessed to play on this team,” said Rumble. “Really it went to my coaches and my teammates. The camaraderie and the love that I have for my guys beyond this year when I’m gone is unbelievable. The people that I have been around mean so much to me.”
Rumble is set to graduate in December with a degree in Mass Communication.
The football team completed its season with a 1-10 record, 0-8 in Big Sky play. The Bengals finished in last place in the conference.
