RENO, Nev. >> There are times when it looks like Diocemy Saint Juste appears to be playing a different game.
The senior running back put up more impressive numbers on Saturday night for Hawaii, rushing for 241 yards on 25 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run. However, it wasn’t enough for the Rainbow Warriors, who fell to Nevada 35-21.
Saint Juste, a 5-foot- 8 195-pounder out of Boynton Beach, Fla., gave credit to his coaches and teammates.
“Just the scheme that the offense is running and the boys up front are doing a really good job and (quarterback) Dru (Brown) was checking the plays right, so I attribute my success to them,” Saint Juste said.
Those coaches and teammates are little bit more impressed.
“He does a lot of things well,” Brown said. “He’s great. Something that a lot of running backs lack is pass protection and he is probably the best running back I’ve ever had when it comes to pass protection, whether it’s knowing who to get and the physicality he brings.
“When it comes to running the ball, he’s so explosive, yet he’s patient. He’s really special.”
Said offensive coordinator Brian Smith, “He’s very complete. I think one of the things that he’s pretty impressive with him is he is very smart and very coachable. When you tell him something, it gets done, it gets fixed on the first shot. He has really good vision and good quickness. You can see some of that acceleration in this game that he can run away from people.”
Saint Juste was having a terrific running back battle with Nevada’s Kelton Moore, who finished with 216 yards rushing and another 46 receiving. However, Saint Juste’s best run of the night didn’t end up in the box score.
It came late in the first half, with the game tied 14-14. Hawaii was facing a third-and- 19 from its own 16 after an illegal hands to the face penalty had wiped out a first down. Saint Juste took the ball and blasted through the line and after stepping out of a potential tackle, rumbled 84 yards for the apparent go-ahead touchdown.
“It was amazing,” wide receiver John Ursua said. “I’ve never seen something so close where he hurdles a guy, a guy hits him and he stays on his feet for another 70 yards down the field. It was amazing.”
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Unfortunately, Dejon Allen was flagged for a holding penalty, which helped create the hole, and the play came back. Worse, after the Warriors were forced to punt, the Wolf Pack came right back down the field to score the go-ahead touchdown and never trailed again.
Saint Juste came into the game averaging more than 130 yards per game to rank ninth in the nation. He now has nine career 100-yard games, including six of the past eight. In the first half, he passed Travis Sims on the all-time Hawaii rushing list and is now in third place with 2,484 yards.
And he is beloved by his teammates.
“Diocemy is not only a powerhouse off the field, he is a great man,” guard J.R. Hensley said. “Blocking for him is something I take pride in. His athletic ability, his talent is nothing that you see every day, especially in this conference. We know what kind of guy he is and if we can get those holes open, he makes some big plays. It is fun to block for him.
“He’s able to … turn 10-, 12-, 13-yard plays into breaks for touchdowns for 80 yards or 70 yards. He comes with the juice every week.”
