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Little Guy On The Field May Be CU's Biggest Ground Threat

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- He's not the biggest guy on the field, but Rodney Stewart has become the University of Colorado Buffaloes' biggest ground threat.

Darrell Scott was supposed to be CU's next Heisman Trophy winnner. He was supposed to break all the school's rushing records. Everybody expected greatness, but nobody expected running back Rodney Stewart to crash the party.

"I looked forward to coming here and competing against him and playing with him as teammate, so once we got here and started practicing, and getting into the games, you know, it was the coach's call," Stewart said.

It was an easy call to make. In Stewart's third game as a Buff, he burst onto the national scene. With the nation watching on a Thursday night, the unknown Stewart rushed for 166 yards against West Virginia.

Rodney Stewart
Rodney Stewart of the Colorado Buffaloes rushes for a first down against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Folsom Field on Sept. 18, 2008, in Boulder. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

"After the game I laid in grass, I just laid down, I couldn't believe it! They were a ranked team. It was something I dreamed about from a little kid, just being on this level. And accomplishing something so big, it was great to me," said Stewart.

All he's done since then is become CU's 5th all time leading rusher.

At first glance, stopping the guy they call Speedy doesn't appear too daunting. He's listed at 5-foot-6 and 175 pounds. But what he lacks in size, he makes up for in other areas.

"He has huge heart. Everyone talks about the 'want to.' He definitely has the want to," quarterback Tyler Hansen said. "He wants to be great. He came in as a freshman three years ago with a chip on his shoulder and he still has that chip on his shoulder. There's going to be no stopping Rodney Stewart."

Guard Ryan Miller told CBS4 Steward plays like a bigger player.

"If you've seen his arms, he's not a little guy -- he's jacked," guard Ryan Miller said. "He's may not be as tall as the next guy, but he can sure slip through and find holes."

Safety Ray Polk says Steward has a chip on his shoulder. "Which is a good thing," he said.

The new man in charge of the team, Coach Jon Embree, has definitely noticed Stewart's mantra.

"When you're smaller player, if every time you have the ball -- especially as a running back -- you don't have an attitude, you're in trouble," Embree said.

Embree described one play that particularly impressed him recently in practice.

"I don't know how many of you guys were out there ... he broke a run and cut back and went around the outside and the safety came and he tried to kill the guy. And it's practice. It's a mindset and a mentality, and I hope this doesn't offend him, he is a great little guy."

Stewart said he's constantly motivated to prove people wrong about him.

"I've always been small, so around 6, 7, 8 years old you just get over it, you know. You just got to get out there and play. I have the talent to be blessed to come on and prove people wrong," Stewart said.

Another Buff who proved people wrong despite his size was Eric Bieniemy, the Buffaloes new offensive coordinator. Bieniemy is the school's all-time leading rusher, but Stewart only needs about 1,200 yards to pass him.

As Stewart sets his sights on Bieniemy's record, ironically it's Bieniemy who will be coaching him.

"Records are made to be broken. I could care less that it's broken. Bottom line, if he's breaking it, that means we're doing something absolutely right," said Bieniemy.

Stewart said the two of them haven't actually talked about the school rushing record so far.

"We talk about what we're going to do this year. We might talk about it. If we get a chance. Not at this moment, we've never talked about it."

"I thought about that, just having the chance to never be forgotten or when my time is done. If the record is broken or if I don't break the record, I'm just blessed to be here and have my name somewhere on that chart," said Stewart.

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