Everywhere you looked Saturday, No. 5 was on the field for the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks.
FLC redshirt senior defensive back Kaulana Waalani-Arroyo played nearly every snap at his defensive back position Saturday, but he provided something the Skyhawks have desperately needed on offense: something positive in the running game.
“It is just an honor to help the team out in any way possible,” the 6-foot, 195-pounder from Kekaha, Hawaii, said. “Wherever coach needs me, that’s where I’ll go.”
FLC head coach John L. Smith has been desperate to find someone to help with the team’s anemic running game that entered Saturday’s game against New Mexico Highlands averaging less than 100 yards per game.
Waalani-Arroyo came through with 39 rushing yards on 11 carries, good for second on the team behind PJ Hall’s 50 yards on 13 carries. Waalani-Arroyo also caught two passes for another 18 yards.
“That’s what he’s been forced to do. We try to create a spark on offense, and we need a running spark, and I think he really provided that (Saturday),” Smith said after the team’s 45-10 home loss to the Cowboys.
Smith made the move this week, saying Waalani-Arroyo simply is a better athlete than many of the running backs on the roster.
“He deserves a lot of credit for not knowing the offense. No. 1, we took him in for two days, and he was forced to learn for a two-day period of time,” Smith said. “That’s not enough, but he really provided us with a spark in the running game, and we definitely needed that. ... He is a better athlete and needs to be on the field.”
Waalani-Arroyo said he played two ways in high school, and he wasn’t fatigued by playing both ways.
“Nothing really new. I played high school both ways, so it is just second nature to me,” he said. “Shaving the rust and getting back into the groove again is all it was. Finding your comfort zone.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
