Byron Ellis

Wyoming

Sep 20 (Sat)

8:15 p.m.

Position:
Tailback
Height:
6-0
Weight:
215
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Culver City, Calif.
High School:
Venice

AT COLORADO: 2007 (Sr.)?He played in all 13 games, including five starts, often in for critical plays as he was often compared to having a coach on the field by the staff. He rushed 32 times for 131 yards and two scores on the year, with his last touch a memorable one, a 28-yard touchdown run against Nebraska that sealed a 65-51 win with 1:23 left to play. His top game was 34 yards on four tries against the Huskers, and he also had 29 yards on five carries against Oklahoma. He also caught 12 passes for 39 yards and a touchdown, the latter against Kansas. He earned eight first downs (6 rush, 2 receiving), and was 2-of-2 on 3rd-and-1 when called upon for a tough yard. The coaches selected him as the recipient of the Dean Jacob Van Ek Award, presented to the senior for accomplishing academic excellence. In the Independence Bowl against Alabama, he had five rushes for six yards. He finished with 534 career rushing yards, finishing 81st on CU’s all-time list. He bulked up some 10 pounds over his junior season and was the heaviest of the tailbacks.

2006 (Jr.)?He played in all 12 games, including four starts, as he finished fourth on the team in rushing with 126 yards. He scored his first career touchdown in the Baylor game, as he tied the game with a 9-yard run with 4:13 left that eventually forced overtime. He had eight carries for 40 yards against the Bears, single-game highs on the season for him, also adding 28 yards on eight attempts versus Colorado State and 22 yards in six tries at Nebraska. He had 13 carries over five yards and two of 10 or longer. He also had four receptions for 26 yards (identical 2-for-13 games against Montana State and Missouri).

2005 (Soph.)?He played in all 13 games, including the Champs Sports Bowl (one start, the first of his career which he made against Missouri). He finished third on the team in rushing with 75 attempts for 216 yards, averaging 2.9 yards per carry, with a long run of 25 yards; he had 18 runs of five or more yards and four of 10 or longer. His top yardage game came against New Mexico State (45 on 15 carries), with his best game versus Texas A&M, when he netted 39 yards on just seven attempts. He also caught six passes for 70 yards, the bulk of that at Miami, when he caught three balls for 53 yards, including a 38-yard gain, tied for the eighth longest play from scrimmage on the season for the team. On special teams, he had one kickoff return for 25 yards. In the bowl game against Clemson, he carried three times for eight yards. He had entered the fall tied atop the depth chart at tailback, but the competition went deep into August.

2004 (Fr.)?He saw action in nine games (no starts), primarily in some spot situations resting starting tailback Bobby Purify. He had the fourth most carries among all the running backs, as he had 19 rushes for 61 yards (3.2 average), with two runs in double figures (long of 11). He had 17 yards against North Texas, 12 at Texas A&M and 14 at Kansas. He also caught one pass for three yards. He did not see any action in the Houston Bowl.

HIGH SCHOOL?A three-year letterman, he was a third team all-state selection on offense as a senior, while Rivals.com ranked him in the California Top 100 (No. 78 overall). He was also the Western League and city (L.A. Section) Offensive Player of the Year, along with a first-team league and city performer as both a junior and senior. He will be a participant in the California-Florida All-Star game this summer. As a senior, he rushed 190 times for 1,656 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 8.7 yards per carry with a long run of 72 yards. He also caught 12 passes for 165 yards and a score. As a junior, he had 147 attempts for 1,352 yards (9.2 per carry), with 12 touchdowns, while catching seven balls for 106 yards and three scores. As a sophomore, he played in three games on the season, including the playoffs in which he scored one touchdown (over the span of his career, he has participated in 10 playoff games). Top games: as a senior, in a 61-21 win over Sylmar in the CIF playoffs, he rushed 18 times for 175 yards and two scores, including his career long run of 72 yards; in a 30-20 loss to Carson in the CIF championship game, he had 19 attempts for 170 yards and a score; and as a junior in a 42-37 loss to Laverne Damien, he had 26 rushes for 187 yards and two scores. Venice was 13-1 his senior year, reaching the CIF title game, and was 10-3 his junior season, losing in the CIF semifinals under coach Angelo Gasca. He lettered four times in track, participating in sprints (top time of 22.4 in the 200-meter dash) and relays.

ACADEMICS?He is majoring in Integrative Physiology (pre-med) at Colorado and is on schedule to graduate this May. Has earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors three times (sophomore through senior seasons), boasting a 3.5-plus grade point average in one of the most difficult majors around. As a junior, he was a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. The owner of a 4.0 grade point average as a prep, which included several advanced placement and honors classes as a senior, he was a two-time academic all-city team member and earned the Academic Jacket of Excellence Award (presented to those students with a 3.75 or higher GPA for three years).

PERSONAL?He was born March 27, 1986 in Los Angeles, Calif. Hobbies include watching movies and listening to music.

Rushing ...................................... High Games

Season	G	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Att	Yds
2004	9	19	61	3.2	0	11	8	23
2005	12	75	216	2.9	0	25	8	45
2006	12	38	126	3.3	1	11	8	40
2007	12	32	131	4.1	2	28t	6	34
Totals	45	164	534	3.3	3	28t	8	45

Receiving ...................................... High Games

Season	G	No	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Att	Yds
2004	9	1	3	3.0	0	3	1	3
2005	12	6	70	11.7	0	38	3	53
2006	12	4	26	6.5	0	7	2	13
2007	12	12	39	3.3	1	9	3	9
Totals	45	23	138	6.0	1	38	3	53