The 50 most important college players in Texas in 2016 — No. 36: Houston Baptist's Terrance Peters

FB_2015_Peters_Terrance_webThe importance of a player is not always defined by their skill. The most important player on a team is not always the best player on a team. This list is designed to breakdown the 50 most important players in Texas college football for the 2016 season. It is not a ranking of the 50 best college football players in the state. Importance can be defined by position, need, skill or leadership. We’ll count down the list through the summer, all the way to No. 1.Previously — 37: Rice DE Graysen Schantz // 38: UTEP DE Alvin Jones // 39: SMU RB Xavier Jones // 40: Sam Houston RB Corey Avery // 41: Prairie View A&M DE DeVohn Reed // 42: Texas State WR Demun Mercer // 43: UTEP S Devin Cockrell // 44: UNT DT Bryce English // 45: Texas OL Connor Williams // 46: Texas Tech DT Breiden Fehoko // 47: Houston DT B.J. Singleton // 48: Texas A&M DT Daylon Mack // 49: TCU S Denzel Johnson  // 50: Baylor S Chance WazNo. 36 – Houston Baptist running back Terrance PetersThe History Houston Baptist is still gaining traction as a football program and a member of the Southland Conference. The 2015 season ended with a 2-9 record and zero conference wins. One of the bright spots for the Huskies was the running back position, specifically Terrance Peters. The sophomore led Houston Baptist in rushing, gaining 576 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He played in nine of the 10 games, starting only four. He averaged six yards per carry, receiving only 96 carries on the season. Peters caught eight passes and completed his only pass. Peters played as a true freshman. His carries were limited and he finished the season with 163 rushing yards on 35 carries. Originally from New Orleans, he was a four-year letterman at Stratford High School. He rushed for over 3,500 yards in his final two prep seasons and was named to all-district and all-state teams. The Skillset The 5-foot-8, 190-pound running back proved he can carry a load in high school and should expect more carries as an upperclassman. He’s a stocky running back with strength and the ability to break big plays, exhibited by his long carry of 82 yards in 2015. The Huskies won’t overuse Peters, however. Houston Baptist sports a trio of talented juniors at the running back positon. B.J. Kelly and Larry Day also return in 2016 after logging at least 50 carries as sophomores in 2015. The two combined for five touchdowns and over 500 yards rushing. All three are similarly built, but it is Peters who possesses the most big-threat potential. He’s also the better receiver out of the backfield. Houston Baptist doesn’t need to force 25 touches Peters’ way, which will keep his overall numbers down. But he’s a very good player and one of the better running backs in a state full of solid ball carriers. The Impact All successful teams have one thing in common – an identity. Not all successful teams need the same identity, but Houston Baptist’s is clear on the offensive side of the ball. The Huskies will lean heavily on the three-pronged attack of Peters, Day and Kelly. If you remove rushing attempts by quarterbacks, the trio combined for 75 percent of Houston Baptist’s carries in 2015. Add another year of offseason training and that number might increase. The attempts for all three should increase with Peters emerging as the leader and an All-Southland Conference candidate by the end of the season. The only thing stopping him from reaching that goal might be the talent he has surrounding him, which isn’t the worst problem for the Huskies.

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