The Enterprise: Brockton's Jalen Green, Trevon Offley a one-two punch at Framingham State
By: Jim Fenton
They comprise the one-two punch at running back for the Framingham State University football team this season.
Brockton residents and college roommates Jalen Green and Trevon Offley, a pair of juniors, have combined for 823 of the 1,070 rushing yards gained by the Rams during their 7-1 start.
Green, a 2013 graduate of Quincy High which he attended through school choice, leads Framingham State with 609 yards on 118 carries while Offley, a 2011 graduate of Brockton High School, has 214 yards on 47 carries in five games.
The duo provides variety in the backfield of the Rams, who are ranked second in New England and play at Bridgewater State University (6-2) on Saturday in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference showdown.
Green offers quickness as a scat back while Offley, who returns this weekend after missing three games with an injury, can deliver speed and power.
"We're a great combination together,'' said Green, who has lived in Brockton for 10 years. "It's a great experience being with him. I'm not greedy about the yards or the touchdowns. I feel like if we're both out there playing, we can both contribute for the greater good of the offense.
"Tre is more of a power back. He likes to get in there for the nitty-gritty. I think I am elusive, shifty. It's a good combination.''
Green is averaging 14.8 carries per game while Offley was getting the ball nearly 10 times a game before sitting out the past three victories.
"We're not selfish,'' said Offley, a two-time Enterprise All-Scholastic who went to Suffield Academy after graduating from Brockton High. "We know what each other can do. If it's helping out the team, we're cool with it. We both get excited when we put points on the board. We feed off each other.''
Green had just 21 carries in 10 games as a freshman, getting plenty of work on special teams. Last season, he led the Rams with 750 yards on 106 carries and seven touchdowns in nine games.
Offley played one season at Endicott College, getting 13 carries in two games before transferring to Framingham State. In three games last season, he rushed for 233 yards on 39 carries before suffering a ruptured knee tendon against Fitchburg State.
The knee was bothering Offley recently, so he sat out the last three games but will be ready for BSU.
"It's been super frustrating,'' said Offley. "I want to be 100 percent, but it's tough. I've been limited and frustrated the whole year. It feels good to be back.''
Framingham State coach Tom Kelley likes what the combination of Green and Offley adds to an offense that is averaging nearly 450 yards and 39.1 points per game.
"The Brockton guys are kind of carrying the load for us,'' said Kelley. "There's no egos there. One week we try to go with the hot hand. It depends on who we're playing. It's worked out great.''
The roommates from Brockton will have plenty of family members and friends in the stands at Swenson Field this weekend when Framingham State and Bridgewater State meet in a first-place showdown.
"Jalen and I are, we're representing our city,'' said Offley. "It's good. I'm basically the thunder and he's the lightning.''
Said Green: "We do kind of everything together. He's a great back in my eyes. It's great to experience this.''