Top Five Running Backs Indiana Will Face in 2017
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Saquon Barkley tops our list of running backs IU will face in 2017. Image: Cam Koenig HoosierHuddle.com
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
As we march through the summer and into fall camp, Hoosier Huddle will look at the top five opposing players or position groups they will face in 2017. Only players and position groups from teams on the 2017 IU Football schedule are considered.
The Hoosiers face several tough running games in 2017 so this was not an easy list to compile. Talented players like Purdue’s Markell Jones and Rutgers’ Robert Martin were left off. Wisconsin definitely has one of the five best running games IU will face thanks to their beastly offensive line and the depth they’ll bring to the party but it’s impossible to pick out one, or even two, backs the Badgers will lean on (for the record, I like Wisconsin to walk away with the West and their running game is part of the reason why…them not being present here is not a “diss” to their rushing attack). Without further ado, enjoy the rankings and feel free to agree or dispute in our comments section!
1. Saquon Barkley – Penn State
Sometimes, the obvious answer is the correct answer. That’s the case here as the toughest running back (and possibly the toughest offense overall) the Indiana Hoosiers will face in 2017 is Penn State’s Saquon Barkley. The junior tailback from Coplay, PA might just be the best running back in the entire country. After a freshman campaign that saw Barkley churn out 1,076 yards, he began to get national attention and truly burst onto the scene in 2016. Penn State’s offensive line isn’t phenomenal but he was still able to total 1,496 yards with an average of 5.5 yards per carry. In addition to his ability running the ball, Barkley is a very capable receiving threat. He had 402 receiving yards (14.4 average) and totaled 22 touchdowns.
He had some amazing games in 2016: five touchdowns against Pittsburgh, 202 yards against Maryland, 99 (on only 12 carries) against Ohio State, 207 against Purdue, 167 against Iowa and a remarkable performance against USC. In the Rose Bowl loss to the Trojans, Barkley had 194 rushing yards with two touchdowns and 55 receiving yards with a touchdown. The showcase game put him in the front of many minds as Heisman and Doak Walker watch lists are formed heading into the 2017 season.
Barkley has breakaway speed, strength, elusiveness and patience. There are times when his offensive line allows too much penetration and he has a hard time breaking past the line of scrimmage but he truly possesses everything you want in a top-notch back. IU did have success against him last season, holding him to only 1.8 yards per carry (second-lowest of the season for him) and only 58 yards as the Hoosiers fell to the Nittany Lions 45-31. Repeating that performance on September 30 in Happy Valley will be a very tall task and anything below 100 yards or 5 yards per carry would be considered an accomplishment.
2. Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison – Maryland
Many may be surprised to see the Maryland duo this high on the list. I debated whether or not to pair them as one selection and decided to do so based on the number of carries they each get. Together, Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison form a very tough duo and I think it will be the second toughest contest for the Indiana rushing defense.
Ty Johnson (6) is one head of a two-headed monster for Maryland. Image: Cam Koenig HoosierHuddle.com
Ty Johnson is a big-play threat every time he touches the ball, which in my opinion, isn’t near enough. He only had 110 carries last year and I don’t see a logical reason why he would be below 150 for the season. Johnson looks a whole lot like Tevin Coleman, although he is not as efficient as Coleman was for IU. He had 204 yards against Purdue, 115 yards against Michigan State, 142 yards against the Hoosiers and 168 yards on only 11 carries against Rutgers. Johnson also had 206 receiving yards on the season. Despite the gaudy yards per carry number of 9.1 on the season, his season high for carries was 15 (in the bowl game against Boston College) and he only got into double-digit carries three times. The next step for Johnson is to get more efficient and increase his carries per game (perhaps 4-5 more per game). If he can do that, he might exceed 1,300 yards for the 2017 campaign.
The second half of this duo is sophomore Lorenzo Harrison. The stocky ball-carrier from Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, missed the final four games of the Terps 2016 season but still amassed 633 yards and five touchdowns in his freshman campaign. Much like Johnson, he had a really strong yards per carry average with 7.2 yards per rush. Also like Johnson, Harrison only had three games with double-digit carries (keep in mind, he had a shortened season). Harrison is more compact than Johnson as he is only 5’9” compared to Johnson who stands at 6’0” and he is not the big-play threat with breakaway speed that Ty Johnson is.
Without knowing anything about the health or workload limitations of each player, I think Johnson should be getting 60-70% of Maryland’s carries. He’s a more dangerous runner and as an opposing fan, I feel uneasy each time he has the ball. That being said, both are strong runners that have to deal with a Maryland passing game that is a non-threat to opponents. The Hoosiers struggled to contain the Terrapins running game last season in Bloomington (thankfully, Maryland’s defense struggled quite a bit more!) and the October 28 game in College Park will likely be no different.
3. Mike Weber – Ohio State
The last time we saw Mike Weber, he had five carries for 24 yards as Ohio State was soundly waxed by the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Semi-Final, 31-0. Despite that lackluster showing on their biggest stage, Mike Weber had a very good season as the lead back for the Buckeyes. He had 1,096 yards with an average of six yards per carry. Weber stepped into a role that comes with many advantages. He got to run behind a very good offensive line and the Buckeyes had a bunch of other weapons for opponents to worry about.
Still, he did quite well in his first season as the main running back for OSU. He started off very well, rushing for more than 100 in three of his first four games. He probably would have been number two on this list if not for the final two games of his season as he struggled mightily against Michigan (11 for 26 yards) and Clemson (5 for 24 yards).
Weber is not much of a receiving threat but he is a solid blocker that functions well within the Ohio State system. As we all know, Kevin Wilson is the new offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes so we’ll see if Weber’s role or the way he is utilized shifts at all. We know he’ll be running behind a very good offensive line and we know Ohio State will be protecting leads in most of their games so there’s no doubt Weber will have another productive season. He’ll give IU a stern first test for the 2017 season as they open the season in late August under the lights at Memorial Stadium.
4. LJ Scott – Michigan State
The Michigan State Spartans had a very disappointing 2016 and they’ve had a very rocky offseason. Just two short seasons ago, they were in the College Football Playoff but the arrow on their program is clearly pointing down. They appear closer to IU and Maryland than they do the Michigan and Ohio State. All that being said, LJ Scott closed the 2016 season quite well and he will be a tough test for the IU run defense as they try to hang on to the Old Brass Spittoon.
LJ Scott (3) has the potential to be really good, if he can put it all together. Image: Cam Koenig HoosierHuddle.com
The first half of Scott’s season didn’t go as planned. He had 105 yards against Furman and then 98 yards with a score in their win over Notre Dame. However, he was held to 61 yards in a blowout loss to Wisconsin, 38 yards on 11 carries by IU and then he had only three carries in back-to-back defeats against BYU and Northwestern.
A switch flipped after that “benching” and he reeled off 128 yards, 139 yards (against UM), 122 yards and 160 yards in a close loss to Ohio State. Scott ended up averaging 5.4 yards per carry and he would have easily exceeded 1,000 yards if he had a reasonable amount of carries in the two games he was effectively benched. Scott is not an elite back but he is very steady and mostly very efficient. He’s also going to be leaned on very heavily and his performance will go a long way towards determining whether or not MSU can return to a bowl game in 2017.
5. Chris Evans – Michigan
There were several candidates for this spot but I could only choose one and after much internal deliberation, Michigan’s Chris Evans is the pick. Evans, a native of Indianapolis and Ben Davis High School product (Would his recruitment turn out differently if he were in high school today? We shall never know.), didn’t put up huge numbers in 2016 but he was a true freshman and didn’t get a ton of opportunities on an offense bereft with veteran playmakers.
He ended up with only 88 carries on the season but he averaged 7 yards per carries and totaled 614 yards on the season with four touchdowns. His first game was one of his best as he debuted against Hawai’i with 112 yards on eight carries with two touchdowns. He also had a game with 11 carries for 153 yards against Rutgers. Michigan likes to spread the wealth so it’s unlikely Evans will get 20 carries a game. However, he projects as the lead back unless one of the redshirt freshmen develops enough to nab his spot.
Michigan’s offensive line is an unknown but it would be stunning if they weren’t at least better than average and you know the Wolverines will be physical under Jim Harbaugh. The Hoosiers will be hosting Michigan for Homecoming and looking to stun the Wolverines and end a very long losing streak against the Maize and Blue. Chris Evans has the speed and game-changing ability to make a difference every time he touches the ball so locking him down will be a key for IU’s run defense during the October clash.