Hoosier Huddle's Postseason Review Running Backs: A Step Forward With More Work to Do

Written by T.J. Inman

After getting a chance to digest the season and go back and review some games, Hoosier Huddle is doing a full post-season evaluation of the Indiana Football program. Today, we look at the running back position and how the group performed in 2022.

Running back performance is very closely tied with the performance of the offensive line. As has been discussed ad nauseam everywhere IU football is a topic, the offensive line struggled for much of the 2022 season. That undoubtedly dampened the production of the Indiana running backs but the numbers are all we have to use. Indiana primarily used three different players at the position during the 2022 season with Shaun Shivers and Josh Henderson handling primary ball-carrying duties and Jaylin Lucas serving as a change of pace back.

On the whole, Indiana ran for 3.36 yards per attempt and had 15 rushing touchdowns on the season. Indiana’s running backs had 284 carries for an average of 4.48 yards. For comparisons sake, Indiana’s backs had 303 carries for 3.94 yards per rush in 2021. Taking only the running backs into account, the Hoosiers improved by a half yard per rush attempt from 2021 to 2022. That number very likely would have substantially larger if Darren Hiller had not been the offensive line coach for the first half of the season.

Shaun Shivers – 143 Carries for 592 Yards (4.14 yards per carry) with 6 Touchdowns

Shivers was the lead back for the Indiana Hoosiers. The Auburn transfer averaged 11.92 carries per game. He added 22 receptions for 128 yards with one receiving touchdown. Ideally, Shivers would be the second back on a good team. He showed good quickness with some explosive rushes and ran hard every time he touched the ball. Shivers was not a superstar but he was a solid addition to the program and was clearly trusted by Tom Allen, offensive coordinator Walt Bell and running back coach Craig Johnson. Shivers has run out of eligibility and is hoping to be drafted into the National Football League.

Josh Henderson – 90 carries for 398 yards (4.42 yards per carry) with 8 Total Touchdowns

The transfer from North Carolina was, in my opinion, the best overall running back on the Indiana roster during the 2022 season. Henderson showed good power between the tackles and a surprising amount of elusiveness if he reached some open space. Henderson doesn’t have the same breakaway speed that Shivers has but he’s plenty quick enough. In total, he averaged 4.42 yards per carry on 7.5 rushes per game and had an impressive 24 catches for 274 yards. That’s an average of 11.42 yards per reception and he was the third-leading pass catcher on the team. Henderson had four receiving touchdowns and eight touchdowns total. He is expected to be the lead back for Indiana in 2023.

Jaylin Lucas – 49 carries for 271 yards (5.53 yards per carry) with 2 Touchdowns

As soon as Indiana landed the commitment of Jaylin Lucas, people that watched his highlight clips were buzzing about his potential. Lucas was a lightning bolt of speed for a team that was crying out for difference-makers. For the first two-thirds of the season, fans clamored for Lucas to get more opportunities and Tom Allen would use part of every post-game interview saying the Hoosiers “had to figure out how to get Lucas more involved”. Towards the back-end of the season, we finally began to see just how special he can be. As a running back, Lucas led the team in yards per carry with 5.53 yards per carry. Most of his carries were minimal gains but when he gets space, no one is catching him. Lucas had a 71-yard touchdown score against Purdue and a touchdown against Penn State. He was a game-changer as a kick returner and was a threat every time he touched the ball. The freshman had a kick return touchdown against Rutgers and a key kick return score against Michigan State. His play earned him All-America honors as a returner. Lucas is expected to be a key feature of IU’s 2023 offense as either a running back or a slot receiver. The goal for Walt Bell should be to get the ball in his hands, no matter what position he lines up at.

Trent Howland – Two Carries for 12 yards (Six Yards per Carry)

Howland is the biggest running back on IU’s roster and figured to be used a short-yardage bruiser. However, after only receiving two carries, he was moved to linebacker due to injuries at that position. It is believed Howland will be moving back to running back during the offseason and training at that spot during spring ball. This would indicate Craig Johnson believes Howland does have a role to play for the Hoosiers in 2023 and beyond.

Final Analysis

The struggles of the Indiana offensive line definitely limited how much damage this group of running backs were able to do. On the whole though, it is fair to say the Indiana running back group was adequate and on some days, they looked quite good. The return of Josh Henderson and Jaylin Lucas (either at RB or slot wide receiver) provides excitement for the next season but there is no doubt the Hoosiers will need to add at least one more running back, if not two, through the transfer portal. A mobile quarterback and an improved offensive line under the tutelage of new offensive line coach Bob Bostad could help make this group take another step forward in 2023.