Fifth in a series of position-by-position breakdowns of the 2018 Wildcats by WildcatReport's Tim Chapman.
The running back position has been one that Northwestern has developed fairly well in its 130-year history. Guys like Ron Burton, Mike Adamle, Greg Boykin and Bob Christian punctuated the pre-1995 era, and since then Darnell Autry, Damien Anderson, Jason Wright, Noah Herron, Tyrell Sutton and Justin Jackson (just to name a few) have helped give the Wildcats an edge with their ground game.
Jackson perfected the jump cut, leaving a conga line of would-be tacklers lost in his wake. “The Ballcarrier” finished his esteemed career in purple as the program’s all-time leading rusher, with 5,440 yards, the third highest total in Big Ten history, behind only two players (Archie Griffin and Ron Dayne) who garnered three Heisman trophies. Jackson is the only Wildcat player, and only the second in Big Ten history, to run for more than 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons and he left NU as the career record holder not only in yards, but TDs and carries as well.
This coaching staff and their system have helped produce two of Northwestern’s top three all-time rushers (Jackson and Sutton). Aside from those two, however, the Cats have not had another RB who has led the team in rushing in back-to-back seasons. And, after churning out a 1,000-yard rusher 10 times in 12 years from 1995-2006, NU had just one over the next seven seasons until Jackson produced his quartet of four-figure years.
In Northwestern’s three 10-win seasons this decade (2012, 2015, 2017), they have finished among the Big Ten’s Top 5 rushing offenses in all three occurrences, averaging over 172 yards and more than two rushing TDs per game.
Even in today’s increasingly pass-happy offenses, it’s still evident that the path to success is a good running game. And despite the graduation of the best RB in NU history, the Wildcat rushing resume should remain potent this season.
The good
Jackson ended his illustrious career as the top RB on record, but – get ready for this – incumbent Jeremy Larkin may be even better. With all due respect to the greatest NU rock-toter of all time, Larkin is almost everything that Jackson was, minus that lethal jump cut. But he’s also stronger and a step faster. Sure, there are a lot of intangibles that Jackson brought which cannot be replaced, but watch the film without bias and Larkin jumps out at you just a little bit more with his smooth and deceptively fast, if pigeon-toed, stride.
Accompanying Larkin in this transition is new RB coach Lou Ayeni, who comes over from Iowa State, where he served since 2014. Before that, he was Toledo’s RB coach from 2010-2013, helping the Rockets win 42 games in five years. Ayeni’s backs have been productive: his top runner for each of the years he was in charge averaged 6.3, 6.3, 5.8 and 6.7 yards-per-carry, respectively, for the season.
Of course, most Northwestern fans remember Ayeni as a Wildcat player from 1999-2003, where he played RB for three years and safety during his senior crusade. He came back to Evanston in 2008 as a graduate assistant and now returns to serve as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. He must be pretty good, as Matt MacPherson, who served as the RBs coach for the past 12 seasons, was moved over to coach the defensive backs to make room for him. Ayeni certainly brings a lot of passion back to Evanston and will help to continue to develop that “winning edge” that he spoke of regularly during spring practice to make the best group on offense even better.
The Cats were the No. 5 rushing team in the conference last year, averaging 174 yards and 2 TDs per game in Big Ten play. Of course, a lot of that was Jackson, but Larkin actually averaged better numbers per touch than his predecessor, so that bodes well for 2018.
Ball security has been a big strength the past few years too. Wildcat RBs have only lost two fumbles in the last two seasons (Ayeni’s crew at ISU lost just one mishandle last year). This group knows the value of the ball in their hands; like the law, possession is nine-tenths of a football game too.
Areas to improve
The Cats will benefit from getting the ball to a second back more efficiently this season. Last year, Larkin, the clear-cut No. 2 back for the Wildcats, only accounted for 18 percent of the carries (Jackson had 62 percent). This season, you can figure Larkin to carry about 60 percent of the load, but a 22/12 split (or something similar) would be wise with John Moten, Isaiah Bowser and a stable of solid runners behind him. This will not only keep defenses honest, but stabilize the overall health and endurance of the group as well.
The other thing that is yet to be seen in a viable sample size is pass protection against top competition. Offensive coordinator Mick McCall prefers his backs be a fifth receiver and takes his chances with his five up front, but that might be a bit different with a slightly more fragile-than-agile Clayton Thorson at QB coming off of knee surgery. These backs will need to be able to dig in and shield their captain at times, especially when the sticks are more than five yards away.
What it comes down to
This group is good and will get even better this year, provided they stay healthy. That cliché prognostication sounds safe, but it’s true. Their top three can cause problems and would likely be able to start for most other Big Ten teams outside of the obvious power teams. In the spring, Larkin and John Moten said they would like to see the O-Line “pick up where they left off [last year],” and as long as they do that, this group will be one of the better units in the conference.
The leader
Jeremy Larkin (5-foot-10, 194 pound redshirt sophomore; 0 starts) toted 84 rushes for an impressive average of six yards-per-carry, to go along with five TDs. He had best games against Nebraska (10 carries, 69 yards, TD), Illinois (9 for 71 yards, TD), and the bowl game against Kentucky (9 for 112). He was at his most impressive in that span, averaging nearly eight yards per carry.
Larkin’s vision, patience and willingness to run through contact make him a legitimate threat on the ground. In addition, he’s a secure ball carrier, only fumbling once all season. But it doesn’t stop there. He’s also a dependable receiver with good hands out of the backfield, snaring 11 receptions for an average of 10.5 yards per catch and a 73 percent catch rate.
Jackson could move a pile, but Larkin runs “stronger” than his predecessor. He has great leg drive – they never seem to stop moving. But as good as he is at the point, Larkin does a lot of his damage after he breaks through the trenches and the line has already done their job. He has more straightaway and breakaway speed than Jackson did, so big runs are more likely to pay off with six points.
Of course, these virtues are not surprising to the coaching staff, which was reportedly close to pulling his redshirt off in his first year. He was a two-time runner-up for Mr. Football in Ohio, and Larkin helped Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle bring home two state football championships (the first of which came with NU senior DT Jordan Thompson as a teammate). Larkin also won three AAU state basketball championships in Ohio, as well, so Larkin is no stranger to victory.
The competitive depth
Redshirt junior John Moten (6-foot, 203 pounds) had an impressive freshman season in 2016, where he averaged six yards per carry on 57 rushes as the backup to Jackson. He was good enough that coaches felt it wise to redshirt Larkin. But Moten was dinged up to start the 2017 season and, with Larkin’s emergence, he found himself with fewer opportunities (17 carries, 3.2 ypc). Though the situation was frustrating, coaches say that he has used that as motivation to work even harder for his opportunity in 2018.
Similar to Larkin, Moten runs hard with great vision and great balance. He’s quick around the corner and to put it in second gear. A bit faster than Larkin, Moten, the former high school track star at St. Louis (Mo.) John Burroughs, might be the bigger home-run threat and will be a very good compliment in the backfield.
The most intriguing back to enter the fray is first-year early enrollee Isaiah Bowser (6-foot-1, 205 pounds). The Ohio Player of the Year ran for 2,695 yards (8 ypc) in highly entertaining fashion last season. With good vision, Bowser is quick to the hole without a lot of wasted movement. The best part of his game is that he’s physical – if you watch his film, he initiates contact as both a RB and a safety. He lowers his center of gravity and does a good job of using the defenders’ momentum against them, making him an ideal power back. He will remind many of former NU back Herron, who averaged 5.5 yards per carry in his three years running the rock for the Wildcats.
Bowser has battled personal adversity much of his life and come through with stellar results personally, academically and athletically. Despite putting up prolific numbers, Northwestern was the first Power Five school to offer him, and he jumped on it last June. He hopes the coaching staff can return the favor, as he says he aims to play right away. His work ethic and performance in early workouts and spring ball have been impressive enough to warrant such opportunity.
Other backs to contribute some carries this season include redshirt sophomore Jesse Brown (5-foot-11, 198 pounds), who seems to be the odd man out despite drawing raves at practice. Brown made the most of his nine carries last season, averaging 7.1 yards per jaunt and 2 TDs, and he turned up a lot on special teams, too, flying down in coverage and making tackles. Expect much of the same in 2018.
There’s also fifth-year senior Chad Hanaoka,“the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian”, who has only carried the ball twice for seven yards in his time in Evanston, but has become a fan favorite and great teammate in the process. Incoming freshman Drake Anderson (son of Damien; 5-foot-11, 180 pounds) will likely redshirt to gain experience, build muscle mass and enhance his already impressive athletic attributes. Senior Alex Bousky (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) was a walkon last year and saw part of his dream come true with one carry last season against Minnesota.
Tim Chapman is a teacher and former Michigan high school football coach who is currently working on a book titled "ChampioN Underdog" about the 1995 Northwestern Rose Bowl team. Follow him on Twitter: @Champion_Lit.
