2019 Season Preview: Running Backs

Second in a series of Northwestern position-by-position breakdowns going into the 2019 season.

Every offensive coordinator is always looking for a good running game. Through the first three weeks of the 2018 season, things looked good in the rush compartment of Northwestern offensive coordinator Mick McCall’s machine. But then Jeremy Larkin was diagnosed with a career-ending medical condition that put the Wildcats in a crisis.

Over the next three contests, the Wildcats started two different running backs and their leading rusher didn’t top 36 yards - 36 yards! They had one of the worst running game in the entire country, ranking 128th out of 130 teams. Their offensive line had some identity issues, but they were also void of experience in the backfield

So, the question became, do we take the redshirt off of one of the young guys, and, if we do, which one would it be? They had two first-year RBs with potential, but they had not yet been accustomed to Big Ten play. RB coach Lou Ayeni certainly had a great hurdle to clear within the first month of his first season (back) in Evanston.

Northwestern started freshman Drake Anderson against Rutgers that day, but it was another freshman, Isaiah Bowser, who finished with 108 yards and two touchdowns to nail down the starting job as the feature back.

Despite the struggles in the running game, the Wildcats did see some good in the department. Bowser emerged to rush for 864 of his 866 total yards over the final eight games of the season to prove why he was selected as the Ohio Player of the Year in 2017 by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. Bowser rushed for 90 yards or more in five of the Wildcats’ last eight games and was a big reason for the Cats’ march to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship game.

A primarily north-and-south runner, Bowser gave the Cats some vitality in a running game that was on life support. Bowser not only showed the physicality to compete against Big Ten defenses, but the burst needed to help this offense chunk much-needed big plays to boost morale, extend drives and give them a chance to score points. He ripped off runs of 20-plus yards in six of those final eight games.

As we pointed out in last year’s preview, ball security has been a big strength for Northwestern the past few years. Northwestern RBs lost zero fumbles this past season. That gives them a total of just two lost fumbles in the last three seasons! Ayeni puts a lot of emphasis and pride into this statistic and we expect things to stay strong in that department in 2019.

Simply put, the running game numbers were terrible in 2018.

The Wildcats went from the Big Ten’s No. 5 rushing team in 2017 to dead last in the conference and 119th in the nation in 2018. They averaged only 114 yards per game, down from 175 the year before, and RBs scored just 14 TDs. Take Jeremy Larkin’s three-game production out of that equation and the number was just nine, compared to 19 the season before.

Against two of the conference’s worst rush defenses - Nebraska and Rutgers - the Wildcats only managed 164 yards combined. They averaged 2.3 ypc against two defenses that had issues stopping anyone running against them. The Wildcats played against five teams that finished 96th (out of 130) or worse in rush defense and only managed 122 yards per game against those foes (only 87 ypg if you take out 122nd-ranked Illinois).

Coach Pat Fitzgerald acknowledged this deficiency throughout the year and assured fans that the Purple would continue to grind and work to become better with each rep. Part of the problem were the inefficiencies of the offensive line, but as the season wore on, that wasn’t much of the problem anymore. The lack of rushing production early in the season was more the result of youth, their inexperience with this system and a lack of chemistry and familiarity with the offensive line.

Still, the Cats won eight of their last 10 games, going 7-0 in regular season Big Ten play during that stretch to claim the West division title. That certainly shows promise, because if they could win nine games running the ball like that, imagine what they can do when the run game is working well.

Bowser will be looked at as one of the better RBs in the conference this season outside of Madison or Columbus. With an absence of production from John Moten IV between the end of 2016 and the Ohio State game last season, and some unproven commodities in Anderson and Jesse Brown, Bowser has to stay healthy.

To truly be the championship-level team that Fitzgerald has talked about this offseason, a second back will need to emerge. In each of the three 10-win seasons Northwestern has enjoyed in the last eight years, they had a second productive runner to give the top man a break. In 2017, it was Larkin spelling Justin Jackson (“the Ball Carrier”). In 2015, it was Warren Long (and a more mobile Clayton Thorson) that brought a refreshing break to Jackson. In 2012, it was mobile quarterback Kain Colter providing a counter to Venric Mark.

This year, Moten may be able to provide that second punch, assuming he can stay healthy. If not, Ayeni will have to find another reliable option among Anderson, Brown and speedy incoming freshman Evan Hull.

True sophomore Isaiah Bowser (6-foot-1, 216 pounds; 8 starts) took over midseason and ran for 866 yards (4.4 ypc average) and six TDs. His rushing total was good for eighth in the Big Ten and was the third highest total for any first-year rusher in school history.

Bowser does it with vision and patience to the hole, then burst and physicality through it. In six of his eight starts. His running style can be described as definitive - there are no wasted movements for “Zay”, which is good, especially given that there will be three new starters on the offensive line in front of him trying to create the seams he needs to get to open space.

Bowser topped the 100-yard mark in three of his first four starts, showing that he was ready for the stage when it was cleared for him. He also showed to be a capable receiver out of the backfield, making seven catches for an average of 11 yards per reception. A former wrestler and safety in high school, Bowser is also capable of standing in on pass pro, allowing his new QB time to paint the perimeter and stretch the field vertically.

Is this finally the year that redshirt senior John Moten IV (6-foot, 209 pounds) proves to be the capable No. 2 RB he flashed during his freshman year? After netting 6 yards per carry and two TDs as a first-year in 2016, he dropped to just 3.2 as a sophomore with zero TDs. Last season he finished with a 4.4 ypc average, but if you take away the Illinois game and his electrifying 77-yard TD jolt in the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State, he averaged just 2.1 ypc. Now in his final year as a Wildcat, he appears poised and primed to once again be the back he was three years ago.

Moten can be lightning in the open field (as the Buckeyes found out), so perhaps some designed runs to get him to the boundary, or some sort of misdirection plays, would benefit both him and the offensive scheme. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have packages that feature both Moten and Bowser in the backfield running some sort of cross-buck scheme to keep defenses honest.

Drake Anderson (5-foot-11, 181 pounds) played in four games last year, but with careful planning, the staff was able to keep his redshirt and give him a taste of the action while still giving him four more years in the program. Anderson only carried 12 times, averaging 3 yards per, but he got the start against Rutgers and totaled 24 yards on seven carries, his highest output in both categories. Anderson has quickness to the hole but showed some hesitancy last year, which is expected for some first-years still learning the system and the proper reads in the zone-running game.

Anderson and junior Jesse Brown (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) will battle for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. Brown has looked healthier and more to form this spring after missing all of 2018 with a lower body injury. Somewhat of a fan favorite, he flashed some skill and raised eyebrows in 2017 with a 7.1 ypc average on nine carries, to go along with two TDs. He’s a former track guy who came to NU as an all-purpose back and could benefit from some edge running plays from McCall.

Then there’s incoming first year Evan Hull (5-foot-11, 190 pound first-year), who will likely redshirt, if he can. A two-time all-state and three-sport star from Maple Grove (Minn.), he’s an athlete with speed and good feet. Another track guy, Hull took second in the state at 100 meters and has a personal best of 10.72. He has the ability to make the jump-cut and, once he gets through traffic at the line, the second gear to run away from pursuers in the secondary.

Previous position breakdowns

Quarterbacks