BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti has expressed confidence in his new-look running back room throughout spring practice.
They rewarded that confidence with a strong showing on Thursday night in the team’s spring game. The offense won 34-25 over the defense in front of fans at Memorial Stadium. The running backs scored two of the team’s five offensive touchdowns.
“I think that group definitely caught my eye,” Cignetti said. “I just think our running back room is faster, more dynamic, good at pass pro, good at catching the ball out of the backfield, can break tackles.”
Last year, Indiana’s rushing offense ranked No. 102 in the country out of 133 FBS teams with 120.1 yards per game. The team’s 3.3 yards per carry ranked even lower (No. 120). The Hoosiers put up pedestrian numbers on the ground going all the way back to the 2018 season.
Cignetti made retooling the running back room one of his top priorities after taking over.
Indiana had four backs with 50-plus carries last year and none of them are still on the roster. Their leading rusher last season Trent Howland was the most recent departure after re-entering the portal during the spring window.
David Holloman, who has 17 career carries, is the only running back still on the team from last season.
While Cignetti told offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan “to throw it 65, 75 percent of the time” on Thursday night, Indiana’s new group of running backs had some standout moments. The game also presented a glimpse at what the rotation will look like come fall.
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‘We have more speed and athleticism back there’
The biggest play early in the game for the first-team offense was a 23-yard run from Kaelon Black.
He bounced it to the outside with a quick lateral move and got a nice block from Myles Price to seal the edge against Amare Ferrell. Josh Sanguinetti completely misjudged Black’s speed and couldn’t do anything as the running back got into the second level. Black finished it off with a spin move to get a few extra yards.
In the second quarter, Black ducked under defensive tackle Robby Harrison’s arm to get through the line of scrimmage and convert a third down. He showed off a quick burst on the next play with a 9-yard gain up the middle.
Black led James Madison last year with 637 yards (4.5 per carry). He forced 18 missed tackles and had 18 runs of 10-yards or more on 133 rushing attempts, according to Pro Football Focus.
A finger injury late in the year limited Black’s touches, but both numbers would still have led all of IU’s running backs last year. He had 11 designed runs go for 15 yards or more while the Hoosiers combined for 14 as a team.
Fellow James Madison transfer Ty Son Lawton also had a nice night.
On his first carry, he showed nice patience going off the left side behind Drew Evans to convert a third and long.
He also prevented the first-team offense from going three and out late in the first quarter. He sidestepped a blitz on third and short and hit the hole for a short gain. Lawton made a nice blitz pick up off the edge on the next play.
One of the best plays of the night for the offense was Lawton’s 15-yard touchdown run at the start of the second quarter. He knocked Sanguinetti back with a stiff arm to get to the outside then lowered his shoulder at the goal line to power past Ferrell.
Black finished the game with a team-high 39 yards on just four carries while Lawton had four carries for 25 yards with a touchdown.
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Indiana’s running back rotation takes shape
Cignetti will likely feature at least three running backs in prominent roles on the offense this fall.
Wake Forest transfer Justice Ellison, who had three carries for 12 yards with a touchdown in the spring game, and Black appear to be the frontrunners to start with Lawton taking over as the team’s primary third down back.
Ellison has the most experience of all IU’s running backs with 43 career games played and 427 carries. He’s rushed for more than 500 yards each of the past three seasons against Power Five competition. He’s averaged 4.5 yards per carry during his career.
“All three of those guys just love football,” Cignetti said, after the game. “They’re football nuts. Tough guys. They’re tough guys.”
North Carolina transfer Elijah Green, who was a late addition out of the portal in the winter, will provide some added depth. He was the Tar Heels starting running back for a six-game stretch at the end of the 2022 season.
He had nine carries for 25 yards and worked with both the first- and second-team offense in the spring game.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here
