2009 vs. 2010: The Running Backs

From the North by Northwestern website

Last Year: If you read my recap of the 2009 offense, you probably got a pretty good idea of how I felt about our running backs. Let's just say my opinion was less than favorable. No one on the team who carried the ball more than 10 times averaged even 4.0 yards per carry; the quarterback was second on the team in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns; and no 'Cats player managed a 100 yard rushing games. Arguably, one of the reasons for this failure of the running game was Northwestern's strategy of running back by committee. The 'Cats did not have a feature back, instead having Arby Fields, Scott Concannon, Stephen Simmons, and Jacob Schmidt split the workload. Arby was a true freshman who looked good at times, but often showed a frustrating inability to find holes in the line. Concannon was actually the running back who filled me with the most confidence, but I cannot say with certainty why. His stats weren't terribly impressive, with the exception of his solid 73 yards in our comeback against Indiana. He simply showed an ability to pick up extra yards I did not see in our other guys, making him our best short yardage threat. Simmons showed some serious promise, particularly in the first two games. He then, unfortunately, suffered an injury and played a much more limited role in the offense. Finally, we have Jacob Schmidt. I hate to admit it, but I don't even remember his performance enough to give a good comment. He simply failed to leave an impression. However, if memory serves, he was a primarily short-yardage back who ran like a fullback. The misfortunes at running back obviously did not go unnoticed by the Northwestern coaching staff. The Wildcats used running back increasingly little toward the end of the season, a fact clearly seen in the Outback Bowl when Northwestern ran their running backs 15 times while throwing 78 times.
This Year: Each of the aforementioned running backs is returning, so expect more of the same. However there will be one major difference: Fitz hopes to have a feature running back. This feature back figures to be Arby Fields. Hopefully with a year under his belt and with more responsibility, he'll be able to live up to his potential. With the other backs, I don't expect much difference from last year's performance; although hopefully a more experienced O-line will improve their numbers. There's also another guy on the depth chart by the name of Tyris Jones. I know absolutely nothing about him other than the fact that he used to be a linebacker, so please don't ask.
Improvement?: I think I can confidently say yes. While I wouldn't expect huge numbers from our running backs, they have nowhere to go but up. A year of experience will surely help, and hopefully the guys will be luckier in terms of health. We really are relying on an improvement as I anticipate the offense being more focused on the run game than they were in '09.