From the 2009 through 2011 seasons, Northwestern lacked a feature back, and had poor production at the running back position. Arby Fields never lived up to expectations and eventually transferred. The same can be said of Adonis Smith. Mike Trumpy was at times effective but had injury issues. Jacob Schmidt often looked good, but was more of a running fullback than an every down halfback. As a result, despite ostensibly being a run-first team, and despite having mobile quarterbacks, Northwestern struggled in the running game, failing to do better than 45th in the country in yrds/gm in any given year of the 3-year span. Their yrds/att was even weaker, never doing better than 88th in the country and falling to 111th in 2009 (out of only 120 teams). Over that same span, only one Northwestern running back broke 500 yards (Trumpy in 2010 with 530), and in 2009 only one back broke 300 (Fields with 302). This trend broke in a big way when Venric Mark came in to have the best year by a Northwestern running back since Tyrell Sutton's 2005 year (and an argument can certainly be made that Venric's season was better). Let's now take a more complete look at last year's running back performances.
Last Season
Venric Mark: While Venric was a junior last year, it was his first year at running back, having spent his first two years officially listed as a wide receiver. While many fans thought he would become a successful running back, few thought he'd become the dominant feature back he actually became. Nonetheless, he had instant impact, putting up 82 yards on 14 carries against Syracuse. His season would only improve from there as he put up 1366 yards on the year, 23rd best among all players nationwide. His 6.04 yrds/att also blew away his recent predecessors at Northwestern. He also had an impact in the passing game, catching 20 passes for 104 yards. His combination of incredible acceleration and quickness were extremely valuable and meshed quite well with Colter's skills in the option game. Just in case you forgot how good he was:
Mike Trumpy: While Mark was undeniably the leader of the unit, he did not do it alone. While Trumpy's speed should not be downplayed, his strength and motor we largely responsible from his value in the running game when compared with Mark's much smaller frame. While he only got 76 carries, he managed 349 yards and 3 touchdowns, not bad at all for a true backup.
Tyris Jones: Senior Tyris Jones provided a very different look in the backfield, more often blocking than taking carries, and he was very successful in the blocking game. However, he did have some success in the running game in short yardage situations. Again though, his running role was very limited, getting only 40 carries for 143 yards and 2 TDs.
The Rest: Treyvon Green has some promise, but faced injury issues that limited him to only 22 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown in his sophomore season. Tim Hanrahan was apparently an extremely hard worker and beloved by the coaching staff, but saw a very limited role in the offense, receiving only 8 carries for 31 yards. Malin Jones and Stephen Buckley redshirted.
This Season
Venric is again the feature back entering into his senior year. Expect more of the same from him (read: a lot of option pitches and read option carries, particularly alongside Colter). Of course, while he has put on some weight, his tiny frame is cause for injury concern. Fortunately, Northwestern has depth at this position. I expect Trumpy to again be #2. He will likely have another 70-80 carry year, barring a Mark injury, in which case he is ready to step into the starting role.
Beyond these two, carries are somewhat up for grabs. Treyvon Green is again an option, stepping into his junior year. While he has never looked spectacular, he is presumably healthy this year and may have a chance to contribute. Malin Jones is entering his redshirt freshman year and is likely to be a contributor this year. He was a fairly highly regarded recruit, who, while not exceptionally fast, is fast enough, and has a high motor. His highlight video reminds me a bit of a Trumpy-type. Some also expect speedy redshirt freshman Stephen Buckley to see some time. While he's looked good in the spring, and excites me for the future, I doubt we'll see much of him this year.
Northwestern also has two very exciting true freshman coming in. They will almost certainly redshirt, but are guys to keep an eye on. The first is Warren Miles Long, a guy who looks quite comfortable running through traffic. The other is Xavier Menifield, a small, quick back with good vision and decent hands (remind you of anyone?).
Is this an improvement?
If Mark stays healthy, yes. While losing Tyris Jones hurts in terms of pass protection, his role will likely be adequately filled by someone else. Other than Jones, no player is lost, so there is a great deal of experience in the position, which is absolutely a good thing, and having guys like Malin Jones step in are great for depth. This is a very, very exciting position for Northwestern this year.
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