Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Look to Continue Building Run Game Heading into Penn State
9/28/2017 1:23:00 PM | Football
By Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Morgan Ellison played club sport rugby while at Pickerington (Ohio) Central High School, likening it to "backyard football."
No pads.
But also, unlike backyard football, no forward passes.
Conversely, forward passes accounted for 72 percent of Indiana's offensive snaps in this fall's season opener against Ohio State, true freshman running back Ellison's Hoosier debut.
But by Saturday's 52-17 win over Georgia Southern, it was just 32 percent.
There were multiple reasons the host Hoosiers ran the ball more against Georgia Southern than in previous outings – not the least of which were dictated by the defenses faced – but part of it was certainly Ellison's emergence as a featured back.
Ellison ran 25 times for 186 yards, the fourth-highest rushing total ever for an IU true freshman, and a pair of touchdowns. The Hoosiers ran 47 times for 282 yards, overall, more than doubling the rushing yardage gained during the previous win at Virginia.
And as with most successful running backs, Ellison knows where that sort of bread is buttered.
"The O-line did a great job of pushing and I just had to do what we're coached to do behind them," Ellison said this week. "I think they had a different style about them – a whole demeanor and swagger that they just came out to play with – and I liked it. We just had to run behind it. They did a great job."
Wes Martin, the redshirt junior left guard and an acknowledged leader of the offensive line, said the admiration was mutual.
"He's a hitter," Martin said Tuesday of the 6-foot-1, 225-pound frosh. "He likes to come downhill and hit people. Which we like.
"As he matures, he's going to get even better at seeing things and reading things. But he likes to come downhill and hit."
Martin was apprised of former running back coach Deland McCullough's description of Ellison as a potential "Jordan Howard 2.0" in that regard, a reference to the former Hoosier now standing out for Chicago's Bears.
"Yeah, I would say so," Martin concurred. "I would see that comparison there. He's got a lot of work to do to get to the level Jordan played at, but I definitely see some comparisons."
One common characteristic between the two backs is they tend to come out the front end of piles, and are just as inclined to run through tacklers as around them.
"He fights all the time, fights for extra yards," IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said of Ellison. "That's what you love about him. He has a tempo about him. He's going to play HARD. He's going to continue to fight for what we call 'YAC,' yards after contact. That's kind of his mindset, and that's really good.
"He gets his pads down for contact. Other guys don't do that, right away. They kind of run straight up and you have to teach them to get down. But he runs with his pads underneath himself."
Depending upon how one tabulates such things, Ellison broke at least four Charleston Southern tackles. He also showed the ability to run behind the blocks of pulling guards Martin and Mackenzie Nworah.
Nworah, getting the start in place of injured redshirt sophomore Simon Stepaniak, pulled around left end to lead the way for Ellison's 34-yard burst to set up the third IU touchdown Saturday (with wideout Simmie Cobbs Jr. also supplying a key block downfield).
"Mackenzie was faster than I thought," Ellison said with a smile. "… in the game, he was moving," Ellison said. "I like following blocks, and just followed him, and I was rolling."
IU offensive line coach Darren Hiller liked what the Hoosiers got from Nworah.
"Mackenzie did a good job from an assignment standpoint," adjudged Hiller. "From a physical standpoint there are still some things he's still learning and has to get better at, but he actually graded out with a 'winning performance' in the game. Really did a nice job for us."
Indiana's offensive line also welcomed the return of junior right tackle Brandon Knight, a projected starter seeing his first action of the season Saturday after rehabilitating a summer injury.
"Brandon played good," Hiller said. "Brandon is super-athletic and has experience. The problem with Brandon right now is that he's a little bit rusty with football because he had the long layoff. It's nothing mentally.
"He's got such fresh legs right now, just from having not done much for a while, that he's actually too fast for some things, as crazy as that sounds. But, he graded out with a winning performance, also, and it was good to see him back."
Knight's return freed up Delroy Baker, who had filled the right tackle spot, to utilize his versatility at multiple positions.
"In the game Saturday, Delroy played right tackle, he played right guard and he played left guard," Hiller said. "Delroy is one of those guys for us. He's (still) going to get plenty of reps at right tackle."
Fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow knows what a healthier, fresher, stronger offensive line and a legitimate running game can mean to Hoosier fortunes heading into Saturday's 3:30 p.m. kickoff at No. 4-ranked Penn State and beyond.
"Huge," Lagow said of Knight's return and its ramifications. "It helps with confidence. He's a confident guy. To add him into the line was big for the whole unit, rotation-wise. It gives guys opportunities to get a break when they need it. Very big for us.
"And I think it's great for (Ellison) to have that success … it's just one game, and this game coming up is the most important game of the year, because it's our next game. He's got to come back and do it again, and keep working hard, which he's going to. And it makes it a lot easier for us in the passing game, of course, when we can run the ball effectively."
Allen wasn't ready to label the ground-attack success against Georgia Southern as a harbinger. But he wasn't dismissing it, either.
"It wasn't a Big Ten opponent … but it's what you want to see," Allen said. "You go into the game, saying, hey, we need to run the football and want to establish that, and we did it.
"I was encouraged and excited about the game just because -- I mean, I understand who we're playing but, at the same time, that hasn't always been the case …we wanted to run the football well, we did, and that definitely is a positive moving forward."
Allen had similar thoughts about Ellison, specifically. He sees the potential. He's encouraged. He felt that way about the freshman even early in fall camp, before the Hoosiers donned full pads. Now he wants to see it against Big Ten-caliber opponents.
"I would say after just a couple practices, right away, I made the comment to our staff … this guy, this guy's got something to him," Allen said. "I'm seeing him run the football against our defense, even if it's not even going full yet. You could just tell; from his footwork, his lateral quickness, his burst was different than some others, definitely for a guy that just got here.
"(Now) run like that against a Big Ten opponent. I think that young men that have success have to learn how to handle success. You know, we talk a lot about staying humble and hungry."
Mike Majette, the junior who started this season's first two games, missed the Georgia Southern contest. Ellison felt that meant he needed to step up then and there.
"After I got a couple (of good runs), I was just saying, 'Let's keep going, let's keep going," Ellison said. "Mike wasn't going to play in this game, so it was like somebody had to step up and just do it, and I felt like it was the time.
"It all starts up front. If the line has a good day, we'll have a good day. I think on Saturday, if the line does well, we running backs will do well. And the line has already started off with a real good week of practice. As long as they keep doing what they're doing, I think we'll be good."
Even with pads on.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Morgan Ellison played club sport rugby while at Pickerington (Ohio) Central High School, likening it to "backyard football."
No pads.
But also, unlike backyard football, no forward passes.
Conversely, forward passes accounted for 72 percent of Indiana's offensive snaps in this fall's season opener against Ohio State, true freshman running back Ellison's Hoosier debut.
But by Saturday's 52-17 win over Georgia Southern, it was just 32 percent.
There were multiple reasons the host Hoosiers ran the ball more against Georgia Southern than in previous outings – not the least of which were dictated by the defenses faced – but part of it was certainly Ellison's emergence as a featured back.
Ellison ran 25 times for 186 yards, the fourth-highest rushing total ever for an IU true freshman, and a pair of touchdowns. The Hoosiers ran 47 times for 282 yards, overall, more than doubling the rushing yardage gained during the previous win at Virginia.
And as with most successful running backs, Ellison knows where that sort of bread is buttered.
"The O-line did a great job of pushing and I just had to do what we're coached to do behind them," Ellison said this week. "I think they had a different style about them – a whole demeanor and swagger that they just came out to play with – and I liked it. We just had to run behind it. They did a great job."
Wes Martin, the redshirt junior left guard and an acknowledged leader of the offensive line, said the admiration was mutual.
"He's a hitter," Martin said Tuesday of the 6-foot-1, 225-pound frosh. "He likes to come downhill and hit people. Which we like.
"As he matures, he's going to get even better at seeing things and reading things. But he likes to come downhill and hit."
Martin was apprised of former running back coach Deland McCullough's description of Ellison as a potential "Jordan Howard 2.0" in that regard, a reference to the former Hoosier now standing out for Chicago's Bears.
"Yeah, I would say so," Martin concurred. "I would see that comparison there. He's got a lot of work to do to get to the level Jordan played at, but I definitely see some comparisons."
One common characteristic between the two backs is they tend to come out the front end of piles, and are just as inclined to run through tacklers as around them.
"He fights all the time, fights for extra yards," IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said of Ellison. "That's what you love about him. He has a tempo about him. He's going to play HARD. He's going to continue to fight for what we call 'YAC,' yards after contact. That's kind of his mindset, and that's really good.
"He gets his pads down for contact. Other guys don't do that, right away. They kind of run straight up and you have to teach them to get down. But he runs with his pads underneath himself."
Depending upon how one tabulates such things, Ellison broke at least four Charleston Southern tackles. He also showed the ability to run behind the blocks of pulling guards Martin and Mackenzie Nworah.
Nworah, getting the start in place of injured redshirt sophomore Simon Stepaniak, pulled around left end to lead the way for Ellison's 34-yard burst to set up the third IU touchdown Saturday (with wideout Simmie Cobbs Jr. also supplying a key block downfield).
"Mackenzie was faster than I thought," Ellison said with a smile. "… in the game, he was moving," Ellison said. "I like following blocks, and just followed him, and I was rolling."
IU offensive line coach Darren Hiller liked what the Hoosiers got from Nworah.
"Mackenzie did a good job from an assignment standpoint," adjudged Hiller. "From a physical standpoint there are still some things he's still learning and has to get better at, but he actually graded out with a 'winning performance' in the game. Really did a nice job for us."
Indiana's offensive line also welcomed the return of junior right tackle Brandon Knight, a projected starter seeing his first action of the season Saturday after rehabilitating a summer injury.
"Brandon played good," Hiller said. "Brandon is super-athletic and has experience. The problem with Brandon right now is that he's a little bit rusty with football because he had the long layoff. It's nothing mentally.
"He's got such fresh legs right now, just from having not done much for a while, that he's actually too fast for some things, as crazy as that sounds. But, he graded out with a winning performance, also, and it was good to see him back."
Knight's return freed up Delroy Baker, who had filled the right tackle spot, to utilize his versatility at multiple positions.
"In the game Saturday, Delroy played right tackle, he played right guard and he played left guard," Hiller said. "Delroy is one of those guys for us. He's (still) going to get plenty of reps at right tackle."
Fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow knows what a healthier, fresher, stronger offensive line and a legitimate running game can mean to Hoosier fortunes heading into Saturday's 3:30 p.m. kickoff at No. 4-ranked Penn State and beyond.
"Huge," Lagow said of Knight's return and its ramifications. "It helps with confidence. He's a confident guy. To add him into the line was big for the whole unit, rotation-wise. It gives guys opportunities to get a break when they need it. Very big for us.
"And I think it's great for (Ellison) to have that success … it's just one game, and this game coming up is the most important game of the year, because it's our next game. He's got to come back and do it again, and keep working hard, which he's going to. And it makes it a lot easier for us in the passing game, of course, when we can run the ball effectively."
Allen wasn't ready to label the ground-attack success against Georgia Southern as a harbinger. But he wasn't dismissing it, either.
"It wasn't a Big Ten opponent … but it's what you want to see," Allen said. "You go into the game, saying, hey, we need to run the football and want to establish that, and we did it.
"I was encouraged and excited about the game just because -- I mean, I understand who we're playing but, at the same time, that hasn't always been the case …we wanted to run the football well, we did, and that definitely is a positive moving forward."
Allen had similar thoughts about Ellison, specifically. He sees the potential. He's encouraged. He felt that way about the freshman even early in fall camp, before the Hoosiers donned full pads. Now he wants to see it against Big Ten-caliber opponents.
"I would say after just a couple practices, right away, I made the comment to our staff … this guy, this guy's got something to him," Allen said. "I'm seeing him run the football against our defense, even if it's not even going full yet. You could just tell; from his footwork, his lateral quickness, his burst was different than some others, definitely for a guy that just got here.
"(Now) run like that against a Big Ten opponent. I think that young men that have success have to learn how to handle success. You know, we talk a lot about staying humble and hungry."
Mike Majette, the junior who started this season's first two games, missed the Georgia Southern contest. Ellison felt that meant he needed to step up then and there.
"After I got a couple (of good runs), I was just saying, 'Let's keep going, let's keep going," Ellison said. "Mike wasn't going to play in this game, so it was like somebody had to step up and just do it, and I felt like it was the time.
"It all starts up front. If the line has a good day, we'll have a good day. I think on Saturday, if the line does well, we running backs will do well. And the line has already started off with a real good week of practice. As long as they keep doing what they're doing, I think we'll be good."
Even with pads on.
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