Carr Poised To Lead IU Rushing Load

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Beware of "Booda."

Understanding what this means for Indiana football and grad transfer tailback Stephen Carr -- a Doak Walker Award candidate before ever playing a Cream & Crimson down -- starts by delving into running back lore and the nicknames that sometimes memorialize the best of them.

There was once "Sweetness" and it was, in the form of Walter Payton, very good.

There was once "Ironhead" for bruising Craig Heyward and "Beast Mode" for punishing Marshawn Lynch and even "Crazylegs" for those with long memories of Elroy Hirsch.

Now comes Carr, a 6-1, 215-pound USC transfer whose nickname of "Booda" comes from his older sister, who used to cuddle up to her mother while she was pregnant with Carr and say, "booda, booda, booda."

"It just stuck," he says.

This former 5-star high school prospect out of California is driven to join the ranks of recent outstanding Hoosier running backs such as Tevin Coleman (2,014 rushing yards in 2014), Jordan Howard (1,213 yards in 2015), Devine Redding (1,195 yards in 2016), and Stevie Scott III (30 touchdowns and more than 2,500 yards in a 3-year career that ended last season), boost his NFL prospects and help IU win a championship – all in one final college season.

If that seems a heavy goal load, Carr insists he's ready for it.

"We've all got one goal in common ever since we got here in college football, and that's to get to the (NFL). If there's any other pressure besides that, people are thinking about it wrong. The pressure needs to stay the same. Football is football at the end of the day."

Yes, Carr comes from a traditional college superpower known for its superstar running backs, but he sees what coach Tom Allen and his staff have built and, well …

"I love all the talent that is here. These guys here are bigger and that helps me put more tools in my toolbox if I want to get to the next level.

"The talent at Indiana is amazing. I think we are going to win a lot of games. We are eying that Big Ten championship, so we must stay focused and keep preparing like we have been."

Carr's elite potential came in flashes at USC, coming over four sometimes injury-limited seasons -- 1,329 rushing yards, a 5.0-yard-per-carry average, 12 rushing touchdowns, plus 57 catches for 421 yards and a TD.

He seems poised for bigger things as a Hoosier.

"He makes people miss and he breaks tackles," offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan says.

Sheridan wants a running back who can "get you a four-yard run when there's nothing there or get you a 12-yard run when it should have been three.

"Those are the players that make offenses explosive, and he's shown that."

Even before any live camp hitting, Carr's ability was obvious.

Coaches ensured Carr understood opportunity had to be earned by listing him third on the first depth chart even though he was on the list for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's best running back.

Carr understood.

"I decided to stay humble and take advantage of all of the opportunities that they were giving me."

Any doubt over who would emerge as No. 1 was obliterated in the first scrimmage. Asked if anyone had separated himself, Allen didn't hesitate.

"Stephen Carr."

"He was pretty obvious," Allen adds. "He's a good back. He does a lot of things well. He can obviously run, but he can pass protect and he has really good hands.

"He understands football and how to run. Some guys have that knack."

That knack includes ball security. At USC, Carr fumbled just twice in 264 carries, 57 catches, and 15 kickoff returns.

Once Carr decided to transfer, the destination was "a no-brainer," he says.

The reason – Deland McCullough.

McCullough's move from Kansas City Chiefs running back coach to IU associate head coach/running backs coach meant Carr could be reunited with the man who recruited him to USC.

"I think it was just God's timing," Carr says. "By the time I entered the transfer portal, I found out he was coaching here. Having a good relationship with Coach McCullough has meant a lot. He has taught me more about the game than I've learned from any other coach."

Carr is quick to mention he also learned a lot from USC coaches Mike Jinks (running backs coach) and Tim Drevno (offensive line coach).

"They were amazing coaches who taught me a lot, but it has been amazing reuniting with Coach McCullough because we have a lot of history. He is still holding me to that high standard like he did when we first met."

That standard started by easing the transfer adjustment.

"The biggest thing was assimilating to the way we work and blending into the culture here at IU," McCullough says. "I knew it would be a cultural fit when the opportunity came to get him.

"Immersing him into the playbook, but more importantly with the culture and getting to know the guys, that was the number one thing. I knew his skill set would be high level. He had to continue to learn our offense and see if he could fit into it. I think the last couple of scrimmages and practices have put him in the position to potentially have that lead role as we prepare for Iowa."

Moving from California to Indiana, Carr says, has been challenging.

"It was a very tough decision to leave one of my dream schools. I left so much family and so many friends behind. I also left a lot of opportunity that Los Angeles has to offer.

"I think this I what I needed to take a further step in my life. It is good that I am out here on my own because this is the first time that I have lived alone. I have learned a lot about myself. In terms of football, it gave me the chance to (refocus) and I am tuned in now. Everything is going how it needs to go."
That includes understanding he will be a 30-or-more-carries-a-game tailback in the manner of former IU All-America Anthony Thompson during the late 1980s. McCullough insists he will spread playing opportunity around.

"I think my history is pretty well noted," he says. "At IU and USC and in the NFL, I'm going to play several guys. There is going to be a lead horse guy that is the main feature guy, but I believe you get diminishing returns when you burn a guy out.

"Whoever is the lead guy, he will get the bulk of the action, but I think people will be surprised how much the second guy and other guys supplement the main person."

The 6-foot, 211-pound Tim Baldwin Jr. is positioned as the No. 2 running back.

Baldwin, who averaged 6.1 yards a carry and who rushed for 106 yards in a win over Maryland last season, says, "I want to hit the holes faster and overall have a balanced attack in how I play: not being one- or two-dimensional, but being whatever the team needs me to be."

As for the competition, Baldwin says, "It's been healthy, which is awesome. It has brought out the best in us."
Also looking promising is true freshman David Holloman. Allen lists him among the team's top six freshmen.

Still, Carr will lead the way.

"We will continue his maturation process to get him to where he wants to go," McCullough says, "and more importantly to get him blended into what we are doing so we can all go to the mountain top together."

Indiana University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Tim Baldwin Jr.

Stephen Carr

David Holloman

Stevie Scott III

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