Forget Finesse – Getting Physical Gives Howland Opportunity
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Finesse is fine for, say ballet or ballroom dancing.
It won’t work when running against Big Ten defenses.
And when you’re Indiana sophomore running back Trent Howland, when your 6-foot-3, 240-pound physique resembles something Michelangelo might have carved, when you’re strong and powerful and capable of blasting through would-be tacklers, you finally take your coaches’ advice to punish anyone who tries tackling you.
The result -- a possible major running-back role, starting with Saturday’s game at No. 10 Penn State (6-1).
“Trent is a guy we challenged about using his size and running with authority,” head coach Tom Allen says. “Even though he’s a big guy, he’s always viewed himself as more of a finesse-type runner.”
Allen’s message to Howland was clear -- stop it.
“That’s not who you need to be.”
Message received.
“It’s just being physical,” Howland says. “My physicality has improved. If I can bring that to the game, I can make a big impact.”
He’s bringing it.
Rutgers was a potential break-through game. Howland set career highs for rushing (54) and receiving (20) yards, for longest run (17 yards) and longest reception (11), and for carries (nine) against a defense ranked No. 33 nationally against the run.
This followed his five-carry, 35-yard effort the previous week at No. 2 Michigan and its powerhouse defense.
In the first five games of the season, Howland ran eight times for 36 yards. In his first two college seasons, he totaled 32 yards.
“I know I’m big and can run through people with power,” he says, “but I also take different aspects of my game, especially when I get into the open field and when I do have break-away runs. When it comes to one-on-one opportunities, I feel I can use finesse moves instead of just running through people.”
A high school knee injury while playing basketball limited him as a true freshman at IU, although he did run six times for 20 yards. Last season, he played in nine games, mostly on special teams, and ran two times for 12 yards.
Between injury, the Covid-lost 2020 high school senior season and IU reserve status, Howland didn’t play much over a three-year span.
“There was a lot of discouragement,” he says. “A lot of over-thinking. I regrouped from all that. I know what I’m capable of.”
So do Allen, running backs coach Craig Johnson, and offensive coordinator Rod Carey.
“He’s got great ball skills,” Allen says. “He’s an impressive athlete. You should see him on the basketball court.”
Howland says playing multiple sports helped him.
“Basketball correlates to football as far as foot work, movement, speed, stopping and going, even communication. I try to take all my aspects for basketball and translate them to football as much as I can.”
Allen suggests the knee injury might have initially made Howland reluctant to fully embrace his physical nature.
Not anymore.
“He’s a big, physical guy who needs to take that ball and get downhill,” Allen says. “He’s doing that now. You can see the benefits. I’m excited about his development and the way he’s responded.”
As for showing the patience to wait for an opportunity, Howland says, “It’s all about trusting the process and staying the course.”
“I go as hard as possible every day in practice. All the coaches would tell me that I’d get my opportunity. When that moment came, I had to seize it. Make the most of it.
“Pass protection was one of the biggest things coaches worried about the most. I am still improving on that.
“I always trusted myself. I knew the coaches trusted me. I just had to show it to them so they could be more confident in my production.”
Carey likes Howland’s improvement, but tempers that with the overall offensive struggles.
“He’s still in the category of not good enough to win. He was starting the week before to show us enough to get more reps (against Michigan) and showed us enough (against Rutgers) to get even more going forward.
“It started in practice and fall camp. He got his opportunities. If he continues to execute the way he has been, that deserves more reps. That will continue to go up.
“It’s good to see a forward lean. It’s good to see a guy finishing downhill. He’s done that.”
Howland wants more carries, but also doesn’t want to fracture running back-room chemistry by asking for them.
“I don’t want to be that guy running around saying, ‘Give me the ball, give me the ball, give me the ball,’ when there are guys older than me trying to get to that next level. But if I had a couple more carries a game, I could produce more for the team. I can show people what I can really do.”
That team-first approach surfaced last season, when Allen asked him to move to linebacker because of a rash of injuries at that position. Even though he’d never played linebacker, he didn’t hesitate.
“Coach Allen pulled me to the side during practice and offered me that opportunity,” Howland says. “I love my team. I’ll do whatever it takes to better us and help us win. I said, that would be fine to move over there.”
It was only temporary. Howland was back at running back for spring practice. And he never actually played linebacker in a game.
Still, he says the experience has helped make him a better running back.
“I know (defensive players’) process when it comes to thinking on the field. When it comes to running, I know they want to come at me as hard as they can. That’s fine. I run aggressive. Whatever happens, happens.”
IU (2-5) needs more out of its running game, more from Howland and fellow running backs Josh Henderson, Christian Turner, and Jaylin Lucas. No one has emerged as No. 1. Lucas leads with 247 rushing yards.
The Hoosiers average 113.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks 12th in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions have the nation’s No. 3 run defense (73.4 yards allowed), No. 1 total defense (218.1 yards), and No. 2 scoring defense (9.7 points).
“Here’s what’s tricky,” Carey says. “We haven’t had enough offensive production to say, here’s the guy. When you get enough production and are executing at a high level, it’s easy to say, this is the guy and these are the guys who will take some of the load off. We’ve had guys who have flashes.
“We’re looking for somebody to step up. We’ll crank up the competition and see who wants to start.”
Injury sidelined Henderson for the last several games. He was available for the Rutgers game, but didn’t play, in part because the Hoosiers only had 22 minutes of possession compared to the Scarlet Knights’ nearly 38.
“He’s probably not 100 percent,” Carey says, “but he’s close. We’re anxious to get him back. He’s done some good things.”
As for Howland, given what it's taken to reach this point, he figures to make the best of whatever opportunity comes.
“The last two weeks felt good, but it had been a while since I played (meaningful minutes). It was a lot of stress, but opportunities are coming now. I’m proud of that.”