Selfless – Sharing Propels IU Running Back Success
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Perspective finds Kaelon Black contemplating Indiana running back group success over individual glory.
“I’m grateful to be part of this group,” the junior running back says. “Everyone is having success together, and it’s exciting to be part of.”
Hoosier running back reality under head coach Curt Cignetti and running backs coach John Miller offers this truth -- sharing matters, rotation rocks, and selflessness gets you victories and touchdowns.
With a 6-0 record, a top-20 national ranking and a 47.5-point scoring average entering Saturday’s Homecoming game against Nebraska (5-1), the Hoosiers are getting plenty of that.
“Of course, you want more carries,” Black says, “but the group is doing well. That’s all you can ask for.”
How well are the running backs doing? IU leads the nation with 23 rushing touchdowns. Ty Son Lawton leads the team with seven. Justice Ellison is next with six. Eight Hoosiers have rushed for at least one. Five running backs have at least 14 carries this season, and no one averages 12 carries for a game.
Indiana ranks fourth in the Big Ten in rushing with a 200.3-yard-per-game average. Iowa leads at 222.8.
This is team over individual at its best and reflects the winning culture Cignetti has instilled to produce one of the best stories of the season.
“It’s cool,” Lawton says about sharing the running load. “A lot of teams rotate in every position, especially at running back. It’s a thing. It’s no surprise.”
Last season, Lawton was part of James Madison’s running back rotation. He ran 126 times for 568 yards, second on the team to Black’s 142 for 637. Both transferred to Indiana to follow Cignetti, and join Ellison, a Wake Forest transfer, as part of a three-man main running back rotation.
“I knew what I was getting into and still decided to come,” Lawton says.
So did Ellison, who in four previous years at Wake Forest rushed 427 times for 1,909 yards and 15 touchdowns.
“Selflessness is No. 1, it’s the key to doing your job,” he says. “Every running back wants to score touchdowns, but you’re not always going to get the ball in the end zone.
“You’re going to have to block. You’re going to have to run a route at full speed. Guys in the (running backs) room have done a good job staying focused on how can I make the team better, how can I continue to develop, how can I continue to score these touchdowns so we can blow out these teams?
“The main thing is to have that mindset. Every game has ups and downs, some teams you might expose, some teams might expose you. The running backs room has done a good job of how can we continue to be selfless and do our jobs every day.”
Sharing the spotlight isn’t for everyone.
“You can’t be selfish,” Lawton says. “You have to come out every day and put your all into it. (Cignetti) is big on that. He wants us to practice hard every day so that we’ll get the job done.
“We came here knowing we’d rotate. We’re fine with it. We all trust each other, so that's all that matters.”
Ellison has reached the midseason point with a team-leading 409 yards, and he’s had to average 6.4 yards per carry to get there. Lawton is next with 329 yards on a team-high 68 carries. Black has 163 yards on 26 carries.
No Hoosier maximizes his running opportunities better than Elijah Green, who averages 9.2 yards per carry, has a long run of 51 yards, and has rushed for four touchdowns and 157 yards.
While Lawton has the most carries and starts this season, he says he’s not the No. 1 running back.
“We’re all 1A, 1B, and 1C. We all have a 1 in front of us. We’re all capable of being that No. 1.”
Black has adapted to his reduced carry load with a special teams role.
“The great thing about football is that there are other assets to the game like special teams and I feel like (Coach Cignetti) is doing a great job allowing me to play special teams, as well. I'm blessed to have the opportunity.”
Running back sharing includes a group Ninja Turtles nickname first revealed in a tweet by Miller in July. It reflects their similar size and skill. Black is 5-10 and 210 pounds. Ellison is 5-9 and 210. Lawton is 5-9 and 208.
“It does fit,” Black says.
Lawton is not a fan.
“I don’t like it. We never agreed up it. Somebody one time said we looked like the Ninja Turtles, and we all laughed. We didn’t think people would call us that.”
Regardless of name, this group is especially productive near the end zone. IU has scored on 34 of its 37 red-zone opportunities, with 30 touchdowns, 25 by running backs. That 91.9 percent success rate ranks fifth in the Big Ten (Ohio State leads at 100 percent), but consider the Hoosiers have nine more red-zone chances and six more touchdowns than any other Big Ten team.
The reason, Lawton says, is simple.
“It’s the O-line and the coaches calling the right plays, and they’re successful.”
The Hoosiers are targeting more running back sharing and success against Nebraska, which has one of the nation’s best run defenses.
“Being with such a great group of guys is very humbling,” Black says, “and I'm very blessed to be a part of it.”
Or, as Ellison puts it, “When you believe in something greater than yourself, it leads to success. It creates a better version of yourself.”