{"id":48078,"date":"2023-03-26T13:00:49","date_gmt":"2023-03-26T17:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=48078"},"modified":"2023-03-25T13:40:10","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T17:40:10","slug":"which-of-nebraskas-running-backs-makes-an-impact-this-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/03\/26\/which-of-nebraskas-running-backs-makes-an-impact-this-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"Which of Nebraska’s Running Backs Makes An Impact This Spring?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Monday, the Nebraska Cornhuskers had their first Spring practice under new leadership. For head coach Matt Rhule<\/strong>, it still is a work in progress. This is due to his emphasis on\u00a0 “establishing standards” for what he wants his team to look like in Spring practice. The Nebraska running backs are going to play a critical role in any turnaround of the program. But running backs coach EJ Barthel <\/strong>has only coached at a small program in UCONN. Does this mean that he is qualified enough to coach the stable of veterans that are at his disposal? We answer those questions and more in our Spring breakdown of Nebraska’s running back position.<\/p>\n

Read more about Matt Rhule here: https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/02\/14\/nebraska-spring-update-matt-rhules-first-two-months\/<\/a><\/p>\n

A Look at Nebraska’s Veteran Running Backs in 2023<\/h2>\n

The Cornhuskers were loaded at running back in 2022.\u00a0 Junior running back Anthony Grant<\/a> <\/strong>became a fixture in Scott Frost’s offense when he ran for 915 yards and amassed six touchdowns on the ground. Freshman Ajay Allen<\/a> <\/strong>also proved himself as a dependable running back when he carried the ball 33 times for 190 yards. In each of his four games as a redshirt, Allen scored four touchdowns last year. We could have seen more, but the Georgia native went down with a season-ending injury near the beginning of the season. According to Rhule,\u00a0 Grant is suspended indefinitely due to academic issues.\u00a0 The Cornhuskers would count on Jaquez Yant<\/a><\/strong> and Markese Stepp<\/a> <\/strong>to shore up depth at the position. However, both players have left the program. This means that Gabe Ervin<\/a> may make a jump into the starting lineup this season.<\/p>\n

Gabe Ervin’s Struggles as a Husker<\/h2>\n

Based on his status as a recruit,\u00a0 Ervin could have been a star. While he did enough to beat out several of\u00a0 Nebraska’s veteran running backs as a freshman, he would only play in a handful of games for the Cornhuskers. He had a promising start to his career against Buffalo when he scored two touchdowns in the first half.\u00a0 However,\u00a0 something happened after that that kept him off the field.\u00a0 Ervin would only carry the ball 10 times for 56 yards.\u00a0 In the next game against Oklahoma, his season was derailed when he suffered an injury that sidelined him for the rest of 2021. But he actually came back stronger. In the third game of 2022 against the same opponent, he led all Cornhusker backs with a 60-yard rushing performance. However, this was all in vain. This is because he would suffer a knee injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n

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pic.twitter.com\/MA8QFaVG4D<\/a><\/p>\n

— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) January 19, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n