{"id":58124,"date":"2024-02-27T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T14:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=58124"},"modified":"2024-02-26T16:53:21","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T21:53:21","slug":"an-early-look-at-nebraskas-2024-running-back-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/02\/27\/an-early-look-at-nebraskas-2024-running-back-room\/","title":{"rendered":"An Early Look At Nebraska’s 2024 Running Back Room"},"content":{"rendered":"

On April 27th, the Nebraska Cornhuskers will have their annual Spring game. A lot of focus will be on the quarterback position, especially now that five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola<\/strong> has signed with the program. But which young players could be beside one of the program’s signal callers on game day?\u00a0 It’s an interesting question to think about. After all, position coach EJ Barthel<\/strong> is going to want an increase in production in his second year with the program.<\/p>\n

Dante Dowdell<\/h3>\n

The freshman running back from Mississippi was dependable for the\u00a0 Oregon Ducks in 2023. On just 17 carries, his physical running style gained him 90 yards and one touchdown over his five appearances.\u00a0 And Dowdell<\/a> can beef up those numbers as a part of Glenn Thomas’s<\/strong> new offense. His experience in a better program will serve him well when it comes to punishing defenses in the new Big Ten.\u00a0 But there’s just one problem. Will he overcome the veteran presence that the Cornhuskers now have on their roster?\u00a0 \u00a0Spring practice is just around the corner, which means that head coach Matt Rhule<\/strong> is likely deploying older talent to contribute a bulk of the minutes. Because of this strategy, there’s no doubt that this will make it harder for him to win the job. But he’s well equipped to handle the load. As the only running back commit that the Cornhuskers took this cycle, we could see him become the program’s starting back in August. It’s even more exciting when Raiola is involved.<\/p>\n

Read more about the Oregon transfer in What Does Dante Dowdell Bring To The Nebraska Cornhuskers?\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

A Second Half Burst<\/h3>\n

When Gabe Ervin<\/a> went down with an injury early on in the 2023 season, it left a huge hole in the Cornhuskers running back room. This left freshman Emmett Johnson<\/a> to take the reigns in the Husker running game. And for the most part, he succeeded expectations in the second half of the season. During this time, he had a total of 411 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he provided some relief to the team’s receiving game. In that area, he had seven receptions for 46 yards.\u00a0 maintain the same production in a revamped offense under Thomas, or will Barthel have another back take the reigns? It will be interesting what the coaching staff has in mind for the returning veteran. But if the coaching staff chooses his talents,\u00a0 he could maintain his production throughout all of the team’s season.<\/p>\n

After some crunch-time football, @HuskerFootball<\/a> has cut the Spartans lead to three thanks to this TD by Emmett Johnson. \ud83e\udd29<\/p>\n

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After some crunch time football, @HuskerFootball<\/a> has cut the Spartans lead to 3 thanks to this TD by Emmett Johnson. \ud83e\udd29<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa: FS1\/@CFBonFox<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/o2WKpn7BBy<\/a><\/p>\n

— Nebraska On BTN (@NebraskaOnBTN) November 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n