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Two names: Ezekiel Elliott of the Ohio State Buckeyes and James Conner of the Pittsburgh Panthers. Two players who could take the college record book to a bonfire, burn it, and rewrite a new one.
The last running back to secure the Heisman Trophy was Mark Ingram of the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2009. Already, on big stages and small, I’ve seen better performances from both Elliot and Conner.
Conner already has records falling from the rafters at Pittsburgh. The 2014 ACC player of the year usurped four long-held records of Tony Dorsett, and still has one more year until likely declaring for the NFL.
The alliteratively-named Elliott broke the mold as well during his sophomore year, exploding through running lanes for 230 yards in just 20 carries in the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship.
A running back’s shelf life is tenuous at best, and the careers of football players carry some serious ebb and flow, but what if both of these fantastic trend lines continue? What if in their NFL showcase year they each show us something exceeding their 2014 output? That would be scary for wide nines, 3-4’s, 4-3’s, and whatever they run at FCS cupcake schools, but it sure would be delightful for the fans.
Let’s not predict that Conner will punish the ACC with 2,500 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns, and let’s not expect Elliott to torch Big Ten secondaries as he accelerates to the second-level. Instead, let’s root for them both to become prolific, and for both to turn college football in 2015 into the year of the running back.
Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jerry on Twitter at @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.
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