Steven Sipple: With Gabe Ervin leading three-man lead pack of Husker backs, it makes sense for Matt Rhule to lean toward ground game
Gabe Ervin provided an informative assessment of Nebraska’s running back group, a group that he leads as far as the depth chart is concerned.
“Rahmir Johnson brings that ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and be a speed back,” Ervin told reporters of the No. 2 running back on the depth chart.
“Anthony Grant brings the power, agility, and the speed,” Ervin said of the No. 3 back.
It’s a top three made up of tested veterans.
Yes, one can consider Ervin, a third-year sophomore, to be a veteran. He started two of the first four games of the 2021 campaign before suffering a season-ending knee injury. The 2021 season seems a lifetime ago considering all Ervin and the program in general have been through since then.
Ervin, though, is healthy and once again has the vibe of a racehorse kicking a barn stall before a race.
“I bring the power and the speed,” said the 6-foot, 225-pound Ervin, whose physique immediately got the attention of first-year Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule this past winter.
“That’s what it should look like,” Rhule said recently, presumably meaning to say what a Big Ten running back should look like.
Make no mistake, this is a strong Nebraska running back group. The top three, in particular, are grown men. Notice I say it’s a “strong” group as opposed to “elite” group. Perhaps it has the potential to be elite, but it must prove it. It hasn’t to this point.
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Gabe Ervin portrays Nebraska RBs as tight-knit group
Listening to Ervin, it sounds like it’s a tight-knit group of backs.
“We all try to lean on each other the best that we can,” he said. “In the meeting room, we try to get better at taking notes, and try to stay as one in the meeting room.”
It’s good that Nebraska’s running backs lean on each other for support. It’s good because I have a feeling the team is going to lean hard on them this season. The Huskers have a big, veteran offensive line that seems best-suited for a power running game as opposed to an offense heavy on drop-back passes.
In that regard, Nebraska isn’t necessarily blessed with speedy and dynamic playmakers on the perimeter. Trey Palmer was that guy last season and now is poised to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ roster. Zavier Betts might’ve been that guy this season but chose to walk away from the sport because his heart wasn’t in it.
Casey Thompson, Nebraska’s starting quarterback last season, showed excellent accuracy on deep passes. On the other hand, Jeff Sims, the Huskers’ new starting QB, is looking to improve on his 57.5% overall accuracy rate in 24 games for Georgia Tech.
What’s more, Rhule has made it clear he wants Nebraska to boast a physical running game that pounds opponents with body blows and helps it close out games in the fourth quarter.
Makes sense for Rhule to turn to veteran RBs
Rhule may not talk so openly about a physical running attack if he felt he lacked the backs to pull it off. Bottom line, Nebraska’s top three backs are proven entities at the college level.
In two seasons, Ervin has rushed 57 times for 218 yards (3.8 ypc) and two touchdowns. He’s enjoyed a surge of offseason momentum with a new coaching staff.
Johnson, a 5-10, 185-pound speedster, has 160 career carries for 674 yards (4.2 ypc) and six TDs while adding 24 receptions for 249 yards (10.4) and two more scores. In Rhule’s eyes, Johnson is a classic third-down back but capable of being “the guy” as well. In Husker fans’ eyes, he’s a player to be admired because by all accounts he’s an excellent teammate who simply does what it takes without complaint.
Meanwhile, the 5-11, 205-pound Grant led Nebraska last season with 218 carries for 915 yards (4.2 ypc) and six touchdowns. But he’s been waylaid by a recent case of the fumbles.
Even so, the gap between Ervin and Grant isn’t necessarily wide, and that’s a good thing for Rhule’s first Nebraska squad.
“Me, Rahmir and Anthony Grant being those top three guys, we’ve just got to be those top three guys in the whole conference,” Ervin said.
“We’re trying to be the best in the conference.”
That’ll be difficult considering Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State arguably have the top running back rooms in the nation, with Wisconsin right on their heels.
That said, you have to like Ervin’s confidence and desire to succeed.
Nebraska running back overcomes rough ride
A native of Buford, Georgia, Ervin last season carried only 20 times for 94 yards (4.7 ypc) as he sought to reestablish himself in the wake of his knee injury in 2021.
In his nearly four games of action in 2021, Ervin made two starts and rushed 37 times for 124 yards (3.4 ypc) and two touchdowns.
On his ninth carry in the fourth game, at third-ranked Oklahoma, he went down with a knee injury.
He feels he was just starting to find a rhythm.
He’s that type of back. Sometimes he needs a few carries to get settled in, he said.
This season, “I really want to be that bell cow in the offense,” he said. “I really want to take that step forward and put my ability to work — protect the QB, catch the ball, run the ball, do my job. Once I do all those things, it’s just going to take care of itself.”
Of course, it’s seldom that easy. Rhule makes it clear to his players that successful football requires a willingness to attack work, attack discomfort. Ervin has endured his share of discomfort, his share of adversity. He keeps charging, keeps working.
He keeps kicking the stall.
“I don’t take the game for granted,” he said. “I think of it as I get to do this, not I’ve got to do this. Every time I put my helmet on, I get to do this.”
He’ll get to do plenty of work this season, as will Johnson and Grant.
All things considered, it just makes sense.
The post Steven Sipple: With Gabe Ervin leading three-man lead pack of Husker backs, it makes sense for Matt Rhule to lean toward ground game appeared first on On3.
