Battle Of The Big Ten Running Backs

With spring practice over and training camp beginning this week, Big Ten Football is officially back.

The conference has been a target of criticism this off season, labeled as “weak” by many experts.  With the exception of powerhouse Ohio State, the Big Ten has surely seen better days.  However, the talent at the running back position is as strong as ever, even after the departures of Michigan’s Mike Hart and Illinois’ Rashard Mendenhall.  With big names like Javon Ringer, Chris “Beanie” Wells, Marcus Thigpen and Tyrell Sutton, the Big Ten is sure to see a handful of NFL scouts in the stands, hoping to find the next impact runner in the league.

ESPN Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. tabbed Ringer as his top senior tailback in the country.  Several mock drafts have Wells being the first taken among the group.  But what do these experts really know anyway?  They’ve never gone one-on-one against them during games or been assigned the task of stopping them on the field.

During Big Ten Media Days last week, I sat down with the conference’s best, trying to gauge who they believe is king of the runners among them.

“I believe it’s Chris Wells,” senior linebacker Steve Davis from Minnesota said.  “He’s a big guy.  He’s very shifty, good feet, has some speed on him.” 

Wells rushed for 1,609 yards last year and scored 15 touchdowns, helping the Buckeyes reach the BCS Championship Game against eventual winner LSU.  In his career, Wells has amassed 2,185 yards on the ground and owns a career average of 5.7 yards per carry.  The 6-1, 237lb Wells is a power running back known to break tackles and drag defenders with him.

“He’s one of those guys that’s hard to tackle,” Davis said.  “He likes to run through tackles and he can move and shake you.”

“He’s a big weapon for them.  You’ve got to bring everything you got because you don’t want to get embarrassed.  It’s a good challenge for guys like me.  You always want to show what you can do against the best.”

Wells, the 2008 Big Ten Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, isn’t known as a receiver out of the backfield.  He has only seven career receptions.  However, his production in big games is second to none, as he proved last year, rushing for 146 yards against LSU.

“The first time I met him…I completely thought he was a higher grade just because of how big he was,” says Ringer, who despite all of Wells’ accolades believes someone else is more deserving of being awarded the best back in the conference. “I’d like to say I am [the best].”

Ringer sure has the numbers to back up his claim.  Last year, he ran for over 1,400 yards and crossed the goal line six times.  Along with a 6.1 career yards per carry average, Ringer has 68 career receptions and 529 yards receiving.  Unlike Wells, Ringer has proved to be a dual threat on the field, while his speed grades out higher than Wells.  “I feel like I’m a little faster.  He’s a little bigger and more powerful.”   

When told of how Kiper felt about him, Ringer downplayed the high praise.  “I don’t let a lot of that kind of stuff bother me,” he said.

The 5-9, 202lb senior knows much of his success will depend on other contributions from the Spartans.  “How successful [I’m] going to be is going to come from [my] offensive line.”  With quarterback Brian Hoyer returning, Ringer should continue to flourish under head coach Mark Dantonio.

Ringer and Wells are the obvious favorites when considering the best runners in the conference, but don’t forget about Indiana’s Marcus Thigpen or Northwestern’s Tyrell Sutton.

“I definitely feel like I can be the best running back in the conference,” said Thigpen, who rushed for 568 yards but failed to notch any rushing touchdowns. “That hurt me bad.  I actually had a few [touchdowns] there that was called back.” 

Thigpen is aware of the publicity that will revolve around his teammate, quarterback Kellen Lewis.  For Thigpen to establish himself in his final year, the 5-9, 200lb fifth-year senior must improve his production in the red zone.  “That’s my goal this year,” he said.

Sutton, who had injury issues last year, had one of the best freshman seasons in Wildcat history, rushing for almost 1,500 yards and scoring 16 touchdowns.  Of the previously mentioned running backs, Sutton has the most yards on the ground in his career with 2,996.

Yet, personal success has never been a goal of Sutton’s.  “Team success comes first,” he said.  “I’m not thinking about personal accolades at all.  That’s all in the back of my mind.”

“It would be nice to become the number one [rushing] leader in school history, but if I get a Rose Bowl [victory], and two yards [rushing], it doesn’t really matter to me.”

Sutton, one of the most versatile backs in the country, has 939 career receiving yards while catching 114 passes.  Many of those passes have come from his senior teammate, quarterback C.J. Bacher, who led the Big Ten in total offense and passing yards per game with 304.

Both Sutton and Bacher need to produce for the Wildcats to be successful in 2008.  Sutton, hoping to rebound after a down year, knows many of his critics don’t feel he is on the same level as Wells and Ringer.  “A lot of guys put me as undersized,” he said.   “But my heart is just as big as any of those guys and I feel like my abilities are just as good [too].  I’m very versatile and can do just about anything they can do.”

So which Big Ten running back is the best?  Why not ask one of the best college football running backs of all time, Ohio State alum and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.  “[Chris Wells is] the closest thing to Jim Brown that I've ever seen."

Let's see which runner lets his legs do the talking for him.