College Football 2010: Top 10 All-Purpose Backs

While 2010 might be remembered as "The Year of the Dual-Threat Quarterback (i.e. Denard Robinson, Cam Newton, Taylor Martinez and Colin Kaepernick), there are plenty of all-purpose (combined rushing and passing yardage) running backs who are making an impact on their teams.

The following are the Top 10 All-Purpose running backs in the nation:   

Vai Taua: Nevada Wolfpack

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COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 13: Vai Taua #34 the Nevada Wolf Pack carries the ball during the first half of the game against the Missouri Tigers on September 13, 2008 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Vai Taua shares the Nevada Wolfpack backfield with one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, Colin Kaepernick.

You'd think that having a QB that runs and throws as well as Kaepernick might limit Taua's production. Not so.

Taua is having a fantastic year, rushing for 1130 yards, while adding an additional 102 receiving yards. 

This is not, by any means, Taua's first good year.

He already has to his credit back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons (2008, 2009) and has twice been named first-team All-WAC.

Montel Harris: Boston College Eagles

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CHESTNUT HILL, MA - SEPTEMBER 25: Montel Harris #2 of the Boston College Eagles carries the ball and tries to manuever around Davon Morgan #2 of the Virginia Tech Hokies on September 25, 2010 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by

When it comes to ACC running backs, none are better than Boston College's Montel Harris.

Before this season, Harris had rushed for over 100 yards in 20 games during his freshman and sophomore years—the most of any player in BC history.

This year, Harris has already ran for 1129 yards and added another 129 receiving yards.

Jordan Todman: Connecticut Huskies

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PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 08: Jordan Todman #23 of the Connecticut Huskies runs the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Stadium on October 8, 2010 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers defeated UConn 27-24. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

In 2009, Connecticut Huskies Head Coach Randy Edsall had the rare opportunity to have a dynamic duo in his backfield—two 1,000-yard rushers—senior Andre Dixon and (then) sophomore Jordan Todman.

Dixon is gone, but Todman keeps rolling on.

With three games remaining on the Huskies schedule, Todman is within twelve yards of surpassing his '09 rushing yardage.

In 2010, he has ran for 1076 yards and added an additional 97 receiving yards.  

DeMarco Murray: Oklahoma Sooners

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ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 05: Running back DeMarco Murray #7 of the Oklahoma Sooners at Cowboys Stadium on September 5, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

In Norman, Oklahoma, there is no shortage of running backs who have made history. Names like Steve Owens, Joe Washington, Billy Sims and Adrian Peterson all have prolifically carried the ball for the Sooners.

DeMarco Murray does not take a back seat to any of these. In fact, this year, he continues to shatter one OU record after another.

In a game against Iowa State this season, Murray passed Steve Owens as the all-time touchdown leader at the University of Oklahoma. Currently, he has scored 60 TDs (48 rushing, 12 receiving) during his OU career.

This year, Murray has 911 rushing yards and 374 receiving yards (by far the most receiving yards of any back on this list).

Daniel Thomas: Kansas State Wildcats

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LAWRENCE, KS - OCTOBER 14: Daniel Thomas #8 of the Kansas State Wildcats carries the ball as Olaitan Oguntodu #44 of the Kansas Jayhawks defends during the game on October 14, 2010 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Im

Though he hasn't been in Manhattan long, Daniel Thomas has left his mark on K-State Football.

Thomas was voted the 2009 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team.

This year, Thomas opened his senior season by torching the UCLA Bruins for 234 rushing yards and two TDs.

Overall, he has gained 1168 yards rushing and added an additional 168 receiving yards this season. 

Bilal Powell: Louisville Cardinals

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LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 15: Bilal Powell #15 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball while tackled by Reuben Johnson #5 of the Cincinnati Bearcats during the game at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on October 15, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Pho

2010 has been a break-out year for Bilal Powell.

Prior to this season, Powell had rushed for a total of 933 yards in his first three seasons at Louisville.

This year, Powell has erupted for 1207 rushing yards and an additional 120 receiving yards.

He has two games (Memphis, Cincinnati) where he rushed for more than 200 yards.

And all of this has occurred with Powell missing one game (because of injury) entirely, and being listed as "questionable" for another—a game in which he ran for 140 yards. 

Bobby Rainey: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

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LEXINGTON, KY - SEPTEMBER 27: Ventrell Jenkins #95 of the Kentucky Wildcats tackles Bobby Rainey #17 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers during the game at Commonwealth Stadium on September 27, 2008 in Lexington, Kentucky. The Wildcats defeated the Hillt

While the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers may not be on the front page headlines of most newspapers, Bobby Rainey has been attracting a lot of attention through what he does to opponent's defenses.

WKU opened their season at Nebraska. Rainey was not intimidated at all, running for 155 yards against a tough Cornhusker defense.

Just to prove that Week 1 was not a fluke, Rainey ran for 184 yards on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats.

On the year, Rainey has rushed for 1244 yards and has added an additional 197 receiving yards.

Lance Dunbar: North Texas Mean Green

Possibly the least known of the Top Ten All-Purpose Running Backs is Lance Dunbar.

With all due respect, playing for the North Texas Mean Green means playing in the shadows of all of the Big 12 schools, TCU, SMU and even the variety of high school teams in and around the Dallas Metroplex area.

Dunbar has still excelled.

He is the second back in North Texas history to post back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons (2008, 2009).

And he is adding another big season this year. He has rushed for 1149 yards and added 297 additional rushing yards. 

Kendall Hunter: Oklahoma State Cowboys

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STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 5: Running back Kendall Hunter #24 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys carries the ball six yards as Rennie Curran #35 of the Georgia Bulldogs tries to stop him during the fourth quarter of the game at Boone Pickens Stadium on Septemb

If it weren't for injuries that sidelined him for his entire junior season, Kendall Hunter might be looking at breaking some of the OSU school records.

As a sophomore, Hunter was the Big 12's leading rusher by more than 30 yards per game.

This year, Hunter is again leading the Big 12 in rushing with 1356 yards (with two more regularly scheduled games to play) and he has added 90 additional receiving yards.

LaMichael James: Oregon Ducks

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BERKELEY, CA - NOVEMBER 13: LaMichael James #21 of the Oregon Ducks runs with the ball against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

With a few games remaining in 2010, LaMichael James is the leading All-Purpose running back in the nation.

He is the leading rusher, having already gained 1422 yards, while adding an additional 149 receiving yards.

Last year, as a freshman, James was the Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year and was named both Sporting News and AP Third Team All-American.

In almost any Heisman Trophy conversation, James is mentioned as the top running back candidate.