A Dark Horse No More: Iowa RB Shonn Greene Is Nation's Best Back

After another dominating performance against Purdue on Saturday, (which happened to be my birthday) Shonn Greene has cemented his name as the nation's best back.

Against the Boilermakers, Greene rushed for 211 yards on 30 carries and had two touchdowns, running for 100 or more yards in his eleventh consecutive contest.

Currently, the star back is leading the nation with 1,585 yards on 256 carries.  He leads fellow Big Ten runner Javon Ringer by 37 yards and has a staggering 97 fewer carries.

But statistics are not the only reason Greene is the nation's top back.  He has had to overcome unbelievable obstacles to achieve his success.

The 2005 Milford Academy High School graduate signed with the Hawkeyes as a three-star recruit (out of five) and was one of four running backs signed by the Hawkeyes that year.

As a Freshman, Greene showed he had some ability, although he was buried in the depth chart and found his niche as a kick returner.

As a Sophomore, he did much of the same, and was expected to compete for the 2007 starting job after Albert Young battled injuries.  However, his fortunes took an unexpected turn prior to the 2007 season.

Greene was struggling in the classroom, and Iowa has a very strict rule against players who don't maintain a certain GPA, and he was dismissed from the team.

Instead of giving up hope, Greene agreed to a redshirt and went to a Community College where he got his grades back on track and had to work at a furniture store to pay tuition.

After a long year of hard work and soul searching, Greene felt he had a debt to pay to the Iowa Football team. 

Greene has since then burst on to the college football scene and has emerged as the nation's top runner, leading the Hawkeyes to a 7-4 record.

While Shonn Greene may not get the national exposure, he has definitely made it difficult for Heisman voters to ignore him completely.  At the very least, the kid should get invited to the ceremony in New York, and possibly take down the Doak Walker Award.

Greene is tough, quick, instinctive, and he has a nose for the end-zone.  His abilities on the field could turn into some hardware, maybe someday even a fat wallet, but most of all, Greene has the Hawkeyes back into bowl contention.

I think it's time for this country to "Go Greene", cause nobody out there can stop 23.