How many Indiana Hoosiers does it take to put together a consistent running game? \nThe answer is a lot more complex than the light bulb version of that question. Not every Hoosier team can have an Anthony Thompson or Antwaan Randle El, so many teams find themselves turning to the running-back-by-committee approach. \nIt’s a fantasy football owner’s worst nightmare. But it’s also the Hoosier football team’s reality. \nOutside of sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis’s scrambling heroics, the Hoosiers have been unable to establish a primary go-to running back through two games. Lewis gets most of his yards on his pure ability or on broken plays, but the Hoosiers have to get the ball past the line of scrimmage on designed run plays this season. \nPart of the blame could be pointed at IU’s offensive line or the Hoosier’s fondness for shotgun-formation running plays. But rushing flaws can be masked, if not cured, by using a group effort when it comes to carries. \nIn their season opener, the Akron Zips allowed a measly 58 rushing yards to Army. In their second game, they surrendered 196 yards rushing yards to Ohio State. You’d have to be as oblivious as Shawne Williams in his Cadillac Escalade to not realize the difference between those two teams. But to give the Zips (was Zaps taken?) credit, they did hold the now-No. 10 Buckeyes to three points in the first half. \nIU will most likely attempt to match Ohio State’s rushing output with the running-back-by-committee approach. It was assumed before the season that all-world returner Marcus Thigpen would receive the bulk of the carries for the Hoosiers, which he has done so far (31 attempts for 116 yards). But despite his speed, Thigpen is averaging a pedestrian 3.7 yards per carry. Thigpen has the potential to turn any carry into a touchdown, but his inability to find the necessary holes has been stifling his production. \nThe one Hoosier who can create holes in defensive lines is 254-pound senior fullback Josiah Sears. Sears is built in the mold of Mike Alstott and is the kind of touchdown vulture Warrick Dunn loses sleep over. His name is the one the Hoosiers should be calling on goal line situations this year, not Lewis, who was stuffed on three consecutive quarterback sneaks near the goal line against Western Michigan last Saturday. But as a go-to back he is inefficient, averaging only 1.8 yards per carry through two games. \nLuckily for Bill Lynch, the Hoosiers have more options than A.J. Ratliff at a party. Aside from Thigpen, the player in IU’s backfield who is the most electrifying is sophomore Demetrius McCray. The Brandon, Fla., native rushed for 75 yards on only eight carries last week, including a 45-yard run that was the Hoosier’s longest play from scrimmage all game. \nMcCray has the strength to be an every-down back and the speed and agility to make defenders miss. It’s as if someone put Thigpen and Sears together and divided by two. It is unlikely that McCray will pass Thigpen on the depth chart, but he should receive somewhere from seven to 12 carries a game and help solidify the Hoosier’s ground attack. Not to mention McCray wears a grill, which makes him an immediate favorite of mine (and Paul Wall). \nIn addition to McCray, the Hoosiers have two additional backs that are averaging more than five yards per carry this season in sophomore Bryan Payton and freshman Trea Burgess. \nIt is very unlikely the Hoosiers will use all of their rushing options on Saturday against Akron, but look for Lynch to spread the carries out and for the committee to prevail the rest of the season.
Prediction: Indiana 24, Akron 10
