Fansided

Indiana’s Tevin Coleman: The Nation’s Other Running Back

By J.P. Scott

Nov 22, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Tevin Coleman (6) carries the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 42-27. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Tevin Coleman (6) carries the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 42-27. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Due to the fact that he doesn’t play for a winning team, Tevin Coleman isn’t getting the attention from the fans and media that he should.

If you watch college football, there is no doubt in my mind you’ve heard of Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon. His 408-yard performance against Nebraska and his pursuit of Barry Sanders’ single season rushing record have garnered national attention and made him a frontrunner in the Heisman race.

Right behind Gordon in the stat column, however, is a guy named Tevin Coleman. Some of you have probably heard of him – and for good reason. If Gordon is the best back in the country, Coleman is the second best back by the slimmest of margins.

Oct 11, 2014; Iowa City, IA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Tevin Coleman (6) runs for a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2014; Iowa City, IA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Tevin Coleman (6) runs for a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports /

Any lack of attention Coleman has received from fans or media this season can be explained in one sentence: He plays for Indiana.

The Indiana Hoosiers are by no means a powerhouse. They are they worst team in the Big Ten’s West Division and on Saturday, they’ll play Purdue in an attempt to get their first conference win.

Be that as it may, the Hoosiers do own the Big Ten’s best out-of-conference win – a 31-27 win on the home field of SEC East leader Missouri. In that game, Coleman carried the ball 19 times for 132 yards and a score while adding three catches for 57 yards through the air.

Like every week, Coleman was the focal point of Indiana’s offense that day.

What makes that fact all the more impressive, ironically, is the fact that Indiana is a losing football team. Despite trailing early and often most weeks, the Hoosiers never stray from their game plan of getting the ball in his hands as often as possible. And why would they, really? Coleman is the best player on the field in nearly every game the Hoosiers play.

Tevin Coleman’s gaudy numbers (241 carries, 1906 yards and 15 touchdowns) aren’t the result of putting up video game stats against the worst opponents on the schedule, either. In fact, some of his best performances came against the best teams the Hoosiers played.

Against Iowa, Coleman rushed for 219 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. His efforts single-handedly helped turn what started out as a 21-0 blowout into what would eventually become a competitive game for some of that afternoon. Coleman carried the ball 15 times for 132 yards the following week against Michigan State, a team that only gives up 102.9 rushing yards a game.

After rushing for 307 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers on November 15, Coleman played his most impressive game of the season the next week against Ohio State. Coleman had the Hoosier in front of the Buckeyes momentarily in the second half on the back of a 90-yard touchdown run — the longest given up by Ohio State on the season. He later added a 52-yard scamper and pulled the Hoosiers within two scores. He finished the day with 228 yards and three touchdowns off 27 carries.

With only 94 yards on the ground against Purdue, Coleman can become the second running back to run for 2000 yards in 2014 and only the 24th college back in history to reach that mark. Counting Gordon, 21 of those backs will have had a bowl game to add to their stats. Coleman’s Hoosiers will not be going bowling this season.

Tevin Coleman trails only Melvin Gordon in total rushing yards this season. He’s ninth in the nation in yards per attempt with 7.9 and tied for 15th in rushing touchdowns with 15. He hasn’t made his intentions known yet, but should he choose to enter the 2015 NFL Draft, WalterFootball.com currently has him projected as the fourth running back taken, behind Gordon, Georgia’s Todd Gurley and South Carolina’s Mike Davis.

Personally, I feel like Coleman would be a steal at that point. He’s a better runner between the tackles than Gordon and is more explosive in the open field than Gurley and Davis. He has experience being the focal point in an offense with taking on so many carries that he shows fatigue or any signs of slowing down.

Watching Coleman’s highlights, there are times when I feel like I’m watching a young Adrian Peterson. The two are the same size and run with the same physicality and explosiveness.

Due to the fact that he does play for a losing team, I doubt that Tevin Coleman will get an invite to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. That, however, did not stop me from putting his name on my ballot for the Football Writers Association of America‘s All-American team, right next to Gordon’s.

If you follow the NFL at all, you’ll want to keep you eyes on Coleman in the coming weeks to see whether or not he makes the decision to return for his senior year. If he doesn’t, your favorite NFL team is going to have a shot to land what I feel might be the NFL’s next great running back.

For now, we get him for at least one more week at the college level. I’ll be tuning in to the Indiana-Purdue game to watch one of the great ones potentially finish his college career.

More from FanSided

Home/College Football