Who Will Be Nebraska Football’s Starting Running Back in 2016?
Many Nebraska football fans are starting to get curious with less than 80 days left until the season opener against Fresno State on who Riley and the coaching staff are going to have as starting players.
One position that fans are particularly interested in knowing is who is going to be the starting running back in the 2016 season.
Last season, we lost Imani Cross and Jordan Stevenson. While losing Stevenson is not a loss for the Huskers at all, not having Cross is going to hurt them unless we have someone else who can fill his shoes. He had a strong influence in the wins against Michigan State and UCLA during the Foster Farms Bowl. Losing Andy Janovich also affected the Huskers. He was an integral and influential part of the offense last season as a powerful blocker, receiver, and runner, ending the season with 265 rushing yards. However, neither of these players got as much playing time or yardage as incoming 2016 senior, Terrell Newby.
Newby definitely saw the most time on the field last season, and while he is a decent player, by no means is he a star running back. But, he did play in all 13 games, starting eight of them, and finishing with 765 yards (making him the Husker’s leading rusher), so he does have a lot of great (and might I add fairly impressive) experience on the field. He also came into the team as one of the most wanted running backs back in 2013.
Many people see Newby as a mediocre player and not one that is going to lead the team to the successful season they want as a starter. Looking past these opinions, he still has shown his strength as a running back coming into the 2016 season with over 2,000 career yards and the most experience of Nebraska’s group of running backs.
He will have some strong competition though when it comes to deciding the starting RB of the upcoming season. One top contender for the spot is incoming Sophomore Devine Ozigbo. He started playing last year as a true freshman, earning his way into the rotation by playing in several games.
Ozigbo played very well in the Foster Farms Bowl, being an influential component in the Husker’s win. He has shown that he is a very strong and volatile runner during his time on the field last season, and has even proven that he can be a useful receiver. When deciding who to choose for this coming year’s starting RB, Ozigbo is definitely a serious possibility.
Another top choice for a starting running back is Sophomore Mikale Wilbon. Last season we saw Wilbon play in the first three games and the game against Purdue as a reserve I-back. He showed great potential, with a season high of 21 rushing yards on three carries during the game against South Alabama.
We did however see him have to sit for the end of the season after his injury. Wilbon has shown that he is a strong player with both running and receiving, and he is fairly new, so we don’t know all the potential he has on the field quite yet, making him a top contender for the spot.
De’Mornay Pierson-El could also possibly be selected as the starting running back, as he has proven himself successful at running with the ball. He was projected to be a game-changer last season, but was unfortunately held back by multiple injuries. I could see him being chosen as a running back, even though he is a successful receiver, due to his speed and great work with the ball.
I would like to see someone fairly new to the field, like Ozigbo or Wilbon, be the starting running back for the beginning of the 2016 season. I think after coming off last year’s 6-7 record, it would be beneficial for the team to see people on the field who didn’t get much playing time last year, to see what they can bring to the Nebraska football team’s game. Who knows, maybe one of these faces we haven’t seen much of could be the next Ameer Abdullah for Nebraska?
While it would be interesting to see one of these men start, it is just as likely that the coaching staff will decide to bring in the well-experienced Newby to start the season as the running back due to the fact that he has proven himself as being able to perform well on the field.
Or it is also possible that they might want to change things up and have Pierson-El running the ball, something many fans would probably not expect.
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When it comes down to it, there are many different possibilities for what Riley and Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf could decide. We will just have to wait till September to see what the Nebraska football team brings to the field.