Guy Chamberlin
Heisman Trophy Winner
The biggest thing about the pipeline of running backs in the 70s and 80s was how many were demoted in their Senior year when a younger running back got even hotter.
Monte Anthony was our first freshman running back, and we couldn't believe we'd have him for four years. But then Rick Berns takes over and Anthony rides the bench.
Rick Berns was our breakthrough running back until I.M. Hipp comes in and blows everyone away his Sophomore year and Berns becomes back-up.
I.M. Hipp appears destined for Heisman consideration until Jarvis Redwine comes along. Hipp is on the bench for much of his senior season, his yards per carry take a huge hit.
Redwine is now a Heisman candidate. But now he has to share carries with hot sophomore Roger Craig. Redwine barely cracks 1,000 his senior year.
Craig is totally the man in 1981 until Mike Rozier starts getting a few carries. They try to keep Craig busy his senior year by making him fullback in the same backfield as Rozier.
Rozier sets the record because he's the only guy who was still playing and getting better his senior year.
There was a theory at the time that Boyd Epply was too intent on bulking up the running backs and by their senior year had taken away some of their speed and shiftiness. Don't know if I buy that entirely, but it did seem to be the case with I.M. Hipp. He just wasn't the same running back his senior year, regardless of how good Redwine was.
At a certain point you have to figure that Nebraska was a running back's dream, with a playbook and offensive line designed to drive stats. I'm not saying you could have plugged any running back in there, but out of any decent recruiting class you were going to have a couple 1,000 yarders. (that's still the case, but they have 14 games to make the cut)
Monte Anthony was our first freshman running back, and we couldn't believe we'd have him for four years. But then Rick Berns takes over and Anthony rides the bench.
Rick Berns was our breakthrough running back until I.M. Hipp comes in and blows everyone away his Sophomore year and Berns becomes back-up.
I.M. Hipp appears destined for Heisman consideration until Jarvis Redwine comes along. Hipp is on the bench for much of his senior season, his yards per carry take a huge hit.
Redwine is now a Heisman candidate. But now he has to share carries with hot sophomore Roger Craig. Redwine barely cracks 1,000 his senior year.
Craig is totally the man in 1981 until Mike Rozier starts getting a few carries. They try to keep Craig busy his senior year by making him fullback in the same backfield as Rozier.
Rozier sets the record because he's the only guy who was still playing and getting better his senior year.
There was a theory at the time that Boyd Epply was too intent on bulking up the running backs and by their senior year had taken away some of their speed and shiftiness. Don't know if I buy that entirely, but it did seem to be the case with I.M. Hipp. He just wasn't the same running back his senior year, regardless of how good Redwine was.
At a certain point you have to figure that Nebraska was a running back's dream, with a playbook and offensive line designed to drive stats. I'm not saying you could have plugged any running back in there, but out of any decent recruiting class you were going to have a couple 1,000 yarders. (that's still the case, but they have 14 games to make the cut)
