Is Hoosiers running back Tevin Coleman the best in college football?
247 yards and two touchdowns.
190 yards and three touchdowns.
Those two stat lines represent Indiana University running back Tevin Coleman’s first two games this season. While running backs like Georgia’s Todd Gurley, Pittsburgh’s James Conner and Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah get all the national attention, it’s the Hoosiers’ junior that’s quietly putting up Heisman numbers.
Indiana University isn’t known for it’s college football. In fact, most casual fans wouldn’t be able to tell you that Indiana’s first two opponents were Indiana State and Bowling Green State University. Now that puts a damper on Coleman’s numbers a bit, especially when you see that Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon rushed for 265 yards and five touchdowns against that same Bowling Green defense. Then you take a look at this past Saturday.
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Coleman and the Hoosiers traveled to Missouri to take on a Mizzou team that was ranked 18th in the nation. Missouri is a 3-0 Tigers team from the almighty college football conference that is the SEC. However, the Big Ten would shine on this day.
Coleman rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown against Mizzou, most of that coming in the 2nd half. Coleman missed a good portion of the 1st half due to what appeared to be a bout of dehydration. After a 1st quarter touchdown with 5:18 remaining, Coleman didn’t return until the 2nd half.
His return was the boost the Hoosiers needed as they went on to upset the Tigers 31-27.
Tevin Coleman is now 3rd in the nation in rushing yards with 569. He has done so on just 66 carries. The nation’s leading rusher is Pitt’s Conner with 699 yards on 110 carries, followed by Abdullah of the Cornhuskers who has rushed for 625 yards on 92 carries.
If Coleman keeps up this pace, it’s safe to say he’ll not only put himself in the national spotlight, but he’ll also bring along the Indiana University football team. This is a team that is looking to make Bloomington more than a basketball town and is looking to make a bowl game for the first time since 2007.