E.J. Barthel talks Husker running backs ahead of Ohio State game
Nebraska running backs coach E.J. Barthel made an appearance on Huskers Radio Network on Wednesday night to talk about his room and their performance through seven games. Here are the highlights.
Dante Dowdell, Emmett Johnson and Rahmir Johnson have emerged as the Huskers’ top three running backs so far this season. Dowdell, an Oregon transfer, leads the team in rushing with 350 rushing yards (4.3 yards per carry) and five touchdowns. Emmett Johnson has recorded 231 rushing yards (5.4) and one score while Rahmir Johnson has 153 rushing yards (4.0).
The fourth running back has been veteran Gabe Ervin Jr., who’s gotten 13 carries this season that he’s taken for 39 yards and two touchdowns. Kwinten Ives is a redshirt freshman who’s taken five carries for five yards while he develops on the scout team.
Both Emmett and Rahmir have helped out as receivers, too. Rahmir has 19 catches for 165 yards and one touchdown while Emmett has 11 receptions for 109 yards.
Dante Dowdell
The thing about Dowdell, Barthel said, is his coach-ability. It’s very similar to another coachable back in the room in Emmett Johnson.
“The one thing that jumps off, he consistently watching film. He’s trying to add elements to his game. I think when he first got here, he was learning a lot of football, and that was kind of a hesitation with where he was at on the depth chart and things like that in the spring. So I think throughout the spring, he learned how to consistently get in rhythm.”
At one point early in the season, Dowdell looked like he’d be the featured back in the room. But that hasn’t quite happened as others in the room have gotten opportunities as well, like Emmett and Rahmir Johnson.
Dowdell is also the lone back who has lost a fumble. He lost one in the season-opener against UTEP and again last weekend at Indiana. Both came in the red zone.
“If a guy is consistently trying to make sure he’s improving his ball security and he’s working at it, that’s one thing. If a guy’s not really working on the technique, that’s a whole other conversation,” Barthel said. “But Dante is a kid that’s continuously working to get better, and you got to be careful with a guy like that. He cares a lot and he’s a young player. You got to make sure — hey, man, what’s next? What’s next? It is what it is, ball went on the ground. We got to get better. We got to move on from this. So just trying to keep him motivated, keep his spirits up. He’s been great all week.”
The ball security, however, has been vastly improved. Last season Nebraska lost a whopping 15 fumbles. This year, just two.
Emmett Johnson
The former Mr. Football in the state of Minnesota continues to be the room’s most explosive back. Barthel has loved what he’s seen from the 5-11, 200-pounder.
“The kid is explosive in space and he’s got the ability to make people miss, and we have to put him in positions to have success,” Barthel said. “That’s the plan and that’s what we’re doing. And he’s a guy that can go in anytime in the game and try to create an explosive run for us.”
Rahmir Johnson
The sixth-year vet is the leader of the room, the vocal presence when there needs to be one, Barthel said of Rahmir Johnson.
“He has the most respect out of all the other running backs, just because of his experience and who he is as a person,” Barthel said. “He’s a great kid, he’s a team player.”
One player who Rahmir has taken under his wing has been Emmett Johnson. The two Johnsons are never too far from one another, the coach joked.
There’s only one football, though. At the end of the day, all the running backs are competing with each other for playing time. Barthel appreciates how well everyone in the room likes each other and roots for one another.
“It’s really great to have that, that they’re close that way and that they’re competing with each other, but yet they’re still friends. That’s that’s important,” Barthel said.
Gabe Ervin Jr.
While Ervin hasn’t had the amount of game snaps he’d want, he hasn’t let that make a negative impact on how he goes about his business. Through all the injuries he’s sustained in his career, he keeps going.
“I think Gabe has really kind of shown progress with the injury and all those things from last year and really getting his burst back the first four weeks the season,” Barthel said. “He’s shown his burst. He’s shown it. The last two weeks of practice he’s really shown some giddy up and getting back to his old self. So when his name is called, he’ll be ready.”
Kwinten Ives
Barthel said the 6-3, 210-pound Ives has been a valuable member to the scout team this season and last year. He’s still such a young and raw player, so there’s more development ahead of him. But the New Jersey native is doing what he needs.
“It’s a crowded room, so he’s making progress on special teams. He’s making progress and obviously got involved in the game now (against Indiana),” Barthel said. “I challenged him in the beginning of the year, you got to find a niche, find your role on this team. Being where you’re at in the depth chart, you got to find a role. And he’s doing that. He’s making himself valuable, whether it be on scout team or in the actual games, on special teams, and being a reserve running back.”
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