Nebraska football post-spring running back depth chart projection

Most of the conversation this spring for Nebraska football revolved around the quarterbacks. But running the football is always going to be important for the Huskers and any other team that wants to win.

You need an elite quarterback or at least an effective quarterback to win. Yet, you also need an effective running game. It’s amazing how much a defense and a quarterback will look when the offense can run the ball.

It allows the offense to control the clock, rest of the defense, and put the quarterback in favorable positions. It’s much easier to play the position on 2nd-and-5 than on 2nd-and-10. That’s where the running game comes in.

Despite the struggles on offense last season, Nebraska football was one of the better-rushing teams in the Big Ten. Nebraska averaged more yards per game and more yards per attempt last season than Michigan and was second in each category behind only Penn State.

The offensive line mostly returns intact, while Anthony Grant was the only subtraction from the running back room. There was talk about Gabe Ervin transferring, but he stayed and the Huskers also brought back Rahmir Johnson and added Dante Dowdell from Oregon.

Dowdell had a long touchdown run in the spring game. However, Emmett Johnson was more consistent throughout the spring. He averaged 4.6 yards per attempt last season and had five games with at least 50 rushing yards. There were six games in which he got at least 10 attempts. He averaged more than four yards per attempt four times and 3.8 another.

That was in the middle of Big Ten play against eight-man boxes because the passing game wasn’t a threat. Johnson looks bigger, faster, and better. Dowdell is another talented back and Ervin/Johnson have produced during their Nebraska football careers when healthy.

They each missed the spring, and with that in mind, here’s a look at the post-spring depth chart projection for Nebraska football running backs.

Starter: Emmett Johnson; Backups: Dante Dowdell, Gabe Ervin, Rahmir Johnson, and Kwinten Ives

Johnson and Dowdell should get most of the carries this season. Rahmir Johnson will have a role to play. Matt Rhule has talked about his performance against Michigan in 2021 and at the very least, I would love to see him utilized in the passing game.

Ervin can be the closer and a tremendous power back when healthy. He just hasn’t been able to stay healthy but could be the best of the bunch if he could stay on the field.

As it stands, all four running backs are going to have roles. It takes more than one. Johnson should get around 175-200 carries if he’s the starter and I think he will be. However, by the middle or end of the season, I feel like it will be Johnson and Dowdell as 1A and 1B, with Rahmir as the third-down guy/kick returner.