Panthers using running back depth and differing skill-sets to their advantage
Wisconsin Badgers running back Bradrick Shaw (7) runs the ball during an NCAA football game on Friday, Aug. 30, 2019 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Lomoglio)
CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa’s four running backs and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s two-back personnel groupings have rejuvenated the Panthers’ run game.
For the first time since 2016, UNI is averaging more than 150 rushing yards per game.
That increase in production goes beyond four capable ball-carriers and Watson’s scheme, though.
Differing physiques and skill-sets, and whose is best in a given situation, has played a pivotal role in why the group has been productive.
Bradrick Shaw, who’s carried 19 times for 77 yards and a touchdown this season, may have the least glamorous, but most important role among the Panthers’ quartet of running backs.
As UNI’s largest ball-carrier, he’s routinely been called upon in short-yardage situations to pick up first downs as well as operate as a fullback.
“I can be in there (as a) fullback, running back, tight end, H-back,” Shaw said. “Mixing up personnel has been fun and really enjoyable for me to do in the game.”
Shaw told The Gazette he’s never played in a system like Watson’s that routinely puts two running backs on the field, but after seeing how productive it’s been through three games, he and his fellow running backs are feeling good vibes.
“We’re really close as a group,” Shaw said. “It just started in fall camp. We wanted to make it a competition within the running backs room and by doing that we all earned the right to play and have our opportunities. It’s been showing from that amount of production we’ve been having.”
Along with their differing physiques and skill-sets, the diverse backgrounds of UNI’s ball-carriers are equally as compelling.
Shaw grew up in Alabama and played for Hoover High School, one of the most decorated and talented programs in the country. So much so the program was featured from 2006-2007 on an MTV reality show titled “Two-A-Days.“
“Football at Hoover prepares you for college,” Shaw said. “’Two-A-Days,’ that just speaks for itself, because if you watch that show, you’ll see how intense it is.”
While at Hoover, Shaw was part of three state championships (2012, 2013, 2014) and became just the second freshman in program history to play varsity.
After high school he committed to Wisconsin and played for the Badgers from 2016-18, then transferred to Cal before ultimately finding a better fit at UNI after entering the transfer portal once more and catching the attention of the coaching staff by sending along his film.
“As soon as you say Bradrick Shaw, you just think of a great person, because he is,” UNI head coach Mark Farley said. “His demeanor never changes, his work ethic never changes, and being the places he’s been, some guys might come in and think they’re going to tell you how to do it or how they do it and keep it their way. He’s adapted to everything we’ve done from our workouts to our practices.”
He admits life is different in Cedar Falls than Alabama, but enjoyable and not too different from his time in Madison. He’s already taken a liking to the Cedar Valley and sung the praises of a local barbecue restaurant that helps him feel at home.
“Being a part of this team has been amazing and Iowa is an amazing state,” Shaw said.
UNI hosts Youngstown State (1-2, 0-1) for its annual homecoming game Saturday at 4 p.m. (ESPN+).
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