BIG TEN Running game has bigger role in success of top teams this year

Teams running the ball are doing better than those relying solely on passing.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
The Big Ten isn't likely to return to the days of "three yards and a cloud of dust," but the running game has played a big part in the success of its top teams this season.
While teams that have relied on passing in their non-conference games have had problems, those running the ball have not. The top five passing teams -- Michigan State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Purdue and Illinois have a combined 7-7 record, while the top-five rushing teams are 12-3.
Strength of non-conference opponents varies, but it's clear rushing is never out of fashion. No. 3 Michigan is the No. 1 rushing team in the country. Minnesota is sixth, Iowa is 14th, Wisconsin is tied for 30th and Northwestern is 51st. The Wolverines, Gophers and Hawkeyes are 3-0. Wisconsin is 2-1 and Northwestern is 1-2.
"I think certainly the pendulum may swing back that way (running game), although it may not swing all the way back," said Purdue coach Joe Tiller, whose passing offense helped change the perception of the conference as a conservative, run-oriented group.
Perry leads nation
Michigan, with the exception of last season, always has been a running team. This season, senior tailback Chris Perry has rushed for 549 yards in three games to lead the country. Wisconsin's Anthony Davis, who suffered an ankle injury last weekend, ranks eighth with 425 yards and Iowa's Fred Russell is No. 20 with 340 yards.
Minnesota, which has played Tulsa, Troy State and Ohio, doesn't have a back in the top 20. The Gophers, however, have four tailbacks who have been running over the opposition. Marion Barber III, Thomas Tapeh, Terry Jackson II and Laurence Maroney have been more than effective and their totals should go up against winless Louisiana-Lafayette at home on Saturday.
Abdul-Khaliq can run
Gopher coach Glen Mason also has a running threat in quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq. The elusive senior is averaging 6.6 yards on 14 carries. Mason played at Ohio State for Woody Hayes, who inspired the "three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust" phrase, and always has stressed the running game.
"It goes back to my philosophy," Mason said during Tuesday's Big Ten teleconference. "I've been a head coach for 18 years and have inherited three programs -- Kent State, Kansas and Minnesota -- that had reputations for throwing the ball, not running the ball, and for playing lousy defense. I was brought up with the idea you had better have the ability to run the ball, at least adequately, and you had better play good defense and not kill yourself in the passing game."
The return of Barber, whose father was a former All-Big Ten running back at Minnesota and played in the NFL, gives Mason a crowded backfield. Barber gained 742 yards as a freshman, but missed almost all of last season with a hamstring injury. He has 212 yards on 38 carries and has scored eight touchdowns this fall.
"I keep telling people who were surprised how he played as a true freshman that he's a lot better now," Mason said. "Statistically, he might not look like it because we're playing four backs now. We kind of roll them in there; no rhyme or reason. (Barber's) strong, he's quick, he has the ability to take it the distance, he's a good receiver, a good blocker. He's the complete deal."
Passing is bigger factor
The passing game has been a bigger factor in the Big Ten since the 1980s when Hayden Fry was at Iowa and Mike White was at Illinois. Tiller's arrival at Purdue brought the spread offense to the league. It also led to conference teams recruiting better defenders, which has caused offenses to adjust.
"What I see having happened is all Big Ten teams today are putting better athletes on the field defensively," Tiller said. "As a result, they are better equipped to defend the passing game than they were seven years ago. If you want to play five, six defensive backs, we'd rather run the football."