Despite entering last season competing for touches with CJ Campbell, running back Antwan Raymond set himself apart as one of the premier running backs not just in the Big Ten but in the country as a whole. Part of that was due to Campbell’s season-ending injury, which allowed Raymond to be the top guy and have a breakout season where he recorded 244 carries for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns. With that in mind, it only makes sense that Raymond is going to get a majority of the touches this season.
However, that begs the question: since CJ Campbell has moved on via the transfer portal, who will be the backup running back behind Antwan Raymond? The two names that come to mind are Ja’Shon Benjamin and Clay Thevenin.
Both running backs are pretty comparable in terms of average rushing production when adjusted to the same number of carries. Benjamin last season carried the ball 68 times for 328 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Thevenin, on the other hand, carried the ball 131 times for 634 yards and 8 touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry, the same average as Benjamin.
Both running backs have comparable rushing stats for the number of times they carried the ball last season; however, one area where Thevenin has an advantage over Benjamin is in the passing game. Last season, Benjamin made 4 catches for 19 yards, while Thevenin made 33 catches for 269 yards. Having that passing option while he is on the field adds another dimension to the offense as a whole.
What makes this race difficult to determine is how much Benjamin has been talked up by the coaching staff in their press conferences. They clearly believe he can be a meaningful contributor, but his snap count doesn’t reflect that. Now that they have brought in a running back with a different skill set, it’s hard to tell what skills they want in that backup role. It would not be surprising if the coaches gave Thevenin the backup role because of that extra dimension he has in his game.
With both backs competing for this role, whoever doesn’t get the backup nod will fill in as a third stringer. The players behind them on the roster all have a very limited amount of playing time, so it is hard to imagine that they are going to push the more established talent out of the higher spots on the rotation.
