After two games that led to a 1-1 record, Ball State football has had two different running backs lead the team in yards.
In the season-opener win over Eastern Michigan, starting running back Jahwan Edwards totaled 200 yards and three touchdowns. In Saturday's loss to No. 12 Clemson, redshirt freshman Horactio Banks who led the rushing game for the Cardinals.
Banks led the team with 120 yards on seven carries and two touchdowns in the 52-27 loss, but he was able to break free for some impressive runs, which included a 54-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.
With the crowded backfield Ball State has, it wouldn't be surprising if Banks gets more carries after his performance.
"I just try and go out and get better everyday," Banks said after the game Saturday. "This is the easy part. I just try to practice real hard. If I practice hard, then the game slows down a lot more."
If Banks was able to record 120 rushing yards on one of the top teams in the country, he could be in for field days against defenses in the Mid-American Conference once he becomes more familiar with Pete Lembo's offense.
But Lembo will also have to figure out how to distribute playing time between Ball State's other running backs in Barrington Scott, Toney Williams and Dwayne Donigan. Scott ran for 38 yards on 10 carries while Williams recorded 44 yards on nine carries and a touchdown in his Ball State debut.
Donigan has not played yet this season because of an ankle injury he suffered leading up to the Eastern Michigan game.
Lembo said at the beginning of the season he would mix the rotation between his running backs, but it will come down to who is playing the best and who matches up well against the defense. If Banks does get more playing time, he said it will be because of his work ethic in practice.
"It goes back to practice again," he said. "It doesn't matter who we're playing against. If I practice hard, the games get a lot easier."
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