One of the major surprises of year one under Jeff Brohm was the success of the running back room. For most of his coaching career, he has been known for throwing the ball around and then sprinkling in the run game to keep the defense honest. Last season Issac Guerendo and Jawhar Jordan combined for nearly two thousand yards on the ground. Jordan ran for over eleven hundred yards and Guerendo had over eight hundred. For comparison, in Brohm’s six previous seasons at Purdue, he never had a back go over a thousand yards. Both Guerendo and Jordan are now gone as they were both selected in the NFL draft. Their departures seemed to allude to the twenty-twenty-four Cardinals offense returning to the Jeff Brohm pass-happy identity. However, through two games the run game has not only looked good, but three freshman backs are leading the way.
Duke Watson and Isaac Brown are two true freshmen who currently lead Louisville in rushing yards. Both were top forty backs in the twenty-twenty-four recruiting class. With the departures of the Cards two leading rushers from last year, Brown and Watson have capitalized on the opportunity to see the field early. Keyjuan brown is another young talent at running back as he is just a redshirt freshman. He only had sixty-five yards in his true freshman season, but he has nearly doubled that total through just two games this year. Let’s learn a little more about these talented young backs!
Isaac Brown
Isaac Brown was one of the few members of the twenty-four recruiting class who committed to the old Scott Satterfield staff as he was the first commitment in that class. A product of South Florida, he held steady to his commitment to the Cards even when Scott Satterfield left. His patience has paid off as he got on the field right away and he now leads the Cards in rushing yards as a true freshman. At just five-nine, he drew early comparisons to Jawhar Jordan in this past fall camp. Those comparisons have been proven true. His lower center of gravity and burst of speed at the second level are apparent. His season thus far has been highlighted by a seventy-seven-yard run in game one against Austin Peay. His performance in that game was the highest rushing total by a freshman in his debut. He has amassed one-hundred and sixty-six rushing yards through two games and is second on the team in carries behind Maurice Turner.
Duke Watson
Duke Watson is yet another true freshman and he was a highly regarded back out of the state of Georgia. He committed to Louisville back in the summer of twenty-three. He had fifteen plus power four offers including the likes of Ole Miss, Auburn, Kentucky, and Penn State. He was not afraid to shy away from competition as Isaac Brown had already been committed to the Cards for nearly a year. His decision has proven to be a good one as he leads the running back room with an average of nearly fourteen yards per carry. Watson is one of four Cardinal backs that have at least ten carries this season. He also leads the running back room along with Kejuan Brown in touchdowns with two.
Keyjuan Brown
Keyjuan Brown is the thunder compared to the lightning of Duke Watson and Isaac Brown. Keyjuan Brown is over two hundred pounds at just five-nine. For comparison, Duke Watson is three inches taller but nearly thirty pounds lighter. Furthermore, Keyjuan has had an additional year in the Cardinals strength program to add on to his already naturally big frame. Keyjuan does not necessarily have the homerun speed of Duke Watson and Isaac Brown, but he will be a pivotal piece in the balance of the Cards rushing attack for years to come.
Before the season, the assumption made by many about the Cards running back room was that Miami transfer Don Chaney and third-year player Maurice Turner would see the bulk of the touches. This assumption was in part true. Chaney has only had three carries through two games, but Turner leads the team in carries. However, he only has an average of five point four yards per rush. Maurice is a talented player who is important to the Card’s rushing attack, but it will be more of a battle than expected for him to lead the team in carriers.
As the Cards turn the page from the bye week and embark on tougher competition the dispersion of touches in the running back room will lessen. Despite two blow-out victories, these first two games proved that the gap between the freshman running backs, and the upperclassmen is minimal. The three leading running backs in yards per carry are all freshmen. Look for Keyjuan Brown to fill the role of the bigger back in the Card’s rushing attack this season. A true freshman has not led the Cards in rushing since Frank Moreau in nineteen-ninety-five. In twenty-twenty-four, either Duke Watson or Isaac Brown will accomplish this feat and lead the Cards in rushing yards.
