Football Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
Kobe Lewis is one-half of CMU's dynamic duo in the backfield.
But Kobe Lewis and Lew Nichols III have earned it.
The dynamic duo comprises Central Michigan's backfield and, together, they encompass a productive and rare blend of speed, power, and explosiveness.
"Kobe and Lew; best backfield in the nation," quarterback Daniel Richardson said.
He might not be far off. Both are among the 91 players nationwide on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which goes annually to the top running back in college football.
Both stand a shade below 6 feet and tip the scales at a chiseled 220 pounds. In the words of running backs coach Cornell Jackson, Lewis is a slide-and-glide runner who has a knack for finding the sweet spot and then leaving would-be tacklers in the dust; Nichols is more apt to make a hard plant and "if you're in his way, he's taking a body part with him."
Nichols is the reigning Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year after scoring five touchdowns and finishing with a combined 617 yards in rushing and receiving in 2020. Lewis has amassed more than 2,300 all-purpose yards and scored 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Jackson, who has coached college football since the mid 1980s, recognizes what a rarity the Chippewas have with such a one-two punch in the backfield. He said that only once in three-plus decades of college coaching has he been part of a program that enjoyed such a luxury.
"I'll tell you what, the two guys that I've got here now, they're really special," he said. "They're good football players, they're good students, they're good teammates, and they're really fun to coach. They're eager, they're hungry, they grow (with) each and every snap in understanding what we're trying to do as an offensive unit. It's been a pleasure for me to coach these two guys."
Jackson said the goal for both has been to better understand the Chippewas' offense and to become better at pass blocking, a skill that few running backs, no matter their pedigree coming out of high school, have mastered as they enter the college game.
"There's no point where you say, 'I'm good right here,'" Lewis said. "It's always just continuously trying to work on everything, all aspects of the game, all aspects of my position."
Yes, there are others in the running back corps, including junior Darius Bracy, a converted defensive back who last year got a fair number of touches, mostly out of the wildcat formation.
There are also a number of young and talented horses in the stable – there always is – but for 2021, the fortunes of the CMU ground game will rest largely on the legs of Lewis and Nichols.
The competition, as is to be expected, between the pair is fierce but without animus.
"We definitely always go at it," Nichols said. "It only makes us better. We understand that, we understand that we're both going to get an opportunity to help this team. In any drill, and in the weight room, (in) anything, we're always competing."
Both, naturally, harbor NFL dreams. In the case of both, those dreams are legitimate, and they can look to former teammate Jonathan Ward for the proverbial roadmap. Ward played at CMU from 2016-19 and is now in his second year with the Arizona Cardinals.
"What's really helped is those guys see Jonathan Ward at the next level," Jackson said. "That really helps (the running back) room because, 'Hey, that's the same guy that was sitting here; now he's at the next level.'
"Everybody wants to go to the next level. (Ward) developed, understood the system, did his job in the system, and somebody gave him a chance at the next level. That helps a lot."
https://cmuchippewas.com/news/2021/8/11/football-dynamic-duo-leads-run-game.aspx
2021-08-12 01:36:47Z
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