Cyclones will run with thunder and lightning

MES - Iowa State's running backs see themselves as something like a summer rainstorm - packed with thunder and lightning.

For thunder, there's Jeff Woody, a 6-foot-1, 245-pound bruiser who thrives on straight-ahead power running but is nimble enough to avoid tacklers, too.

The lighting comes from James White and Shontrelle Johnson, small and fast, the kind of backs who can bust open a big play in the blink of an eye.

It's a combination that should give the Cyclones both depth and versatility in their running game.

"The good thing about depth is, you can stay fresh," White said. "Camp is a grind, day in, day out. It pretty much keeps you fresh when you have other guys who can come in."

Red-shirt freshmen DeVondrick Nealy and Rob Standard also are getting a look, and they certainly bring strong credentials.

Nealy rushed for 2,743 yards and scored 39 touchdowns as a high school senior in Florida, while Standard is the St. Louis area prep leader with 7,799 career rushing yards, plus 98 touchdowns. Tyler Leo, a 208-pound sophomore, is another option as a short-yardage back.

So that should be enough bodies at the position, right?

Well, a coach will tell you that because of the pounding they take, a team can never have enough running backs.

"You can never have enough running backs for me, either," Woody said. "With what we have, we can go three plays hard and not have to worry about getting tired. If we have a 15-play drive, someone can fill in for you and the offense doesn't miss a beat."

Coach Paul Rhoads and first-year offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham like the option they have of changing the pace in their running game, going with speed at times and power at other times.

The Cyclones saw that combo click perfectly in their monumental upset of No. 2 Oklahoma State last year. White caught a swing pass on the first play of overtime and sprinted 25 yards for a touchdown. In the second overtime, with a chance to win it, Iowa State gave the ball to Woody three straight times for the deciding touchdown.

"Just those pounds on his body against those defenders, they weren't really tackling him," White said.

Woody never tires of the replay showing him rumbling the final 4 yards into the end zone - and the celebration that followed.

"That was a huge confidence booster for me," he said. "This is the biggest potential upset that our school's ever had and they trust you to do it, that was huge for me."

Johnson's return also could be big.

He was leading led the team in rushing and averaging 4.8 yards a carry when he injured his neck in the fourth game last year. Johnson underwent surgery and missed the rest of the season, but he was cleared to play last month and is ready to contribute.

"We're all really excited because he provides this kind of instant pop," Woody said. "James is very fast, but Shontrelle can turn a three-yard play into a 100-yard play. It will be incredible to see what he actually is able to do."

White moved into the starting job after Johnson got hurt and ripped off a 76-yard touchdown run against Baylor in the very next game. He ran for 148 yards in that game, put up 138 at Texas Tech and finished with 743 yards in 159 carries to lead the team. He also scored a team-best nine touchdowns.

"We talk about committing to the football team, we talk about being a team player, that's James White," Rhoads said. "Whether that's getting a majority of the carries in a game or splitting carries with Shontrelle or Jeff or whoever, he'll be a complete team player on our football team."

Woody had a season-high 85 yards and two touchdowns at Kansas State and finished with 381 yards and six TDs. His 4.2 average was more than respectable for a runner who's in there to get the tough yards inside.

"We all have things that we do well, and there are things that the other one does better than we do," Woody said. "I admit, I'm not as fast as James White. But I am 45 pounds heavier than he is. So we do things different and we do what we do very well."

Rhoads also wants quarterbacks Steele Jantz and Jared Barnett involved in the running game, and both have shown ability in that area.

Jantz scrambled out of trouble numerous times while leading the Cyclones to a 3-0 start last fall. Barnett was the team's second-leading rusher (437 yards) and averaged 4.2 yards a carry.

"We're going to run the football," Rhoads said. "We think we need to be a run-first football team and set up the pass with the run game."

It would seem Rhoads has what he needs to do just that.