New game in Big Ten

IOWA CITY - Gone are the days of three yards, a fullback and a cloud of dust.

The rubber filament between the FieldTurf fibers now flies like a cyclone when Big Ten quarterbacks take the snap. The quarterbacks who once handed off to fullbacks now dish to no one.

The same position that produced players who threw only on third down now lead the Big Ten in rushing. It's a phenomenon that rattles the Big Ten profile. Instead of Woody and Bo and the 1970s, in today's Big Ten you've got Mr. Robinson and a Touch of Gray.

Michigan junior quarterback Denard Robinson, who destroyed the national record book last year for rushing yards by a quarterback, is at it again. He's fourth nationally in rushing yards with 552. Nebraska sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez ranks second in the Big Ten and 25th nationally with 421 yards.

Then there's Minnesota junior quarterback MarQueis Gray, who's 53rd nationally and sixth in the Big Ten with 351 yards. Even Northwestern stopgap Kain Coulter ranks 68th nationally and seventh in the Big Ten with 79 yards a game.

But there's more. Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, the league leader in total offense, and Illinois' Nathan Scheelhaase (224 rushing yards) use both their arms and legs to move the ball.

Ohio State Coach Luke Fickell called it an “evolution” of putting quarterbacks in position to make plays, whether it's with the run or pass.

“I just think people aren't cookie-cutters anymore,” Fickell said. “There's some programs and some different things that you probably try to use your talent to the best of its ability.

“I just think it's a little bit more of that open-mindedness, that you try to put the guys at the position that they can be successful and if that's at the quarterback position, then it happens to be with some guys running, then it's more obvious.”

The running quarterback has changed college football the last two years, especially in the Big Ten. But it's not a phenomenon many expect to last for very long. BTN analyst Glen Mason, a former head coach at Kansas and Minnesota, said the league is in a cycle of good athletes at quarterback, especially with Robinson, Martinez and Gray. But, he added, “I don't think it's a trend.”

“When you look at all three of those guys, they have the ability to take a bad play and turn it into a pretty good play because of the way they run the football,” Mason said. “It would be different if all three of those schools were featuring option football where the quarterback has the option to carry. Some of that is sprinkled in, especially with Nebraska and Michigan, but not so much Minnesota.”

Iowa's Norm Parker doesn't consider this era of running quarterbacks as new. In fact, it resembles something from the past. Before the days of Ohio State quarterbacks Cornelius Greene and Rex Kern running the ball from Woody Hayes' T-formation, tailbacks and quarterbacks lined up just feet behind the center. A split-second after the snap, a back spun and a runner emerged with the ball.

“They are single-wing tailbacks,” Parker said. “It's like going back to the old days. They run, they pass. Some of them even kick. They are single-wing tailbacks. That's who they are. About three or four teams, aren't the leading rushers at quarterback?”

The running quarterback era exploded last season. Robinson rushed for 1,702 yards, cruising past Air Force quarterback Beau Morgan's record of 1,494 yards. Robinson led the Big Ten and finished second in the nation in rushing. Martinez ran for 965 yards to finish ninth in the Big 12.

But perhaps more scary to opposing defensive coordinators is their ability to pass. Robinson was the first player in college history to run for more than 1,500 and throw for more than 2,500 in a season. Scheelhaase finished 10th in Big Ten rushing last year with 868 yards - fifth-best all-time by a quarterback - but also threw for 1,825.

This year, Scheelhaase is even more efficient. He ranks second in league passer efficiency and just missed the weekly top 10 with 224 rushing yards.

Wilson is at a different level from the rest. The senior transfer from North Carolina State ranks second nationally in passer efficiency. He entered the season with 1,089 career rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He posted 9,628 yards of total offense before coming to Wisconsin. Now as a Badger, Wilson has 1,244 total yards through the first four games.

Still, Mason sees the running quarterback trend ending. Both Robinson and Martinez missed time with injuries last year, and few quarterbacks can withstand a full season of heavy running and passing duties against Big Ten defenses.

“I think it's unique right now,” Mason said. “I think it's unique those teams are trying to figure it out not to have their quarterback as the leading rusher, but to have their running backs be the leading rusher.”