Coker brushes off the bruises

IOWA CITY -- Marcus Coker's Sunday mornings are a little slower than yours.

The University of Iowa running back has carried the ball an average of 26.5 times a game during the last four weeks. So no, he doesn't jump out of bed on Sunday morning and run down to the bagel store.

"No, I ease out of bed," the sophomore said. "Sundays are actually pretty good. It's more Saturday nights when I'm sore. I try to get a nice rest and Sundays are pretty good."

Coker is putting his body out there and he's getting results.

Coker, a 6-foot, 230-pounder from Beltsville, Md., is the Big Ten's leading rusher this week with 122.33 rushing yards a game. He also leads the Big Ten in carries with 211, 16 more than No. 2, Wisconsin's Montee Ball. His 211 attempts also are sixth nationally.

He goes through an ice bath and uses some heat to ease the bruising. That's basically it. He said he doesn't use any aspirin, Tylenol or ibuprofen.

"Later in the season, any football player is going to tell you it takes the whole week to recover," he said.

Coker is 105 attempts from tying Iowa's season record of 316, set by Sedrick Shaw in 1995. In 2008, Shonn Greene carried 307 times.

Coach Kirk Ferentz was asked this week if Coker was one of those backs who gets stronger as the game progresses.

"So far, so good, and good backs do that and good running teams do that," Ferentz said. "I'm not saying we're that, either or, but that's how it works. But that being said, if we could get him a little rest during the game it wouldn't hurt him."

Coker wears No. 34 in honor of his childhood idols, Earl Campbell and Walter Payton. He's always envisioned himself as being a workhorse-type running back. He's fine with however many carries coaches send his way.

If that's 30 carries a game the next three weekends, he's good with that.

"Whatever it takes to help our team win, that's what I'm going to do," Coker said.

No matter however many ice baths and hot showers it takes.