Iowa’s Daniels looks for bigger role at RB

IOWA CITY - Iowa rarely called plays against tendency last year in third-and-long situations. But when it did at Purdue, running back LeShun Daniels Jr. made the play successful.

Facing third-and-six at the Boilermakers' 34-yard line and holding a 17-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Iowa lined up with three wide receivers in a shotgun formation. Daniels, who replaced an injured Damon Bullock as the team's third-down back, took a surprising handoff, burst over right tackle for seven yards and a first down. The run propelled the Hawkeyes to a touchdown four plays later and ultimately a double-digit victory.

'I was playing third-down back so I was doing lots of pass protections and lots of routes,” said Daniels, now a junior. 'So we were confident in our game plan, and they threw in a run play for me. The coaches told me to go get a first down and make a play. That's what I did.”

The run was one of the few highlights for Daniels in an injury-plagued sophomore year. He was one of four running backs rotating through the lineup early, then he was the first scuttled out of the rotation. In late October, Daniels suffered a broken foot that required surgery. Daniels returned for bowl action (one carry for seven yards), but overall the season was a disappointment.

The year started so promising, too. On Iowa's first drive in the opening game, Daniels ran an outside zone to the left around All-American tackle Brandon Scherff and into the end zone. That was the only time he scored all season. Daniels rushed 15 times for 49 yards and played in only five games. As a true freshman in 2013, Daniels carried 36 times for 142 yards.

'It was tough to go through an injury like that,” Daniels said. 'You work all year and stuff to prepare and have it cut short with an injury, it hurt. It was big to get healthy and come back.”

Daniels, the son of former Ohio State lineman LeShun Daniels and brother of current Iowa freshman center James Daniels, is a physical marvel. He stands 6 feet and weighs 223 pounds. He's down about 10 pounds from last year and has a chiseled frame. Daniels said his speed and agility are better than last year, along with his strength. Daniels bench presses 405 pounds and squats 520, numbers he said are 'by far the strongest of the running backs.”

Iowa's running backs were four deep this spring with Daniels, senior Jordan Canzeri, sophomore Akrum Wadley and sophomore Derrick Mitchell Jr. All four have the potential to play regularly, but Daniels is Iowa's best bet to replace Mark Weisman as the team's true power back.

'I'm more of a bigger-type back,” Daniels said. 'Get tough yardage and help keep the offense rolling. We all bring different things to table, and we're all going to help contribute to the season.”

That what junior quarterback C.J. Beathard eyes for Daniels, too.

'He's got a lot of potential to help us out this season,” Beathard said. 'Now that Mark's gone, I think he can fill a bigger role as a running back, along with the other guys.

'I think LeShun is going to be a part of this offense this season. He's going to step up and help us this year, and I think he will do that.”

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com