Indiana's backfield was a question mark heading into the offseason following the departure of three-year starter Stevie Scott.
Scott accounted for 65 percent of Indiana's rushing yards in 2020 and 56 percent of the total carries. Tim Baldwin, Sampson James and David Ellis accounted for just 70 total carries a season ago and came into this season looking to carry the bulk of the load.
Then came USC transfer Stephen Carr joining the Indiana roster.
Carr came to Bloomington after a career at Southern Cal that was hampered by injuries at times as well as a crowded backfield, but when he was healthy, he flashed great potential.
He totaled 1,329 yards on 264 carries with 12 touchdowns in his career at USC. He also caught 57 passes for 421 yards.
Reuniting with IU running backs coach Deland McCullough was a big reason for his decision to come to Indiana and he is looking to get back to his old game, something he showed when he played under McCullough at USC.
“Coming out of high school, I didn’t really know too much about football,” Carr said earlier this summer. “I would just get the ball and run and it worked out, thank God. But coming in my freshman year, he (McCullough) explained the whole blocking scheme to me, how to read holes, how to read the first-down defender, how to call out D-linemen as a three-technique or a five-technique guy or stuff like that, and that’s very, very important when it comes to communication, coming back to the sideline and talking to your coach.''
Flash forward a few short months after his arrival at Indiana and the former top-40 recruit is looking like the lead back for Indiana in what should be another year with an explosive offense.
Carr had multiple strong runs in Indiana's scrimmage over the weekend that included a handful of broken tackles in both the second and third level of the IU defense. His strength, speed and athleticism continues to stand out.
"Stephen Carr, I think is obviously [emerging as the lead candidate]. He does a lot of things well," IU head coach Tom Allen said following Indiana's first scrimmage of fall camp. "He can obviously run the football, but he can pass [protect] and he has really good hands and understands [the game]. He has played a lot of football and understands how to run. Some guys just have that knack to them. He did some good things for sure."
For Deland McCullough, the running back position is not just about someone who can run hard -- something Carr can do and do well. He is looking for a complete back and a player who will be able to help IU in any situation he's in.
“I don’t want to be in a position where we have to pass and I can’t trust this guy in pass protection. Or we got a situation where, man, I really don’t trust him. He’s a great runner, but he fumbles every 20 carries or so," McCullough said last week. "Those are things — he’s got to be a complete back. He’s got to be able to do everything.”
Not only does Carr have a knack to hang on to the ball -- just three fumbles in a total of 336 career touches -- but he also knows the importance of being a complete back.
“Pass protection is the number one thing that a running back needs because if you can’t pass block, it’s hard to put you in a game,” Carr said this summer. “They’ll blitz you every time they put you in the game or they’ll find a way to break you.”
With a few weeks left until Indiana takes the field against Iowa to open the season, Carr has put himself in a great position to be the lead back for the Hoosiers in 2021.
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