Photo by Jake McNeill: Southwest Minnesota State running back Blake Allen runs through a gap during a rep during a preseason practice at Mattke Field on Friday.

MARSHALL — If there’s one thing the Mustangs were known for last season, it’s running. The Southwest Minnesota State football team struggled at points to put points on the board, finishing 10th out of 14 teams in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, but the onus was by no means on the run game. The Mustangs finished fourth in the NSIC with 172.8 yards per game on the ground. Yet, with the departure of last year’s All-Conference first-team running back Jesse Sherwood, some people have questions about if the run game can perform at the same level it did last season.

Last season, Sherwood finished the year with 1,213 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns. He ran for at least 140 yards in each of the first four games he played, including a 196-yard outing against Concordia-St. Paul and a 205-yard performance a week later at UMary. While his talent will be missed, the hope is that returning talent on the offensive line and in the backfield can make the transition a smooth one. 

“Jesse had a great year last year and our O-Line paved the way on that so both parties were really good,” SMSU head coach Scott Underwood said. 

Success on the ground often comes from cohesion in the trenches. Having experienced linemen who have played with each other for years can help open gaps for running backs. This year’s SMSU roster is fortunate that only one of last year’s 13 offensive linemen was a senior, Dylan Lauer. With a large group of returners, the Mustang offensive line has the opportunity to be a force to be reckoned with.

“I have super high standards for myself and super high goals. I know I can trust the five guys up front and then even our wide receivers and tight ends. They always do a great job blocking, and in the pass game as well,” Donny Austin, SMSU’s expected starter at running back, said. “Sky’s the limit here.”

While Austin didn’t typically start last year, he made the most of his opportunity when he had it. In a game against Sioux Falls, he took 31 carries for 217 yards, good for the 10th most rushing yards in a game by an individual in program history. 

“The thought process is just being a vocal leader and holding everybody to have the same standard I hold myself to,” Austin said on his approach to being this year’s likely bell cow in the backfield. “I hold myself to a pretty high standard. We’ve got a lot of pieces, so really, all I’m really worried about right now is Minot [State in week 1].”

Austin isn’t just a one-game wonder, either. He finished the season with 565 yards, but the most impressive part of his performance was his efficiency. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry on the season. That number may be hard to keep up with the significantly larger workload he’s expected to receive this season, but his performance could make for another year of SMSU having a special run game.

“We felt like [Austin] gave us a lot of things. He’s a little bit bigger back, out of the backfield he catches the ball well, so again, if we were starting tomorrow, Donny would be our starter,” Underwood said.

Serving as a change-of-pace back alongside Austin is Blake Allen. Allen received minimal opportunities in his sophomore season but, like Austin, made the most of his chances when he had them. He took his 20 attempts for 130 yards, an average of 6.5 per carry, while also scoring a touchdown. 

“My plan of attack this year is just to follow the coaching staff and follow the O-line a lot because, without them, there’s nothing I’m able to do. Nobody’s going to push it all forward,” Allen said.

At 6-foot, 220 pounds, Austin tends to run as a power back. Allen, on the other hand, has a more lean stature that could help keep opposing defenses honest with runs outside the tackles. 

“I for sure want to be a home-run hitter. I want to be that guy that takes anything to the house anytime he touches the ball,” Allen said.

Aside from Austin and Allen, the Mustangs have a large group of running backs competing for carries this season. There are six freshman running backs on the Mustangs’ roster currently. Among them is redshirt freshman Treay Taylor, who Underwood said has made some great strides since last season.

“We’ve got a young group of running backs and everything, so Blake and I are just kind of leading the younger guys. Teaching them the footsteps, O-linemen assignments and then executing the play. That’s what it really comes down to,” Austin said

“It’s a growing process for sure. As me and Donny are both leading, we’re also growing as players as well because they help us expand our game more and they tell us what they see from their eyes,” Allen said. “We’re growing together as a family.”

Underwood added that many of them are still adjusting to the jump from high school to college and learning the challenges that come with college football. Still, that may change as they get more opportunities in practice.

Summer school

Following the first week of training, Underwood said that the players he’s seen the most improvement out of have been the players that stayed on campus over the summer for strength and conditioning work. 

“Guys around town, Omar Abdi has done a great job of being here and understanding our offense. I think the key part right now with young guys is that they’re so busy thinking about where they’re supposed to go and what they’re supposed to do, that they’re not probably able to showcase their talents,” Underwood said. 

“Currently, we’re doing a good job with it, but I think as we get in here to week two when they get more comfortable with it, they’ll get a chance to see more of that.”

Underwood also acknowledged defensive back Josh Robles and defensive lineman Harrison Weber as players that spent much of the summer before their freshman year training on campus and seeing the work pay off early in camp. 

Finding a rhythm

Heading into week two, the key to the team’s improvement is going to be finding more consistency, Underwood said. He added that the offense has looked more dominant some days in the first week while the defense has others, so getting both to play on a high-level consistency, both with the starters and the second and third-stringers, can help the team build some momentum and success as they head into the season.