IU fans have two games left to watch Tevin Coleman run up and down the field in a Hoosier uniform.
After a career high 307 rushing yards on 32 carries in IU’s 45-23 loss to Rutgers, it is all but official that Coleman will be leaving school early to enter the NFL draft, just as wide receiver Cody Latimer did last year.
Coleman was able to bounce back nicely after not reaching 100 yards rushing last week against Penn State, however, the IU defense went back to being average, and turnovers, penalties and bad decisions cost the Hoosiers their chance to pull off a win.
Coleman has reached 100 yards on the ground in every game besides last week. He is second in the country in rushing yards behind Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon who just set the NCAA record for rushing yards in a game at 408 (in three quarters). He also has 12 touchdowns on the year.
With a chance to reach 2,000 rushing yards for the season (at 1,678 right now), Coleman is clearly the best running back IU has had since Anthony Thompson.
Coleman deserved better from this team.
His monster season has gone almost unnoticed by the national media because his team can’t win games.
Coleman can’t do it all. He can’t play quarterback, running back and wide receiver. He can’t play defense. His teammates have let him down.
Quarterback Zander Diamont did finally play better Saturday, but his receivers didn’t help him out— despite Shane Wynn having a great day statistically with 11 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. There were just too many drops.
Now the final two games of Coleman’s career will be spent in games devoted to developing young players. There is no bowl game to play for. The only thing left is the rivalry game against Purdue.
We’ve essentially watched a Heisman caliber season go to waste.
Coleman himself said it best early on in the season.
“It’s hard to get recognized as a running back here at Indiana,” Coleman said. “Maybe if I were somewhere else I’d probably be noticed because it’s a bigger school and they win much more. I just have to keep working and we have to keep working hard and we have to win more games and maybe I’ll be noticed.”
His talents haven’t been rewarded with attention outside of Bloomington, and his efforts haven’t been rewarded with a bowl game— just like Cody Latimer.
But next year, when he runs up and down the field on an NFL defense, he’ll finally get his due. But until that time, cherish his last two games as a Hoosier.
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