BOWLING GREEN — When Bowling Green State University’s football team opened fall practice in late July, a large group of players took part in drills with running backs coach Brian White.
The quantity of backs wasn’t the only thing that stood out. The size, especially of the freshmen, was certainly noticeable.
“Our running back room, obviously, Terion [Stewart] is special, [Jaison] Patterson’s got a ton of experience, Jamal Johnson a ton of experience. But we’ve got some newcomers there that — we’ll find out if they can hold onto the ball, that’s the big thing — but they walked in stronger than oxen,” BGSU football coach Scot Loeffler said. “They walked in with power [four conference] size.
“They’re fast, they’ve got great vision, you can tell that just by watching them. If they can hold onto the ball and be extremely mature, I think they can help us.”
With the addition of freshmen Mar’Kel Porter (6-foot-1, 220 pounds), Jaden Copening (6-0, 205), Nakai Amachree (5-10, 195), and Cameron Pettaway (5-10, 175), BGSU has its largest running back room in Loeffler’s six years as the Falcons’ coach. Eleven backs are listed on the roster.
“We’ve got a really deep running back room right now,” Loeffler said. “There’s a couple young guys that I think, in particular, have a chance to contribute this year. But we’ll see when we get the pads on if they can hold onto the ball.”
Prior to arriving at BGSU, the first-year college backs had plenty of highlights in their high school careers. How they perform during fall camp could determine if they will have a significant role for the Falcons this season.
Amachree and Pettaway were two of the highest-ranked running backs from Michigan in the 2024 class. According to 247Sports, Amachree was ranked as the No. 30 recruit (No. 1 running back) and Pettaway No. 40 (No. 3 back) from the state.
Amachree racked up more than 3,000 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Haslett High School in Haslett, Mich. The sought-after recruit also set school records for single-game rushing yards (345) and single-game rushing touchdowns (six) in his final season.
Pettaway, who went to Farmington High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, rushed for 1,186 yards and 26 touchdowns to go with 465 receiving yards as a junior in 2022. Despite missing a handful of games his senior season, he had 537 rushing yards and nine scores in five games.
Porter (595 rushing yards, eight touchdowns on 101 carries in 2023), from Lancaster High School in Dallas, and Copening, from St. Thomas More School in East Hartford, Conn., add size and versatility to BGSU as well.
“They’re huge, first of all,” BGSU senior cornerback Jordan Oladokun said. “... They came in and they look like they’ve been in the college program for a couple years.
“I know coach Loeffler’s excited, I’m excited to see what they can do because the running back room’s already very good.”
Learning from Stewart, Patterson, Johnson, and the other backs who have been in the program should be beneficial to the newcomers.
Stewart (5-9, 220), a bowling ball of sorts himself with his elite tackle-breaking ability, has 1,469 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in his career. The 2023 second-team Mid-American Conference selection has averaged 6.3 yards per carry in his three seasons with the Falcons.
Patterson (6-0, 220, senior) has 982 rushing yards in 36 career games, while Johnson (5-10, 200, senior) has 415 rushing yards in 33 games.
Regarding Stewart, Loeffler and his players have noticed a growth during the offseason with their star back. With him leading the way, BGSU could be a force once again on the ground.
“There were some things that he needed to do habit-wise that wasn’t elite. I think he’s done a great job with maturing, and the one thing about Terion is he brings a ton of juice and energy to practice,” Loeffler said. “He loves football, and he brings it every day, and I think our players feed off of his energy. I really like how his enthusiasm’s so contagious with our team.”
Added BGSU senior offensive lineman Alex Wollschlaeger: “From what we have seen as players and what the coaches have seen, I’ve heard nothing really but good things [about the freshmen]. Brian White’s doing a great job coaching them, and they want to learn from the best. So who other to follow than Terion? He puts on great stats when he gets the ball, so he’ll show them what to do and they’ll get plenty of experience.”
First Published August 11, 2024, 9:21 p.m.
