Running back to the action

Two years ago, Hoosier running back Yamar Washington completed one of the better seasons for a Hoosier freshman back, earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors from The Sporting News. \nHe led the team with nine touchdowns, convincing the coaches they could count on him. \nThe following spring, just one day prior to the spring football game, Washington made a cut in practice and has not played since.\nWashington tore his anterior cruciate ligament, sidelining him for all of last season, and he now must convince the coaches once again. \nThe Houston native underwent reconstructive surgery and is back on the field for the 2004 campaign. \n"When it happened, I just couldn't believe it. I was very frustrated," Washington said. "But in the back of my mind, I knew I could recover from it and come back."\nAgainst border-rival Kentucky, Washington rushed for a season-best 163 yards and followed that performance with a 129-yard game against Central Michigan, becoming the first freshman since Alex Smith in 1994 to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games. \nWashington and his coaches are hoping to use this year's spring practices as an opportunity to rediscover his freshman year form and shake off the rust of a year away. \n"Right now, in the spring, we are just trying to see where he is," IU running back's coach Gerald Brown said. "Before his injury, I thought he established himself as a complete back. We want to just see where he has come to now."\nBut now, Washington joins a crowded Hoosier backfield that saw three backs with at least 90 carries last season, including sophomore BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who rushed for 985 yards and seven touchdowns during his freshman year.\n"It's great that we have depth at the running back position," Green-Ellis said. "Competition will make players play well, and I know that I will go out and play my hardest everyday."\nJunior Chris Taylor also saw significant action last fall, carrying the ball 116 times for 464 yards and three touchdowns. \nWhile Washington attempts to regain his old form, Brown is using the spring football practices to determine which back will be the feature back in the Hoosiers offense come the fall. \n"It's the same thing with all of them. They have to come to practice and know their assignments," Brown said. "The bottom line is, while they're out there they have to produce. We'll just see who steps up and wants it the most."\nWashington firmly believes he can recover from his knee injury.\nHoosiers wide receiver junior Tywan Freeney and Baltimore Ravens Running Back Jamal Lewis are two people Washington uses as examples of successful recovery from knee injuries.\nLewis recovered from his injuries and last year finished second all-time in the NFL for most rushing yards in a single season. \n"I think Yamar has an extraordinary work ethic and has tremendous pride," IU coach Gerry DiNardo said. "He'll push himself enough. When he's ready to go, we'll know he's ready to go. He's always does the right thing on and off the field. He's terrific."\nBefore coming to IU, Washington was named Offensive Player of the Year by the Greater Houston Touchdown Club in 2000. He rushed for 52 touchdowns during his freshman and sophomore years at St. Pius High School.\nThis spring, the coaching staff has held Washington to only two days of practice per week, and even though IU has numerous running backs worthy of playing time, the coaches feel Washington can regain his freshman form.\n"You never want to see a kid go down, and I know how frustrated he was because we had seen his progress and knew he was somebody we could count on," Brown said. "But Yamar is a hard worker and such a competitor that once he gets going, his instinct will come back."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Cohen at djcohen@indiana.edu.