Indiana Football's Rushing Offense, Trio of Ballcarriers Among Nation's Best Through 2 Weeks

When Indiana senior running back Roman Hemby takes handoffs, he often sees runways cleared for takeoff.

But Hemby, the lead ball-carrier in a rotation with three players inside the top 75 in rushing yards, hopes viewers notice more than the gaudy results of his explosive runs.

"If you look at the holes (the offensive line is) opening up for, not myself alone, but the other running backs as well, you can see they make our job really easy," Hemby said Tuesday. "And they're doing a really good job."

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti agreed, noting the Hoosiers' success on the ground — they enter Week 3 ranked No. 3 in the nation with 311 rushing yards per game — starts up front with the offensive linemen and tight ends.

Hemby, redshirt junior Lee Beebe Jr. and redshirt senior Kaelon Black are the beneficiaries.

Hemby owns a team-high 32 carries for 175 yards, which ranks eighth in the Big Ten and 46th nationally. He's also caught two passes for 34 yards, including a 25-yard gain against Kennesaw State in Week 2 where he had a physical chip to aid right tackle Kahlil Benson, made a catch, sliced through Owl defenders and finished with a physical stiff-arm.

Beebe, who fumbled his first touch in the season opener, has responded by rushing 22 times for 163 yards and one score. He leads the trio with 7.4 yards per carry, tied for seventh best in the Big Ten among those with at least 15 carries, and he's 57th nationally in rushing yards.

Black has rushed 27 times for 149 yards, which ranks tied for No. 75 nationally, to go along with one touchdown.

"The backs are running well," Cignetti said Wednesday on his radio show. "They run hard. They all have talent. When you got three of them, you can roll it. It keeps them fresh, keeps the hits off, too. So, really like what's going on there. And got to keep going."

The Hoosiers are the only team in the FBS with three rushers in the top 75 through two weeks.

"It definitely reflects the work we've been putting in," Hemby said. "And it's still early. It's still a lot of things we haven't been able to do, that we're still working to get, but it shows the grit and resilience we have as a room. We put each other in positions to be successful.

"We kind of compete with one another to make sure that everybody has their best foot forward at all times."

Indiana's deep, balanced rushing attack is a familiar trait to Cignetti, whose teams have always split carries and taken a committee approach to the backfield. Dating back to 2022 at James Madison, Cignetti's past three offenses have given at least 100 carries to two running backs.

Last season, the Hoosiers primarily used Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton at running back. Ellison rushed 159 times for 848 yards and 10 touchdowns while Lawton took 141 carries for 668 yards and 12 scores. Black added 46 attempts for 251 yards and two touchdowns.

Indiana led the Big Ten with 37 rushing touchdowns and finished fifth in the conference with 165.1 rushing yards per game in 2024. The Hoosiers' 2025 crop, with Hemby, Black and Beebe, has large shoes to fill.

So far, the trio has delivered.

"The amazing thing is, that running back room has always had great karma," Cignetti said. "Those guys pull for each other, and it's been that way, really, since 2019 (at James Madison). And it's that way now. They're all tremendous guys. They got great work ethics. They practice great. They're on special teams."

Indiana has rushed for over 300 yards in each of its first two games, the lone FBS team to hold the distinction.

The Hoosiers rushed 57 times for 309 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 1 win over Old Dominion, which they followed with 39 carries for 313 yards and three scores against Kennesaw State.

Indiana's third-ranked ground game is a point of pride for Hemby, a Maryland transfer who's never finished better than 80th nationally in team rushing yards.

"That means a lot to me as a running back and offensive player as a whole," Hemby said. "Success comes in the run game and the pass game, and I feel like it's just a testament to the work our offensive line is putting in, our coaching staff is putting in making sure they're putting us in the right position.

"And just the running back room kind of highlighting and then capitalizing on the opportunities we're given."

The key to capitalizing, Hemby said, is trusting his blockers — a task made easier by offensive line coach Bob Bostad and quality control coach Zack Leeds.

Indiana ranks No. 22 in the FBS with a 70.5 run blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus, and the Hoosiers' 78.9 rushing grade places them 43rd nationally.

“I think those guys (are) blue collar," Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said Wednesday on the Inside Indiana radio show. "They're tough, they work hard every single day, and we know their success up front will lead to a lot of other quarterback, running back, receiver success as well. So, we got a lot of trust and confidence in those guys.

"Coach Bostad, Coach Leeds, they do a great job getting those guys ready to play. And then, they give us a chance to put some points on the board every single week."

Indiana running backs coach John Miller drew praise from Cignetti, as did Ellison, who's now serving as an offensive quality control coach. Cignetti said Ellison "commands respect," and Hemby added it's valuable getting coached by someone who was in his shoes one year prior.

"It's amazing, honestly, just being able to hear some of the things he says, the way he works with us," Hemby said. "He has a lot of experience at the running back position, and he has little tools and nuggets as well. Like him and coach Miller, they do a great job making sure we're prepared week in and week out, and they challenge us.

"He's one of those guys that challenges us. He'll come up there every day, making sure we have things to work on because it's always you're getting better or you're getting worse, and they make sure they put us in position to get better."

Indiana's success on the ground directly influences its aerial attack. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza said it opens up play action, while receiver Elijah Sarratt, who caught three touchdowns against Kennesaw State, noted it creates space and advantageous matchups for the team's pass-catchers.

"Man, it makes my life a whole lot easier," Sarratt said. "If our run game's on, they're going to have to pack the box, and then that's going to leave me and other guys with one-on-one opportunities, which we want. So, shout out to our running backs.

"They're doing their thing, and I want to be able to continue to block for them, so they can be able to have that success that they're having."

Hemby knows the road only gets tougher.

After Indiana wraps up non-conference play with Indiana State at 6:30 p.m. Friday, the Hoosiers enter a three-game stretch where they'll face No. 9 Illinois at home, play Iowa in a sold-out Kinnick Stadium on Homecoming weekend and travel to Oregon for a matchup with the No. 4 Ducks.

But the Hoosiers' focus remains on the mundane. They're clicking on all cylinders, Hemby said, but they don't want to sputter when the terrain becomes more challenging.

After all, Indiana has witnessed the potential of its rushing attack — and the Hoosiers have no plans of letting it go by the wayside.

"I think the last two weeks, we've been able to show a little bit of a glimpse of what we can do," Hemby said, "if we keep attacking the week and stacking days."