Schroeder rushes for career day

Sophomore running back Bryan Schroeder found himself running for the end zone two weeks ago against Toledo on a run play.

However, he was tackled at Toledo’s 37-yard line, ending the run at 49 yards. Junior wide receiver Kito Poblah was assigned to block the defender that made the play. After the tackle was made, Poblah made sure it would not happen again.

“I broke (it) and his man tracked me down all the way across field,” Schroeder said. “And he said, ‘If that ever happens again, I promise my man won’t make the tackle.’”

In CMU’s 45-31 win against NIU on Friday, Poblah held true to his promise.

On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Schroeder scampered down the field for an 80-yard touchdown. Poblah’s downfield blocking helped pave the way.

“He got his guy,” Schroeder said.

He also acknowledged the work of his offensive line.

“It was all the O-line,” he said. “I was untouched through the hole.”

On nine carries, Schroeder ran for a career-high 128 yards. He also caught four passes for 41 yards and another touchdown. The 80-yard run to start the second half was a career-long. But Schroeder said it served more of a purpose than just holding a personal record.

“I think that really sort of took their spirit away,” he said. “I thought they were flat going into halftime … I think that really put the third quarter in our favor.”

Health

Schroeder and sophomore Paris Cotton, who both saw playing time Friday, were supposed to be the one-two punch CMU employed in the backfield this season. But Schroeder missed three games because of various injuries, and Cotton missed the previous four games because of a knee injury.

Schroeder said this is the healthiest he has felt all season.

“Bryan’s been battling injury and he’s back to being healthy,” said coach Butch Jones. “He’s running like we expected he would when we recruited him.”

And with Cotton returning to the lineup as well, the two have joined junior Carl Volny, who is third on the team with 376 rushing yards, to stabilize the backfield. Schroeder’s north-south style meshes with Cotton’s cutback ability.

“At this level, there’s really no one back that can carry the whole load,” Schroeder said. “Especially in the offense that we run, I’m not sure how many plays we average, but it’s a lot for one person. Paris, he’s just different. He’s shiftier, he’s faster.”