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Ian Johnson: Heisman candidate?
His speed, vision, power and patience have some people tossing around the ‘H' word
By Chadd Cripe
Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 11/01/06
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Boise State strength coach Tim Socha reminded sophomore tailback Ian Johnson all summer what was expected of him this season.
"I kept calling him our horse," Socha said. "I told him he'd have to carry us."

Eight wins and 18 touchdowns later, Johnson has delivered — barging into the Heisman Trophy race.

No. 14 Boise State will begin touting Johnson as a Heisman candidate at tonight's nationally televised game against Fresno State (6:06 p.m., ESPN2).

Johnson (5-foot-11, 194 pounds) ranks fifth in the nation with 147.6 rushing yards per game and first with those 18 TDs. He's on pace to set school single-season records for rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and yards per carry (7.0) while running behind arguably the greatest offensive line in school history.

"He's a star waiting to emerge," said ESPN analyst and former NFL running back Robert Smith, who ranks Johnson fifth among Heisman Trophy candidates for ESPN.com. "… He's very good at finding creases and once he finds them, he accelerates so quickly and gets to such a high speed it's tough for people to catch up to him."

BSU will pass out 20,000 Heisman-themed cheer cards at tonight's game. The school also has launched a Web page dedicated to Johnson at broncosports.com.

And the Heisman talk isn't just local. CBSSportsLine.com ranks Johnson fourth on its Heisman Trophy watch list. He's tied for 10th on ESPN.com's list.

Johnson has scored nine TDs in two ESPN appearances this season. Another night like that, Smith said, could vault him into the thick of the Heisman race.

"(Tonight) is going to be huge for him," Smith said. "… When people start to realize what kind of numbers he has put up on an undefeated team, you can't help but put the guy in Heisman contention."

Johnson's success is a combination of all the traits that Smith says make him an NFL prospect — speed, vision, patience and powerful bursts that allow him to accelerate through holes and shed tacklers.

Some of it is coaching. Some of it is attitude. Most of it is natural ability.

"The running back position is one of those positions where a truly great back and a big-time player has just got it," BSU coach Chris Petersen said. "It's such an instinctual position."

One play in Johnson's signature performance — 240 yards and five touchdowns in an ESPN game Sept. 7 against Oregon State — illustrates his talent.

The 19-yard TD run in the third quarter is his favorite play of the season.

Johnson took a handoff moving to his right. He shuffled his feet searching for a hole (patience), cut back to his left (vision) and turned on the burst that Smith likes so much (speed).

He blasted between two would-be tacklers (power) and lunged across the goal line with two defenders on his legs (determination).

"That's everything we teach right there," Johnson said.

For most running plays, Johnson starts with a predetermined path to the quarterback, an aiming point in the offensive line and a defensive player he must read to determine which way he cuts.

If everything goes right, he hits the hole as fast as he can.

Oftentimes, though, something goes wrong. A block gets missed. A defender reacts in an unexpected way. The timing isn't quite right.

"It turns to mud," Johnson said, "and it all changes and it's so much different."

That's when he's at his best. He knows how to wait for the right opportunity and how to spot it. An 8-second play, Johnson said, can feel like 2 minutes.

"He's not in a hurry," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "He knows how to play at different paces."

Once he gets into the defense, Johnson's speed and power take over.

He has been clocked in the 40-yarddash at 4.46 seconds and he is explosive in his ankles, knees and hips — the areas that produce power. He's strong in the weight room, coaches say, but stronger on the field.

"People talk about a 6-inch pop," Petersen said of the last second before a collision. "… He's one of those guys that has that finish to him."

Some of that pop comes from Johnson's attitude, the product of a no-nonsense set of parents.

Sterling Johnson is a Los Angeles firefighter. Colleen Johnson is a special education teacher. Ian is from San Dimas, Calif.

Sterling regularly reminds his son to treat every run like his last.

"He runs strong," BSU right guard Jeff Cavender said, "and he runs angry."

Johnson's game has evolved the past few years.

He could outrun everybody in high school so he didn't know how to run with power when he arrived at Boise State in 2004. He learned quickly and averaged 5.6 yards per carry last season in a tailback committee.

Still, he had something to prove this year — a season for which he was the only viable candidate to become a featured back.

Could he handle 25 to 30 carries a game? After all, this is the same guy who crochets beanies and scarves for spending money.

Johnson proved his toughness Sept. 30 at Utah. He barely practiced that week because of a knee bruise and coaches weren't sure he would play. He carried 14 times for 88 yards against a strong defense.

The Broncos want to pack another 10 pounds onto Johnson's frame in the offseason to increase his durability, but no one doubts his toughness.

"The first impression you get of Ian is he's kind of a goofy kid, and not in a bad way at all," running backs coach Jeff Choate said. "… You're thinking, ‘Is this guy going to be tough enough?' And there is absolutely no question he's one of the tougher football players I've been around."

All this praise could go to a young player's head.

Johnson has been interviewed by Smith on ESPNEWS. He spent three days last week working with a reporter and photographer from ESPN The Magazine.

This week, a crew from ESPN's College GameDay will visit Boise to produce a feature on him.

And of course there's that ‘H' word — Heisman.

Johnson shrugs off the hype.

"It's really nothing huge right now," he said. "It's speculation and what-ifs."

Coaches worry that he will get overexposed, yet they see few signs that the attention affects him.

Just to be safe, Petersen plans to cut back Johnson's media time next week.

"It's all about staying grounded," Choate said. "Ian got what he's getting because he deserved it, because he worked his tail off."

That started in summer conditioning, when he rebuilt a body softened by a couple months off for hernia surgery.

Cavender set a seemingly lofty goal for Johnson of 1,500 yards during fall camp. Johnson could pass that mark next week at San Jose State.

"From the effort he put in in the summer, this was what I expected," Socha said. "It's what everyone knew he had in him."

Contact reporter Chadd Cripe at ccripe@idahostatesman.com