A week after rushing for 190 yards and two TDs in a loss to Bowling Green, Indiana junior tailback Tevin Coleman ran for 132 and a TD to lead the Hoosiers to an improbable 31-27 win over Missouri.
Coleman (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) has rushed for 569 yards and six TDs for IU (2-1) this season. He ran for 958 yards and 12 TDs last season despite missing the final three games of the season with an ankle injury. He has scored in 12 consecutive games in which he has played, tying the school record set by Anthony Thompson in 1988-89.
In the past five games in which Coleman -- who was a top-flight high school sprinter in Illinois -- has played, he has rushed for 892 yards and nine TDs. So why doesn't he get more national attention? Part of the problem is that IU is just 3-2 in those games. He'll get to go against a sketchy Maryland defense next week.
Coleman had the key play on the Hoosiers' last-minute, game-winning TD drive, taking a screen pass for 44 yards to set up the Hoosiers with a first-and-goal from Mizzou's 7. D'Angelo Roberts scored two plays later to provide the winning points.
Last season, Coleman averaged 7.3 yards per carry and had five rushes of at least 50 yards (tied for second-most nationally), eight of at least 40 yards (tied for the most) and nine of at least 30 yards (tied for fourth-most). This season, Coleman already has three runs of at least 40 yards -- he had a 49-yarder against Mizzou -- and one of at least 50.
Coleman also had a solid game as a receiver against Missouri, with three receptions for 57 yards; he has seven catches for 95 yards this season.
Indiana had 493 total yards and won despite going 1-of-14 on third-down conversions.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
