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n o r t h w e s t e r n f o o t b a l l • D I G I T A L P R O G R A M • N O R T H W E S T E R N v s . I O W A
RUNNING AROUND (PUN INTENDED) IN A DOZEN DIRECTIONS
By: Skip Myslenski
He was injured against Stanford, in the season
opener, and with that a cloud of uncertainty
descended over running back Isaiah Bowser. He
had taken over that position in the second half
of last season and impressed, but now that job
would fall to others, especially Drake Anderson.
He was just a redshirt first year and a veritable
will-o'-the-wisp at 5-foot-11 and 190. But just
days before the 'Cats would face Ohio State Lou
Ayeni, his position coach, said, "He's got to start
to lead now. You've got those (five) games under
your belt. You've got enough experience. You've
got to start to lead, kind of like Isaiah did last year.
You've got to come along because we need you.
There's no one else to do it, so he's got to do it."
Three days after that declaration, on the first play
of the first offensive series against the Buckeyes,
wide receiver Kyric McGowan took their first carry
of the evening and gained 13.
"He's a playmaker for us. It's more opportunities
to give him the ball," Ayeni said days later when
asked about McGowan's backfield presence.
"Just trying to get him as many touches as we
can," Pat Fitzgerald would add. "You can see.
He's an explosive guy. We're just trying to find
creative ways to get him involved in the game."
On the first play of the 'Cats next offensive series
against the Buckeyes the first carry went to
Bowser, who gained 11.
"I didn't even know (he was going to play) until
warmups. He went out there and looked good,
so I kept him out there," Ayeni said of the running
back's unexpected reemergence.
"It's great to have Isaiah back," Fitzgerald said.
"It's huge. It's huge for our football team. It's huge
for our offense. He's been battling injuries all year
to come back. It's great to have him back. We're
going to need him here in the back half of the
season."
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