Jawhar Jordan among college football's top running backs so far in 2023. How he's done it
Jawhar Jordan was only a few inches from clearing Indiana defensive back Louis Moore during his fourth-quarter hurdle attempt late in Saturday's win.
Had he been fully healthy, Moore probably would’ve been the Louisville running back’s latest victim. Jordan cleared Kentucky defensive back Jordan Lovett during the Governor's Cup game last season. Still, he picked up 15 yards on the play as time ticked away, finishing the game with 113 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in the 21-14 win.
Jordan's performance was more impressive when you take into account the week leading up to it. Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said the running back was "a little nicked up last week" and didn't practice as much ahead of the clash with Indiana.
“He came out, gutted it out and played a really good football game," Brohm said. "He's very talented, elusive with the ball, yet he'll lower his pads and run.”
He was banged up against Indiana, but Jordan was able to play at a high level and take off some drives because of Louisville's deep running backs room, which includes Wisconsin transfer Isaac Guerendo and Maurice Turner. That trio, led by Jordan, has helped Louisville to the fourth-best rushing offense in the country and the best in the conference through three weeks, averaging 251.7 rushing yards per game and 6.5 yards per attempt.
That depth has helped keep Jordan fresh, Brohm said.
“I think we've got good running back room,” Brohm said. “(Jordan) knows that as well, where there's other running backs that we feel confident spreading the wealth to a little bit and giving them the ball and taking a little of pressure off him. … For the run play, we have to allow them to run and go make plays and Jawhar stood out last week as one of those guys.”
Jordan and the running backs' next challenge is a date with Boston College, with the Eagles coming to Louisville for a showdown at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at L&N Stadium.
The Eagles currently rank No. 115 nationally and No. 11 in the ACC in rushing defense, giving up 187.3 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry. But they held Florida State to a season-low 128 yards rushing and 3.8 yards per rush in a 31-29 loss last week.
The Eagles might not recognize Jordan. He's changed since the last time the two teams met.
He was a reserve playing behind Tiyon Evans in last season's game, logging 10 carries for 23 yards as the Cardinals fell 34-33. Fast forward a year and Jordan is putting up some of the best numbers in the country after three games.
His yards-per-carry average dropped from 16.5 to 10.8 after Saturday's game vs. Indiana, but that total still ranks No. 1 nationally among qualifying players. The New York Native ranks No. 8 in rushing yards per game at 114.7 and No. 9 in total rushing yards at 344 — both totals lead the ACC — and has four rushing touchdowns as well.
Pro Football Focus has assigned Jordan an 84.2 rushing grade, good for No. 18 in the country and a huge improvement from last season, when he finished No. 148 with a 79.8 grade. It’s still early in the year but he’s currently on track to clear 1,000 rushing yards, which would make him the first player to do so under Brohm since Central High School grad and current Louisville graduate assistant Anthony Wales recorded 1,621 rushing yards at Western Kentucky in 2016.
Jordan's fearless style of play, through hurdling defensive backs or trying to run through stout defensive lines, has shown up on the stat sheet. That playing style, running backs coach Chris Barclay said, has made Louisville a better team.
“He understands who and what he is, his strengths, and maybe some of his deficiencies, but he plays to his strengths,” Barclay, who set records at the position at Wake Forest, said last week. “The best ones I've been around, they understand those components of the game. They're able to manipulate the defense. They're able to pick and choose holes and moments where they can really accentuate their skill set.”
Added Cardinals offensive lineman Eric Miller, “He's always going to try and make us right up front because not everything's going to be perfect. … There sometimes can be free hitters in the hole, and he seems to make them miss a whole lot more than he doesn't.”
Louisville vs. Boston College: Story lines, key players, odds, more for Week 4 game
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on ‘X’ at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football: Jawhar Jordan looks to stay hot vs Boston College
