Why didn’t Washington RB Jonah Coleman play more in loss to Iowa?

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Jonah Coleman’s body feels good. Washington’s junior running back was quick to dismiss any questions about a potential injury. 

Coleman knows the Huskies haven’t played their best football yet, but he said he’s just focused on taking advantage of his opportunities. 

“We play a multiple-back system,” he said. “Everybody’s got to play.”

Coleman, the 5-foot-9, 229-pound Arizona transfer, was Washington’s best offensive player during its 40-16 loss against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon. He had nine carries for 80 yards, including a 31-yard rush with 7:01 remaining in the third quarter. Coleman also had two receptions for five yards. 

It was the lowest number of carries Coleman’s received this season, but coach Jedd Fisch, Washington’s offensive play caller, said the flow of the game forced the Huskies (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) away from the run game early. He also said keeping Coleman healthy for the second half of the season was a consideration once the score got out of hand. 

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“[Coleman] ran the ball extremely well,” Fisch said. “If the game was a little more normal, I think Jonah would’ve had 15 to 18 carries today.” 

Technically speaking, Saturday was Washington’s first game of the season without Coleman being a starter. Sixth-year senior running back Cameron Davis played UW’s first offensive snap of the game, catching a short pass behind the line of scrimmage before gaining 17 yards. Fisch said it was a scripted play. He’s also downplayed starting status all season. 

Davis, UW’s second-leading rusher this season, finished the game with six carries for 12 yards. Freshman Adam Mohammed contributed three carries for 16 yards while freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. added three carries for 23 yards, including a 17-yard dash on a crucial fourth-and-one near midfield early in the second quarter. Fisch said Iowa’s defensive front made it difficult to run the ball. 

“They’re good on defense,” Fisch said. “They’re big. They’re hard to block. They’re hard to run against. We hit some good ones. Jonah hit a nice 31-yarder, but not enough, for sure.”

Fisch’s insistence on having Coleman near his average of 14.1 carries through seven games isn’t new. During their two seasons together at Arizona, the Stockton, Calif., native had a career-high of just 22 carries, that happening during a triple-overtime loss against USC on Oct. 7, 2023. Earlier this season, Fisch said keeping Coleman around 16 carries per game kept him fresh enough to take full advantage of his opportunities. 

Coleman entered Saturday ranked No. 13 nationally with 601 rushing yards. He also led the country in 10-yard plays from scrimmage and 10-yard rushes. 

Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson was No. 2 in the country in rushing yards entering Saturday, behind only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, with 771 yards. Johnson had 97 attempts, seven more carries than Coleman. 

Johnson and Iowa had played five games. Coleman and Washington had participated in six. 

Saturday was an illustration in the differing approaches Iowa and Washington have with their star running backs. Johnson had 21 carries and three catches for 188 all-purpose yards. 

Yet Fisch hasn’t wavered from his commitment to Coleman’s number of attempts. UW’s head coach has generally stuck with the decisions which helped him elevate Arizona from a 1-11 team to a 10-3 squad, so it seems unlikely Coleman’s workload will increase. For his part, Coleman said he’s simply focused on improving. 

“We’ve got to figure it out,” he said. “We’ve got a bye week. Let’s see how good we can get.”