As Chris Nwoke began his assault on Colorado State and Mountain West record books last November, CSU fans and league opponents wondered where the sophomore running back had been hiding before then.
The answer was on the bench.
His first 100-yard outing didn’t come until Halloween weekend. He was still listed as an “OR” on the depth chart with staff favorite Ray Carter for the following game.
Then Nwoke (pronounced WOE-kay) ran over San Diego State for 232 yards on 22 carries. End of depth chart debate. He finished with 1,130 yards and second team All-MW honors.
“It was all based on opportunity,” the junior said of his sudden urgency on the field.
“I kept rotating behind other backs. It kept me motivated. I always wanted the opportunity and when I got the opportunity, I was not going to be satisfied with just starting. I wanted to go above and beyond. I wanted to do things people hadn’t seen.”
Center Weston Richburg saw the light come on when Nwoke started getting more than the 8.2 carries through the first nine games.
“He wasn’t getting as many carries as he wanted, as he deserved,” Richburg said. “Once he started getting those reps, he made the best of them.”
After gaining only 60 yards on TCU’s impenetrable defense, Nwoke exploded against Air Force with 269 yards. He matched Oregon’s LaMichael James as one of two players in the country with double 200-yard efforts.
For a five-game stretch starting Oct. 22, he amassed 810 yards. There was nothing left physically for the finale with Wyoming.
This time will be different. New coach Jim McElwain overhauled the strength and conditioning staff. Nwoke added about 15 pounds to his 6-0, 200-pound frame, and it was mostly explosive lower body weight.
“It’s a more football-based workout. It’s more what we do on the field — quick changes, explosive simulation, instead of just lifting heavy weights. We do everything for a reason,” Nwoke said.
McElwain’s Alabama system needed no introduction to Nwoke after the Tide produced Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. CSU remains a pro-style offense with new terminology and more emphasis on being multiple.
The “overnight” success as a third-year sophomore hasn’t changed him around his teammates.
“He’s the same old Chris,” said Richburg. “He’s a really good dude. He’s a humble guy.
It makes it a lot easier for us to block for him.”