With the speed and power of a runaway freight train, Miami’s Duke Johnson is almost impossible to stop on a football field.
The sophomore running back opened the season by blistering Florida Atlantic to the tune of 19 carries for a career-high 186 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with concussion-like symptoms on Friday.
For Johnson, the performance was far from unexpected. The 5-foot-9, 196-pound tailback surpassed 100 rushing yards in a game on four separate occasions as a freshman in 2012 and entered this season as a Heisman Trophy hopeful.
Limiting Johnson, the nation’s leading rushing after his explosive first week of the season, is critical for the No. 12 Gators when they face the Hurricanes on Saturday at noon in Sun Life Stadium.
“That guy can put his foot in the ground and change the score on any down,” defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said. “He has great running-back skills. He finishes runs, he’s physical, (and) he runs inside the tackles really well, too.”
Dating back to last season, Johnson has accumulated 1,181 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns during his last five games. Behind him and senior quarterback Stephen Morris, Miami’s offense has racked up more than 500 yards of offense in each of its past three contests.
“He’s always been special,” said Quinton Dunbar, who grew up playing football against Johnson in South Florida. “It’s nothing new.”
But the sophomore sensation could be in for a tough game against a Gators defense that is stingy versus the run.
Florida has the eighth-ranked rushing defense in the country after limiting Toledo to only 50 yards on the ground during a 24-6 victory on Saturday. In 2012, the Gators were No. 4 in rushing defense, allowing a sparse 94.5 rushing yards per game.
“It takes 11 guys,” Durkin said. “Obviously, we understand what we’re up against with him, and he’s a point of emphasis. That’s a guy they’re going to get the ball in his hands. It’s got to be a team effort and everyone doing their job.”
The return of linebacker Antonio Morrison, who was suspended for Florida’s season opener against Toledo following a pair of offseason arrests, should prove helpful to the UF defense.
In addition to providing depth for the linebacker unit, Morrison offers a skill set that is particularly important when defending a running back as talented as Johnson.
“He brings a certain physicality to our football team,” Will Muschamp said of Morrison. “He’s a very good communicator at the linebacker position, which for us is critical.”
Muschamp tried to persuade Johnson, who helped Miami Norland High win the Class 5A championship in 2012 by rushing for 1,957 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior, to reconsider his commitment to the Hurricanes prior to his freshman season. But after missing out on Johnson, Florida’s third-year coach will have the challenge of stopping him.
“He’s a guy that can take the ball anywhere,” Muschamp said. “He sticks his foot in the ground and gets the ball north and south.”
Follow Phil Heilman on Twitter @phillip_heilman.
Miami running back Duke Johnson (8) attempts to avoid Florida Atlantic defensive back D’Joun Smith during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Aug. 30, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Johnson had a career-high 186 rushing yards and a touchdown as Miami defeated Florida Atlantic 34-6.
