IOWA CITY – Time has taught Toren Young that the shortest distance to his desired destination is a straight line.
The Iowa running back hasn’t hesitated to put that mindset to work while stepping into the starting lineup the past two weeks for the Hawkeyes, using his 5-foot-11, 221-pound frame to average 5.4 yards on each of his team-leading 43 carries.
“I want to be known as being a physical, hard-nosed kind of running back, a north-south guy who plays a physical game,’’ Young said. “That’s the way I believe the game should be played. It’s the way I’ve played it all my life.’’
Young arrived at Iowa after rushing for 2,779 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns as a senior at Monona Grove High School in Madison, Wis., where he averaged 8.3 yards per carry while earning first-team all-state honors.
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He cut his football teeth watching games at Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium as a youth.
“It’s a few miles from where I grew up. I went to games, watched some football there,’’ said Young, who faces those Badgers tonight at Kinnick stadium.
There, he watched the Badgers find success behind strong, physical lines which created room for hard-nosed running backs to run.
It’s the place where Ron Dayne thrived in the late 1990s, breaking the NCAA career rushing record with a 31-yard carry during the second quarter of a 41-3 rout of Iowa that was part of a 216-yard day against coach Kirk Ferentz’s first Iowa team in 1999.
Young has ties with Dayne, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner who put his 249-pound body to work while plowing through defenses for 7,125 yards during his career from 1996-99.
His peer group in high school included two of Dayne’s children.
“We grew up about 10 minutes away from each other and we hung around together a lot growing up,’’ Young said. “I’m like best friends with his daughter and son. They’re like family. We were together all the time in high school.’’
One of Dayne’s daughters, Jada, is a junior defender on the women’s soccer team at Michigan while one of his sons, Javian, is a freshman running back at Boston College this season.
Young said he never really talked much football with the player who back in the day was known as “The Great Dayne.’’
“When he found out I was coming to Iowa, he told me to work hard and be physical,’’ Young said. “That’s what I’ve always tried to do. That’s who I am as a player.’’
Young was not offered a scholarship by Wisconsin coming out of high school, but he feels like he landed in the spot he needed to be.
“I couldn’t be happier,’’ Young said. “This is the best place for me and it has given me a chance to mature and grow as a person. Things happen for a reason and I connected with Iowa coaches pretty quickly and fell in love with the campus and community. It’s a great place to be.’’
Before moving into an expanded role this season with Iowa, Young got a taste of competition last season.
He carried the ball 45 times a year ago, including three times for 11 yards late in Iowa’s 38-14 loss at Wisconsin.
As good as it felt to get a chance to play in the stadium where he grew up watching games, the loss tempered any excitement he had that day.
“When I made the decision to come to Iowa, I knew I would get a chance to go home and play. Now, I’m looking forward to playing them at Kinnick this year,’’ Young said.
He said Tuesday that he has heard from a few friends already this week as the Hawkeyes prepare for Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game against the 18th-rated Badgers.
“A few teachers from high school, old coaches, they’ve reached out,’’ Young said. “Some told me they’d be rooting for me but hope for a different outcome in the game from the one I want. That’s OK. I respect it.’’
He expects Iowa’s rushing attack to benefit this week from the return of first-game starter Ivory Kelly-Martin from an ankle sprain.
Young, who has started the past two games, and junior college transfer Mekhi Sargent expect to be part of an expanded rotation in the Hawkeye backfield.
“We’re getting another guy with some experience and ability to share the work with,’’ Young said. “He looks good in practice. We’re anxious to see what we can do.’’
The running back-by-committee approach is something all three sophomore backs bought into during the preseason and Ferentz sees a role for Young in making it work.
“He brings a physical presence to the run game that we need,’’ Ferentz said. “We need what he has to offer and we’re going to need all three of those guys over the course of the season.’’