DETROIT - The Mid-American Conference is dominated by quarterbacks and has been for more than a decade.
The phrase "quarterback league" was thrown around at MAC Media Day about as often as "we're taking it one game at a time," but for good reason. The list of signal callers to come out of the MAC in the last 10 years reads like an NFL draft board: Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Charlie Frye, Ben Roethlisberger, Nate Davis, Dan LeFevour. But forgotten in that thinking are Ball State University's MiQuale Lewis and Kent State University's Eugene Jarvis, the two best running backs in the conference.
Getting lost in a crowd isn't anything new for the diminutive pair. Lewis is listed at 5 feet 6 inches and Jarvis is an inch shorter. But opposing defensive coordinators can't afford to ignore either All-MAC running back.
Coach and former offensive coordinator Stan Parrish said Lewis was the key to the Cardinals' undefeated regular season last year.
"To me he was the difference," Parrish said. "He's a 1,700-yard tailback; he's a great football player."
Both running backs have 1,000 yard rushing seasons under their belts and have been named first-team All-MAC. But now, with each in their senior seasons, the question of who is better remains unanswered.Jarvis has more career rushing yards with 3,268 and isn't shy about declaring a winner in the debate.
"I'm not going to sit here and say someone's better than me," Jarvis said.
Lewis has his advocates as well. Longtime talent evaluator Phil Steele ranks Lewis as the 29th best draft eligible running back. Last year 22 running backs were taken in the NFL draft.
As seniors, both running backs will have to take a larger role in the offense this season. Each lost their quarterback to the NFL draft. Lewis said he is working with a young offensive line to help them gain confidence going into the season.
"I'm just building them up," Lewis said. "When you get into a game it's more mental than physical. I think they can be really, really good."
Parrish said with a young offensive line the Cardinals won't just be able to run the ball up the middle.
"We've got to create some different and unique opportunities for him to touch the ball," Parrish said. "To think we're going to be able to line up and smash people with a young offensive line probably isn't realistic."
Kent State coach Doug Martin is also looking for new ways to use his star running back to increase his touches. Jarvis will return punts; something he hopes makes him more attractive to NFL scouts. But he is also mindful of how much he can help his new quarterback.
"My goal is to take as much pressure off the quarterback as possible," Jarvis said. "I want to put as many wins on the board as possible."
If both backs can stay healthy, putting their teams in the win column probably won't be as hard as selecting the top MAC running back at the end of the season.
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