Boise State's Johnson a Heisman dark horse

It is reporting to your college football team with crochet hooks, knowing  they’ll call you “Crochet Boy” or some other name – and not caring.

It is trying to practice with a hernia until it gets so bad the intestines are creating a bulge in your abdominal wall.

Boise State sophomore tailback Ian Johnson passed all those tests, so it should come as no surprise that he has turned into one of the nation’s toughest runners to stop.

Johnson burst onto the national scene Sept. 7 when he rushed for 240 yards and five touchdowns against Oregon State on ESPN.

He hasn’t slowed down since, reeling off two more 100-yard games and icing seven-point wins against Wyoming and Hawaii with first downs in the closing minutes.

The No. 22 Broncos (4–0) play at Utah (3–1) on Saturday (1 p.m. MT).

“We always knew Ian was special,” BSU senior center Jadon Dailey said. “He didn’t prove anything to us. We just knew what he could do, and he did it.”

Johnson, standing at 5’11’’, 200 pounds, ranks third nationally in rushing with 156.5 yards per game and scoring with 13.5 points per game.

He averages 7.2 yards per carry.

He has accumulated almost as many yards this year (626) as last year (663), when he split playing time with three seniors but was the team’s second-most-productive back.

He has established new career highs for carries in each of the past three games – 22 then 23 then 29.

“I feel great about it,” Johnson said. “I can definitely do it again. I can do it next week if you guys want.”

Johnson is a personable, quirky guy.

He earned the nickname “Dog Food” during a “Fear Factor” portion of the team’s annual rookie show in 2004.

He learned to crochet in high school, when he needed a hat during a cold spell.

His mother told him if he wanted a hat, he needed to make it. She taught him how.

Soon, he was selling beanies to classmates – making as much as $600 in a year.

Now he sells beanies, scarves and baby blankets to Boise State teammates and fans. He has a backlog of about 100 orders.

“That’s my main source of income,” he said.

He crochets more than 4 hours per day. His latest project is making personalized hats for his five starting offensive linemen.

“It’s definitely relaxing,” Johnson said. “Time I would spend watching TV now I spend watching TV and crocheting.”

Johnson came to Boise State after a stellar senior season at Damien High in San Dimas, Calif. He rushed for a school-record 1,751 yards and 23 touchdowns.

BSU coaches liked his 4.46-second speed but asked him to ramp up his physicality.

“When I got here, I didn’t want to lower the shoulder at all and hit anybody,” Johnson said. “I thought I could just outrun everybody.”

He started to change his game in the spring of 2005 and put together a solid freshman season. He entered 2006 as the only significant returner at tailback.

The question he and coaches were asked for months: Can Johnson handle the pressure and pounding of being the featured back? After all, Boise State hadn’t had a 20-carry-per-game back since Brock Forsey rushed for 1,611 yards and scored 32 touchdowns in 2002.

The questions intensified when Johnson missed most of spring ball with the hernia. Even his coach challenged him.

“I.J.’s been getting a lot of hype in the offseason,” BSU running backs coach Jeff Choate said at the opening of fall camp. “Coming back healthy and strong, it‚s time to prove it.”

Johnson, who excelled during summer conditioning and fall camp, left no doubt about his capability when the season started.

He rushed for 89 yards and two TDs on just 13 carries in the opener against Division I-AA Sacramento State.

Then against Oregon State, he shed tackles with ease, pushed a pile of bodies into the end zone and outraced defensive backs.

His first touchdown of the game was a 59-yarder on which be broke a tackle near the line of scrimmage and left two exasperated defensive backs sprawled on the turf – seemingly shocked that Johnson was that fast.

Wyoming coach Joe Glenn studied the tape and compared Johnson to Superman, then watched Johnson claw his way to 119 yards against a stout Cowboys defense on a day too windy for passing.

Still, Hawaii coach June Jones doubted Johnson’s ability – until he rushed for 178 yards and two scores in a 41–34 win over the Warriors last week.

Johnson had 40 more rushing yards and a 21-yard touchdown reception wiped out by penalties.

“Their running back is better than I thought he was,” Jones said. “He’s a big-time player.”

And yet he’s still learning.

Against Sacramento State, Johnson rushed to the holes and didn’t maximize his opportunities.

A week later, you could see him pause while the offensive line created the hole, then dart downfield.

“He’s a great runner,” BSU offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin said. “Being back there more is going to get him better.”

The next challenge for Johnson will be to prove he can handle the hype. He appeared on ESPNEWS and “Cold Pizza” after the Oregon State game. More attention will come as he chases a 2,000-yard season.

“The reason Ian did such a great job was he worked his tail off over the last eight months,” BSU coach Chris Petersen said after the Oregon State game. “He had a lot to prove. He played with a chip on his shoulder.

“He did prove a little something. He did not prove it all. This is a long season."