Steve Nitz: So Ben, spring football practice started on Tuesday. Do you think there are any big questions facing the Huskies this spring?

Ben Gross: Well, NIU head coach Jerry Kill said the running back position needs to be addressed.

“At tailback, we need to have somebody step up,” Kill said. “Sooner or later, someone has to step up so we can have a [Garrett] Wolfe, [A.J.] Harris, some consistency there.”

SN: NIU didn’t really have a single guy at the position last season, as Kill liked to rotate and use a few different backs. That was the reason quarterback Chandler Harnish led the team in rushing.

BG: A quarterback leading in rushing, who do you think we are, the Huskers under Eric Crouch? I think that’s the whole reason Kill wants some consistency.

So if you were the coach, Steve, who do you think would give you the yards so your quarterback isn’t leading your team in every stat except receiving yards?

SN: I think Me’co Brown is the team’s best option. He’s got the breakaway speed to take one to the house any time. I think one day he can become a poor man’s Garrett Wolfe.

BG: I like Me’co. He’s fast, he’s got quick moves and he works hard. But if I have to make a pick for next season, I’m taking Justin Anderson.

Anderson is a proven consistent back. In the 2007 season he rushed for 1,245 yards. That year, with injuries at quarterback and wide receiver every opponent knew the Huskies were going to run the ball, but Anderson was still effective.

SN: The whole Justin Anderson thing last season was weird. He led the team in carries against Minnesota in the opener, but you hardly ever saw him the rest of the year.

BG: Yeah, I can’t explain the whole situation either. I mean he wasn’t on vacation I know that much.

If you want another Harris or Wolfe, why wouldn’t you take the tailback that former NIU head coach Joe Novak thought was the next 1,000 yard rushing back.

I don’t mean to give any offense to Kill; he’s a talented leader and coached New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, but if you’re looking for the consistency that Novak had at running back, why not use his choice?

SN: Novak isn’t the coach anymore, though. Anderson had a good season in 2007, but I just don’t think he has a legit shot at the gig after what we saw last year.

I think Brown is the best option at running back. We don’t know why, but Kill didn’t play Anderson last season, for whatever reason.

BG: I grant you Brown has talent, but what Kill said he’s looking for is consistency.

The freshman was up and down last year. Kill favored using the hot back, and Brown was that guy for three games. In the 12 games after Minnesota, Brown only had four games where he had 10 or more carries. He’s a good change-of-pace back, but not consistent.

SN: It’s not like Anderson was a consistent back. Anderson only averaged 3.9 yards per carry last season, last among NIU running backs with at least 40 carries.

Plus, with Brown you’re talking about someone in his first year of collegiate football. Freshmen are going to be inconsistent. Harnish was the model of inconsistency last season.

BG: That’s right, so if you have an experienced back, like Anderson, why don’t you let Brown be a change-of-pace back and gain more experience?

Besides, it’s hard to judge Anderson’s numbers from last year. He’s a back that pounds away at a team, and then breaks out big runs. Last year, Anderson only had one game where he had more than 10 carries.

His running average is skewed also, because the Huskies primarily ran him out of a shotgun formation. It worked for a while, but soon teams caught on. That’s why NIU’s final six games Anderson only got eight carries, compared to his 45 carries in the first seven games.

SN: You make a good point, and I think Anderson is a good back. I just don’t think he’s in the mix for the position right now, where I think Brown is the best option of guys with a chance at starting.

BG: You’re right. If Anderson isn’t in the mix, then Brown is your best choice. But I can’t see why Anderson shouldn’t be considered. I mean he was the last 1,000 yard rushing back, right?