Despite not being the fastest, the most powerful, or the most electric running-back NIU has had, and to some, not even the best back on the team at the moment, Joel Bouagnon has put together quite a season so far through 10 games. It might possibly be the best for an NIU running-back since Garrett Wolfe in 2006.
Looking at the stats through 10 games of the last 5 running-backs to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season, Wolfe (2006), Justin Anderson (2007), Chad Spann (2010), Cameron Stingily (2013), Bouagnon (2015), Bouagnon's put up some interesting numbers when compared to them.
Note: Spann rushed for 1,000 yards in both 2009 & 2010, but I'm only using 2010 because it was his best season. I am also not including the numbers for quarterbacks like Harnish & Lynch.
Through 10 games:
Rushing Yards
Wolfe - 1,533
Bouagnon - 1.106
Anderson - 1,096
Spann - 1,070
Stingily - 958
Rushing TDs
Bouagnon - 17
Spann - 15
Wolfe - 14
Stingly - 9
Anderson - 7
Yards Per Carry
Wolfe - 6.69
Stingly - 5.77
Spann - 5.30
Bouagnon - 4.94
Anderson - 4.79
Rushing Attempts
Wolfe - 229
Anderson - 229
Bouagnon - 224
Spann - 202
Stingily - 166
100-Yard Rushing Games
Wolfe - 6
Anderson - 6
Spann - 6
Bouagnon - 6
Stingily - 3
Games W/Rushing TD
Bouagnon - 9
Spann - 9
Stingily - 7
Wolfe - 6
Anderson - 6
Games W/Multiple Rushing TDs
Bouagnon - 6
Wolfe - 5
Spann - 4
Stingily - 2
Anderson - 1
His yards and TD numbers might owe it to the fact that he's gotten as many carries as backs in the late Novak era did, which explains why he's fourth out of five in YPC, but he's got more rushing TDs through 10 games than any of the others and he's got more rushing yards through 10 games than everybody but Wolfe.
Bouagnon will likely be First-Team All MAC this year, over guys like Franklin and Hunt who were arguably the two best players in the conference last season. Not too shabby.