UW-Rutgers Game Presents Intriguing Running Back Duel

One's a Californian, the other a Canadian.

The first guy wears No. 1, the other No. 3.

One of them leads the nation in scoring touchdowns with 11, the other is tied for second with 9.

The hometown runner has rushed for 474 yards on 82 carries, the other 471 yards on 87 totes.

For Friday night's University of Washington-Rutgers game, a battle will be waged inside the bigger battle: Jonah Coleman vs. Antwan Raymond.

Backfield mano on mano.

A true ball-carrying yardstick of East vs. West.

They're running backs with almost identical performances this season, with just three yards separating them. One of them could be the difference-maker in who decides things at Husky Stadium.

"They run hard and they're hard to bring down," UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. "You've got to team tackle those types of backs. They have very similar running styles, putting a foot in the ground, getting vertical and getting tough yards."

Rutgers Scarlet running back Antwan Raymond carries the ball against Norfolk State. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Rutgers (3-2 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) is well aware of the 5-foot-9, 220-pound Coleman, who got loose for 148 yards on 16 carries a year ago when these two teams met in New Jersey and the Scarlet Knights still emerged with a 21-18 victory.

The Huskies (4-1, 1-1) know almost nothing first-hand about the 5-foot-11, 205-pound Raymond. He was in uniform for the previous game in Piscataway but didn't play, serving as a back-up to the since departed Kyle Monangai, who ran 25 times for 132 yards and a score.

Raymond, in fact, should have been a high school senior in 2024, but his Florida-based Clearwater Academy International closed for good and he chose to make the big leap to college football rather than find another place to study and run as a schoolboy.

Originally from Montreal, Raymond handled the Big Ten just fine, starting two of 10 games he appeared in and running 100 times for 457 yards and 8 touchdowns -- the most yardage and scores by a freshman in the conference.

Jonah Coleman leads the nation with 11 touchdowns scored, including 5 against UC Davis. | Dave Sizer photo

Raymond comes off his best Rutgers performance to date, picking up 161 yards and 2 TDs on 26 carries in a 31-28 loss to the Minnesota Gophers and ex-Husky running back Cam Davis, with the latter running three times for 8 yards.

It was the sophomore's second time over 100 at the college level, after picking up 113 yards against Kansas State and current UW offensive tackle Carver Willis last year in the Rate Bowl. It marked his fourth consecutive game for scoring 2 touchdowns.

As a freshman in 2024, Antwan Raymond takes a handoff from Rutgers QB Ajani Sheppard. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Meantime, Coleman comes off the Maryland game, which he personally decided with a game-winning 1-yard run with 3:21 left, finishing off a Husky comeback that erased a 20-0 deficit and brought a 24-20 victory.

After rushing for more than 100 yards in his first two outings, topped by 177 against Colorado State, Coleman has settled for games of 59, 70 and 57, while averaging 13 rushes per outing.

He's probably due for another big outing, especially since Rutgers couldn't stop him 12 months ago. Yet the Scarlet Knights have their own version of Coleman, which should make for an interesting evening coming out of the backfield.

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