Marcus Satterfield believes Anthony Grant can be a top Big Ten RB if he cleans up fumbling issues

Nebraska running back Anthony Grant is just one of the weapons at the disposal of head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield this season. But last season’s starting running back will have to earn his game reps.

Rhule told the media that Grant is dealing with a fumbling issue in practices as Gabe Ervin Jr. has taken over the starting running back role.

But that doesn’t mean Grant is going to be out of the rotation. Satterfield, for one, believes Grant has the potential to come back in a big way if his fumbling goes away.

“I think he can be one of the top running backs in the conference,” Satterfield told the media. “I think he’s very talented. I think he’s very physical. His athletic traits are off the charts. I think he’s very willing. I think he loves football. He’s super competitive. But you have to take care of the football. Like if we’re going to trust you by giving you the ball, then you have to honor the responsibility of ball security and carrying it the proper way. I think he’s working on that. He’s doing it. He works at it every day.

“He’s a great kid. Nobody wants to lose the ball but you’ve got to prove a point. Make sure that when we’re out there that we’re taking care of it because number one part of playing to win for us is don’t beat ourselves and that’s the quickest way to do that. But we look forward to him doing some really, really good things this year. I think he’s got a chance to have a great year if we can take care of that football.”

Grant rushed for 915 yards last season on 218 carries to lead the team. He also had 18 catches for 104 yards.

Even if he is not the starter, Grant says he feels like a lot is being expected for him and he is excited for the opportunity.

“I’m not going to say last year wasn’t a big role for me or a big year for me. But I feel like this year, this year I have that — I have that leeway to flip everything around. I’m talking about, as far as where we’re sitting at with wins and losses. I really feel like I can really flip it around for us this year. I really feel like my role is more this year,” Grant said.