ShareThisSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Connecticut running back Jordan Todman knows all about ice baths.
Carrying the ball 302 times in one season requires a bunch of them.
"The cold tubs aren't the most comfortable thing," he said. "But they make a difference."
Despite his diminutive 5-foot-9, 190-pound frame, Todman has become the quintessential workhorse back this season, leading the Huskies into Saturday's tilt with Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
"Jordan is a complete back," said UConn offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. "He's not a guy that is huge in stature.
"But he will get the tough yards in between the tackles."
Despite not being one of the 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award - and a 2-star recruit out of North Dartmouth, Mass. - Todman has had as good a season as any back in the country.
He ranks second nationally in both rushing attempts (27.5) and rushing yards (143.1) per game.
The Big East Offensive Player of the Year is also averaging a productive 5.2 yards per carry, even though virtually every opposing defense has loaded the box to stop him.
"On tape, I watch him, he's really patient," said OU safety Quinton Carter. "He lets the holes develop, then sticks his foot in the ground and gets downhill.
"He knows how to run the ball."
Other Sooner defenders have come away equally as impressed after studying him.
"He's everything you want in a running back," said defensive end Jeremy Beal. "Fast, powerful, can make people miss.
"The total package."
To have any chance of knocking off OU, the Huskies will have to get Todman going early and often. Most likely with eight Sooners in the box, since UConn's mediocre passing game ranks No. 112 in the country and poses little threat.
But Todman and UConn's offensive line is accustomed to being defended that way. In some ways, the Huskies welcome it.
Last month, Todman capped a 37-carry, 222-yard rushing performance by converting a fourth-and-short deep in Husky territory late in the fourth quarter to seal UConn's signature 30-28 win over Pittsburgh.
"It's heart, will and determination," Todman said. "You can tell somebody, 'Hey, I'm coming here.' And their defensive coach can tell them, 'This is the play they're running.' But you still have to go out there and stop us. It's huge if you know where we're going and we're still getting yards, still pushing the line."
The Huskies will attempt to also grind out OU on the ground. Regardless if they're successful, at least they know have the right back for the job.
"He wants to win, and he'll do anything for the team to win," said fullback Anthony Sherman. "If he has to lay his body out there and carry the ball 40 times, he'll do it."
E-mail Jake Trotter at jtrotter(at)opubco.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com
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