Idaho State plays Black Hills State on Sept. 5 and starts fall camp Aug. 11. In a continuing series, we’ll sift though each of ISU’s position groups and take a look at how they stand coming out of spring practice and heading into fall camp. Thursday it was the quarterbacks. Now: the running backs.

OUTLOOK

Everything begins with senior running back Xavier Finney, who is 758 yards away from overtaking Josh Barnett as Idaho State’s all-time leading rusher. He doesn’t dazzle with cheetah-like speed or bulldoze would-be tacklers with overpowering size and strength. But the 5-foot-11, 196-pound back is consistent, quick to the hole and durable. In three years, Finney has rushed the ball 535 times.

Finney led the Big Sky Conference in rushing last season with 1,495 yards despite breaking a collarbone in the third quarter against Montana State. That injury resulted in a fumble, a costly turnover that allowed the Bobcats to gain a decisive edge in a 44-39 ISU loss in Bozeman, Montana.

Expect Finney, however, to be ready once again this fall to carry another heavy load. Bengals coach Mike Kramer has already pumped Finney up as a Walter Payton Award candidate, and Idaho State may rely more heavily on the run game to alleviate pressure on whoever starts at quarterback.

Finney is the headliner, but a key development for ISU a season ago was the emergence of senior tailback Daniel McSurdy, who carried the ball 113 times for 804 yards. McSurdy was a change of speed from Finney in Idaho State’s high-octane offensive attack.

With McSurdy gone, someone else must step up. The Bengals have options. Jakori Ford showed flashes of brilliance in limited time as a junior (23 carries, 261 yards), sophomore Nikko Hayes might be more athletic than either Finney or Ford and incoming freshman Ty Flanagan from Las Vegas could be ready to make an immediate impact.

CONCERNS

As good as Ford has been in limited time, he’s had a penchant to fumble, something he couldn’t totally kick in spring ball. Hayes and Flanagan may be talented but Flanagan will be a true freshman and Hayes has five career carries for 12 yards.

McSurdy was an experienced senior determined to take advantage of his final moments as a Bengal and was the perfect complement to Finney. Now someone else needs to earn that role so Finney can stay healthy for an entire season — and, dare we write it, a run in the playoffs.

THE STAR

Finney was named a third-team FCS All-American on Thursday, a sign the rest of the nation is starting to figure out just how good he’s been in his three years at Idaho State out of El Camino High School in Oceanside, California.

PLAYER ON THE RISE

Ford announced his presence in Idaho State’s blowout win over Simon Fraser last season. In three carries, the junior college transfer ran for two touchdowns and 144 yards. Granted, it was part of a 66-14 demolition for the Bengals against a Division II team from Canada. But that’s the kind of big play potential Ford has every time he touches the ball.

UNDERRATED PLAYER

Our gut says Flanagan is the next big thing. He accrued 4,034 yards of offense at Mojave High School as a three-year starter and was regarded as one of Nevada’s top running backs.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder had an offer from San Diego State, but Flanagan never felt comfortable with the Aztecs.

“I liked San Diego State as a football school,” Flanagan told silverstatepreps.com in February. “With them though it was always about football. They never really talked to me about my education. That aspect of my recruitment turned me off.”

Apparently, Kramer’s recruiting pitch struck a cord.

“That was the only school who talked to me about getting my degree,” Flanagan said in the Las Vegas Sun. “They want me to be a better football player and person.”

It was a major coup for the Bengals to pull off. Now it’s just up to Flanagan to live up to all his promise.

BOTTOM LINE

Idaho State has been able to move the ball via the pass ever since Kramer arrived in Pocatello for the 2011 season. But it wasn’t until the Bengals incorporated a productive running game that their offense blossomed into one of the nation’s very best.

With four starters back along the offensive line and Finney returning for his final season as a Bengal, they should be able to continue churning up yards.