photo by: Rod Aydelotte

Kansas running back Velton Gardner slips past Baylor safety Jt Woods, left, in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Waco, Texas. (Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune Herald, via AP)

In the months since the University of Kansas hired Lance Leipold to lead its football program, veteran Jayhawks running back Velton Gardner doesn’t mind revealing he has watched “almost all” of the video clips of former Buffalo rusher Jaret Patterson that he could get his hands on.

With Patterson leading the way for Leipold’s Bulls in 2020, UB led the FBS in yards per carry (6.71) and finished second nationally in rushing yards per game (287.4).

Heading into Leipold’s KU debut on Friday versus South Dakota (7 p.m., ESPN+), Gardner hopes the Jayhawks’ offense can replicate that type of success, now that Leipold and his longtime offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, are in Lawrence.

“We do now what they did at Buffalo,” Gardner said, “so I watched (Patterson), tried to pick up on different things that he’s done.”

The idea of Gardner and the rest of KU’s running backs becoming a focal point within Kotelnicki’s offense and a wide zone rushing style has Gardner, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound junior, all the more excited for the season.

Gardner led KU in rushing in 2020 (325 yards and 4.5 yards per carry) despite dealing with a foot injury and missing the final three games of the year. Though Leipold said the Jayhawks have dealt with some injuries at running back in recent weeks, freshman Devin Neal has proven to be a consistent contributor and redshirt freshman Amauri Pesek-Hickson also has drawn praise. It remains to be seen how much or when sophomore Daniel Hishaw Jr., who has missed practice time recently, will factor into the rotation this season.

“It’s real good that we’ve got a lot of backs to lean on,” Gardner said of the group’s depth, “and we know we’re going to carry the load a lot.”

No one is making comparisons between Patterson, who ran for 1,072 yards and 19 touchdowns in just six games last year at UB, and Gardner, but Leipold said during the team’s season kickoff show with Brian Hanni this week that the coaches expect the run game conversation to start with Gardner.

“He’s a guy that shows explosiveness,” Leipold said of Gardner, while praising the junior back for displaying flashes during practices of what he can do within Kotelnicki’s scheme.

Patterson wasn’t the only back racking up yards for UB last season. Kevin Marks had 112 carries (compared to Patterson’s 141). As the Bulls’ secondary rusher, Marks finished with 741 yards and seven TDs while averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

So even if Gardner becomes the featured back for KU this fall, it would appear there will still be opportunities for Pesek-Hickson, Neal and/or others. Kotelnicki said, especially at running back, the more depth you have, the better.

“What’s the old saying? A pair and a spare. You feel like you want to have at least three guys that you feel really, really good about, that everyone knows the name of,” Kotelnicki said, when asked about the depth at running back. “You feel more comfortable, I guess, as a play-caller when you can say, all right, next guy up.”

Kotelnicki said the offense could have someone carry the ball four times, sub him out and then ask the same of a runner with “100% legs,” which would also give the defense a different look and change of pace.

A recent prep star at Lawrence High, Neal, the top incoming freshman from KU’s 2021 recruiting class, thinks the group he’s joining will be “really dynamic” with different backs providing different qualities out of the backfield.

“I’m glad the other running baks have helped me try to get to where I want to be,” added Neal, who said he wishes he had more experience so he could help them, too, but he’s doing what he can.

Leipold said with his staff’s system and the program’s culture and the way the Jayhawks practice, many backs were able to get a lot of reps during the preseason.

The coach thinks the system in place also creates healthy competition at running back, so no one can go through the motions.

“You’ve got to show up on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in this program locked in and ready to go,” Leipold said of game week practices, “otherwise one of those other guys is going to get more of those reps.”

As the entire program embarks on a new era, Gardner said the running backs feel like they will be featured “a lot” within the offense this fall. Ultimately, how competitive the Jayhawks are in 2021 could depend on how the rushing attack comes together.

“The O-line’s looking real good,” Gardner said, “so we support them and they support us and we just feed off each other. We go as the others go, so we all work together as one.”