Iowa State football: Final grades for Cyclone coaches and offensive unit

Nov 30, 2013; Morgantown, WV, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Aaron Wimberly (2) runs with the ball during the second quarter of the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Running backs: D

If it wasn’t for Aaron Wimberly and DeVondrick Nealy, two non-seniors that stepped up throughout the season, then this position would have been a total bust. Shontrelle Johnson was inconsistent at best until the final two games of the season when he led the team in rushing, and James White had his only highlights against Kansas. Jeff Woody had his moments but it wasn’t too often that the offense found themselves in either short-yardage situations or at the goal line, where he would have automatically moved the chains or scored.

Instead, it was largely thanks to Wimberly stepping up early and then Nealy filling the void when Wimberly was injured. If anything caused the quarterbacks to look very poor this season, it was the inability to produce a running attack for nearly the entire season.