Just after Northwestern surrendered a touchdown to then No. 23 Indiana at the end of the first quarter Oct. 5, redshirt sophomore running back Joseph Himon II fielded the kickoff around the two-yard line and scampered up the left sideline, dodging Hoosier defenders before being tackled after a 30 yard return.
A facemask penalty at the end of the play added 15 yards, and the Wildcats started their 10-play scoring drive at their own 47-yard line.
“There’s just a level of energy that comes off the sideline when the offense is opening up a drive at the 40-yard line or 50-yard line,” coach David Braun said. “There’s a level of confidence right now when Joe has the ball in his hands and people are blocking for him.”
The play marked one of several instances in which Himon provided a spark for the NU offense. Through six games, the redshirt sophomore running back is one of the nation’s top kick returners, accumulating 304 return yards on 10 attempts. Himon’s 30.4 average kickoff return yards per attempt ranks fifth best in the country, as well as No. 1 in the Big Ten.
“It’s really just a testament to my teammates blocking for me,” Himon said. “Without those guys, I wouldn’t be able to get through those holes that they open up for me and do what I do. … It’s a testament to the coaches trusting me, putting me back there so I can do what I do best.”
Last season, however, the redshirt sophomore’s only kick return came in the ’Cats’ victory against Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. Himon says he has returned kicks his whole life, so it was only a matter of time until he got the opportunity to do it at NU.
“Coach has always told me ‘Just stay ready,’ because I could be really vital in the kick return game,” Himon said. “That’s just me staying ready and me waiting my turn.”
Braun said seeing Himon take advantage of his returning opportunity has been especially exciting.
Last season, Himon served a spark plug role on offense, ripping off an 85-yard receiving touchdown in Braun’s first victory as a head coach against UTEP.
“We knew we had some special things with Joe on the offensive side of the ball, but to see that carry over into the special teams game has been really fun to watch,” Braun said.
The ’Cats face Wisconsin on Saturday, a team that has been stout against kickoff returns this season. The Badgers allow an average of 17 yards per kickoff return, a figure that ranks 32nd in the country.
Knowing this, Himon and the NU special teams unit are looking at different defensive schemes, but he is mainly focusing on his own execution.
“I really just focus on us,” said Himon. “I focus on looking at my reads, knowing where to hit, knowing what guys are blocking what guys, so it’s really just focusing on us.”
Under first-year special teams coordinator Paul Creighton, NU has steadily improved its kick return game since last season.
The ’Cats are averaging over five yards more per kickoff return this season. Additionally, in their first three games, they gained 111 yards on kick returns. Since the start of conference play, NU has gained 272 yards on kick returns. Himon’s 96-yard kickoff return against Washington is his team’s longest return this season.
Himon credits these improvements to hard work in practice and trusting the team’s explosive ability.
“We know we can make big plays on this team,” Himon said. “Really just going hard every day in practice, honing in on those little details.”
Himon has played in all six games this season, racking up 122 rushing yards and one touchdown on 28 attempts as the team’s second-string running back. The redshirt sophomore, though, has fully embraced the new part of his job.
“It feels really good to be able to contribute to my team. I try to contribute in any way that I can for the team’s success,” Himon said. “Really, I do anything and put everything on the line for my team.”
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