Big Sky Conference

Santiago putting together rookie season to remember

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John Santiago put his total package on display last week in Missoula. North Dakota’s do-everything tailback ripped off an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. Later in the first quarter, he flattened hard-hitting Montana senior linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren with a devastating stiff arm.

By the end of the afternoon, UND was on the wrong end of a 42-16 beat down. But Santiago continued to affirm himself as the top running back in the Big Sky Conference. For a fifth consecutive conference game, Santiago rushed for more than 100 yards. The 178-yard outing marked a career high and was his fifth game of more than 150 yards this season and his sixth 100-yard outing all told.

Santiago enters Saturday’s matchup against Montana State in Grand Forks, North Dakota leading the Big Sky in carries (154) and yards (932) and has scored eight of UND’s 21 total touchdowns. He also has 499 kickoff return yards and his 198.6 all-purpose yards lead the league, besting even Eastern Washington all-world wide receiver Cooper Kupp for the league lead.

UND running back John Santiago stiff arms UM linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren/by Evan Frost

UND running back John Santiago stiff arms UM linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren/by Evan Frost

“He’s strong and he’s fast. That usually makes for a good running back,” Montana State ninth-year defensive coordinator Jamie Marshall said with a laugh. “He’s got a great stiff arm, too. He showed that against Montana, against some of their better players. He is a guy that has a never-say-die attitude where if it’s not there, then I’m going to cut it back and go backward rather than going forward. He never quits.”

All of Santiago’s lofty accomplishments this season are made even more amazing when considering that Santiago is a 5-foot-9, 170-pound true freshman. The St. Francis, Minnesota native did not have a single Division I offer coming out of high school accept for UND head coach Bubba Schweigert’s offer to come to Grand Forks to play slot receiver.

“I really liked it here in Grand Forks and that’s why I committed early,” Santiago said. “I’m glad I committed here, I really like it. But it was my only offer. I wasn’t really expecting anything big. I come from a small town in Minnesota. It motivates me a little bit. I want to show off what I have. I think I’ve been adjusting to the D-I level so far.

“I don’t think anybody really expected me to be this productive. I came here to play football and get an education. I came here, played my ass off and things are turning out ok.”

Montana State first-year offensive line coach Jason Eck spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Division II power Minnesota State-Mankato. He remembers going to St. Francis to watch tight end prospect Blake Moreno play. The diminutive running back chucking blockers instantly caught his eye.

UND running back John Santiago scores a TD against Idaho State/by Tyler Ingham

UND running back John Santiago scores a TD against Idaho State/by Tyler Ingham

“They were an old-school, power run team, two tight ends, two backs and the back ran really hard,” Eck said. “His size, he’s just not very big. You just thought even though he was very productive, is this going to be able to transfer to the next level. He’s proving everybody wrong now.”

UND coaches thought Santiago might figure into the mix as a true freshman but not in the backfield. Injuries to UAB transfer Ja’Won Arrington and junior Kyle Norberg caused for a reshuffling and Santiago found himself at running back during fall camp. After one day playing the position, he earned the starting spot and never looked back.

“I was really surprised, I don’t know about anyone else, but once you see John play, you know he’s the real deal,” UND captain middle linebacker Will Ratelle said. “He’s so athletic and he runs hard for how small he is. He has a great stiff arm and he’s fast too. After seeing him play a little bit, I’m not surprised how well he’s doing but it’s not something you normally expect from someone of that stature.”

“He’s a good decision maker, he knows where the hole is going to be and he’s patient,” added North Dakota senior captain Brandon Anderson. “At the same token, he has this speed that can fool you because he’ll make you miss in space.”

Since the first day he started taking handoffs at UND, Santiago’s work ethic has been on full display. Santiago said he considers “practice as the most important element” to his success. His teammates and coaches have certainly noticed. Running backs coach Kevin Maurice, a Miami native, told Tom Miller of the Grand Forks Herald that Santiago reminds him of University of Miami great Willis McGahee, adding, “I’d take John Santiago in a street fight in Miami any day.”

UND running back John Santiago stiff arms a UM defender/by Evan Frost

UND running back John Santiago stiff arms a UM defender/by Evan Frost

“He’s strong for his size and he practices so hard,” UND second-year head coach Bubba Schweigert said. “He’s a pretty good player. We are always concerned with how much he can take. The toll of the season for a running back that carries the ball as much as he does, it can start adding up. But we like to get the ball to John because he is a pretty explosive player.”

Santiago’s first season has not been without speed bumps. The rookie burst into the season by rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in North Dakota’s 24-13 upset win at FBS Wyoming. He scored a 52-yard touchdown in the first quarter and added another score in the third to give UND a 21-0 lead over the Cowboys.

The next week against Drake, Santiago fumbled three times. He managed just 24 yards on 14 carries as UND needed all three of sophomore Keaton Studsrud’s touchdown passes to squeak out a 21-18 win. The following week, a banged up Santiago managed just seven yards on four carries as UND notched just three first downs and four rushing yards total in a 34-9 loss to No. 2 North Dakota State.

Since then, Santiago has been a machine, rushing for 151 yards per game with rushing totals no less than 118 yards and no more than 178 yards.

“As you watch John, he had a great game against Wyoming, a great first game and he came back against Drake and he fumbled the ball three times,” UND sophomore safety Cole Reyes said. “Me being an older guy, I wondered how he would respond to that. He’s a freshman and I thought he might be nervous. I really respect how John responded. You see John in practice every day and he goes 100 percent. Coach notices it, we notice it. I really respect him as a player and what he does and how he comes to work every day. It’s not surprise to see what he is doing on Saturdays.”

UND running back John Santiago /by Matt Schill

UND running back John Santiago /by Matt Schill

Santiago already has UND’s freshman rushing record, breaking Phillip Moore’s mark of 846 yards set in 1995. He has surpassed 100 yards in games against Portland State, Weber State and Montana, each among the top five statistical rush defenses in the Big Sky. On Saturday, Santiago will go against a Montana State team that is giving up 275 rushing yards per game to Division I opponents, including 296.4 yards on the ground per game to Big Sky teams and 324.6 rushing yards per game away from Bobcat Stadium.

“We have to do a great job of keeping contain and keeping our shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and just be physical against him,” Marshall said. “At the end of the day, he’s a freshman.”

As the Big Sky race kicks off the stretch run on Halloween, Santiago’s youth might be the scariest aspect for the rest of the league.

Photo attribution noted. All Rights Reserved.

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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