FORT COLLINS — Maybe it took a pair of fresh eyes on the Colorado State coaching staff to see something in Gartrell Johnson that had gone unnoticed for 2 1/2 seasons.
Until the past two weeks, Johnson had drawn attention only for the distinctive dreadlocks hanging out the back of his helmet and a predictable 2 or 3 straight-ahead yards on most carries. It didn’t matter whether the Rams needed 2 yards or 5.
When Dave Lay came in this summer as running game coordinator, all he heard about was Kyle Bell coming off knee surgery. All he saw in Johnson was a pass blocker and prototype tough guy.
“The first thing is, he’s a heck of a kid. The second thing is, he’s the toughest guy on the football team,” Lay said. “If you walk down a dark alley in New York City, Gartrell is the guy I’d want with me. He’s a very tough guy, not a bad guy. When he pass blocked he was the best back at sticking his nose in there. That’s when I noticed him.”
Johnson was more than a tough guy in his 162-yard, two-touchdown effort against UNLV last week, earning him conference offensive player of the week.
He showed previously unseen spin moves. He knocked defenders back for post-contact yardage.
In two weeks, his 305 yards match last season’s totals, when he started seven games. The first four weeks, he carried 10 times for 30 yards. Then there was a flicker with 43 yards on 10 carries in a loss to San Diego State.
Johnson said it’s all about confidence and finding his comfort zone. This is the player he was years ago at Miami Springs High School. A case of early fumble-itis derailed playing time, especially once Bell took over his sophomore year.
“Now I’m getting chances to show talent,” Johnson said. “Fumbles held me back a lot. I was too worried about holding on to the ball. I knew it was always there.
“I just had to feel comfortable.”
Regardless of who was carrying the ball, the Rams’ offensive line faltered last year and struggled again in this season’s 0-6 start. Johnson said all the usual good things about the line after beating UNLV. Then he watched the tape Monday.
“I saw blocks and thought, ‘I haven’t seen that in three, four years I’ve been here,”‘ Johnson said. “Those guys came out to play. I kind of fed off of that.”
He cited tackles Adrian Martinez and Cole Pemberton driving UNLV defenders downfield.
Wide receiver Johnny Walker, who has become the leader in the locker room since his stirring pregame speech about digging deeper, said he saw flashes of the current Johnson in a spring game two years ago.
“I think the line has gotten a little better,” Walker said. “(Johnson is) seeing more holes, getting the chance to hit the holes and do what he does best. I always thought he was a good back. He’s very powerful – 99 percent of the time it’s no go-down on first contact. Last year he was getting hit behind the line of scrimmage. He didn’t have a hole to hit.”
Running backs coach Mick Delaney said a fringe benefit of Johnson’s sudden surge is the competition it brings to the entire running back corps. He sees the trend in college and the NFL to dual backs.
“It’s hard for one guy to carry the whole game,” Delaney said. “He carried 25 times, and that’s probably about right. … We don’t want to force it. Kyle probably played his best game. Gartrell was unbelievable. Competition-wise, he forced Kyle to be better.”
Now that the Rams show signs of turning it around, Johnson has just one goal: “Win some games.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
