M.J. Flowers, shown during his 272-yard rushing performance against McNeese, was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice FCS Freshman of the Year Award. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
A year ago, M.J. Flowers was just trying to catch the Eastern Illinois offensive coaching staff’s attention.
Now, following a breakout season capped with conference and national accolades, the redshirt sophomore isn’t backing off in his approach.
“Everything we did last year, we’re turning it up times 10,” Flowers told Prairie State Pigskin. “The things we did last year won’t make us great this year. We have to come in and work harder than we ever have. We had the taste of winning, so we know what it takes.”
Flowers was a key reason why EIU posted an 8-3 record a season ago, narrowly missing the 24-team FCS playoff field.
Flowers, a Cincinnati native, emerged as the Panthers’ top running back and leading rusher despite getting only four carries in EIU’s first three games. Early on, transfer Kevin Daniels and upperclassman Kendi Young got the majority of the work.
By EIU’s fourth game, Daniels was sidelined with an injury and Flowers burst onto the scene in dramatic fashion — rushing for 272 yards on a whopping 37 attempts in a win against McNeese. It was the third highest single-game total in Panthers history.
“The McNeese game, which was my first start, I guess you could call it my breakout game,” Flowers said. “I was like ‘OK, where do we go from here?’”
Flowers started the final eight games, rushing for a team-best 854 yards. He finished second nationally among FCS freshmen in rushing and all-purpose yards (1,046).
Flowers landed on numerous freshman All-American teams and was named the Big South/Ohio Valley Conference Football Association Offensive Freshman of the Year. In addition, he was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice FCS Freshman of the Year Award.
Big workloads
As the 2023 conference season played out, the Panthers leaned heavily on Flowers. He averaged nearly 17 carries per game over the final six league contests. Flowers had 31 attempts in each of the season’s final two games, racking up a combined 388 yards and five touchdowns in EIU victories.
“As a running back, you definitely have to get into a groove,” he said. “For me personally, it’s about three or four carries and then I’m really feeling my legs.”
In the Panthers’ November win against Tennessee State, Flowers ran for 201 yards. Moreover, the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder carried the ball 20 times for 144 yards in the second half as EIU pulled away for a 30-17 win.
“The second half is what I think makes a running back great; it’s the finish,” Flowers said. “A lot of backs can come out and burst for a 60-yard gain when the game first starts, but if you can withstand hits and blitzes and pass blocking and everything that comes with being a running back by the time it’s the fourth quarter and you’re still standing strong, that’s what makes you great.”
New role
EIU opens spring practice March 26. The annual spring game is scheduled for 11 a.m. April 27 at O’Brien Field.
Flowers enters spring as something he wasn’t a year ago — the Panthers’ clear No. 1 running back.
Last March that focus appeared to be leaning toward transfers Juwon Farri (Monmouth) and Daniels (Northern Arizona). Neither of those players remains on this spring’s EIU roster posted on the school’s athletic website.
“To be completely honest, I didn’t know much about the transfers back then,” Flowers said. “My mindset has always been to just work because you never know who is coming for your spot. At the time I didn’t even have the No. 1 spot. It was just me being me and having the mindset to attack every day like it’s my last.”
Running backs coach Turner Pugh can attest to Flowers’ drive.
“His dad told me no one would outwork M.J., and a lot of parents say that, but he really hit the nail on the head with that comment,” Pugh said. “He works his butt off. I have to slow M.J. down at times.”
The EIU coaching staff has tasked Flowers with being more than just a leader by example.
“My role has definitely changed. (The coaches) have had me speak before the team in offensive unit meetings (this offseason),” he said. “Before I was just going with it and trying to earn my spot and prove myself.
“Coming into this season, I definitely want to lead by example and do my best to contribute to whatever it is that the team needs.”
And Flowers wants his drive and motivation to spill over to the Panthers’ roster.
“Our mentality should be going all out. We can’t let the foot off the gas pedal,” he said.
Springing forward
Flowers credits a change he made last offseason to his 2023 success.
“I was always trained by someone, and while that didn’t change, what did change was my own training on my time,” he said. “I turned it up going into last year. I made a big change in my work ethic and what I did personally.”
Pugh said that Flowers comes with all the intangibles not only as a running back but as a complete player.
“He has an extreme work ethic,” Pugh said. “The biggest thing about him is that he’s extremely coachable. There is a prototype that I have for a player. He allows me to be able to coach those things into him and make him better.”
Pugh, who also serves as the EIU recruiting coordinator, expanded on his thoughts.
“What I’m talking about (is) when I’m teaching another player, whether it’s footwork or technique or whatever, M.J. is able to go out and execute it the exact way that I want him to do it. That’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed about him from day one.”
Both coach and player agree that Flowers is far from a finished product.
“He’s still got things to improve. There’s the detail of things, being fully consistent,” Pugh said. “He knocks all the traits (for a top back) off. He can run the football. He’s physical. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield. And then, most importantly, he can protect the quarterback.
“But is he a finished product? No. But he has all the intangibles to get to that point.”
Flowers is ready to up the ante.
“I’m working on maintaining my breakaway speed and getting quicker with my cuts. That would take my game to the next level,” he said.
Thus, Flowers has used a variety of speed workouts he’s seen top college and professional backs employ that focus on speed, footwork, agility and change of direction.
“I’ve also been running on the treadmill and sustaining a certain running form at a fast pace, working on that technique,” he said. “We’re building something here, but there’s still work to be done.”
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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