Big news out of fall camp today is the loss of leading rusher Kobe Lewis to a knee injury.

Lewis, who was injured in a non-contact drill on Thursday, will undergo season-ending surgery on Tuesday. He is expected to take a medical redshirt this year, retaining some eligibility.

"You've heard me talk about the strength of our team being that running back room. The first thing is with losing Kobe you are not only losing a great player and a guy that can help you win, but you are losing a great leader," said head coach Jim McElwain. "We are going to get it taken care of and he's going to come back but it puts a little of that load on [Darius] Bracy and Lew Nichols to be leaders in that group."

The junior out of Americus, GA has rushed for more than 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns over the past two seasons (20 games). He's a leader in the locker room and on the field, and his loss is a big one of the team.

Luckily for CMU, the running back room is one of the biggest assets for the team as they will now turn to redshirt freshman Lew Nichols and junior Darius Bracy to carry the load at running back. Nichols is coming off a stellar season in which he was named Mid-American Conference freshman of the year. He ran for a team-high 508 yards and four touchdowns in 78 attempts (6.5 YPC) in 6 games. Bracy, who was originally recruited as a defensive back, made the transition to offense last season carrying the ball 15 times for 95 yards mainly out of the wildcat formation. Expect Bracy to be a more traditional running back with Lewis out.

"There's a sense of urgency now because we don't have Kobe to rely on," McElwain said. "I'm really high on these young guys. Our staff has done a great job identifying a recruiting, now we need to develop them. I think you are going to see a number of young guys play substantial roles."

True freshmen Marion Lukes out of Charlestown, IN and DJ Stepney out of Macomb, MI are two guys that have shown flashes in camp and could see some time on the field. Stepney was one of the top recruits for this incoming class and someone the team is excited about.

McElwain said even with the loss of Lewis the running back group is still one of the strengths of the team to go along with the defensive line.

CMU kicks off at Missouri on September 4th at 4 p.m.