CJ Donaldson breaks an arm tackle on his longest run of the game against Texas. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
The continuance of at least a two-back attack is here to stay at Ohio State as 1,000-yard regular seasons are becoming a vestige of past offenses that leaned on a workhorses like Dobbins, George and Griffin.
Columbus, OH – Who is Ohio State’s next 1,000-yard running back? Not after 16 games like last season.
The regular season. In 12 games.
If you love it when the Buckeyes ride a running back to that milestone and beyond, temper your enthusiasm because it’s OK if they don’t. The 1,000-yard back is no longer required to win championships. Even in the Big Ten. And the Buckeyes embrace that strategy, especially when it takes the wear and tear of at least 16 games to win it all.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
It only seems like the Buckeyes have produced 1,000-yard rushers for the past 100 years. The first, to my surprise, was Jim Otis in 1969. Starting with Otis, at least one Buckeye has rushed for 1,000 yards in 35 seasons. Twice there have been two. Last year Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson hit the mark in the championship game. In 1975, Archie Griffin and Pete Johnson did it in 12 games.
This season there are three candidates: C.J. Donaldson, James Peoples and Bo Jackson. So far there is no evidence in the distribution of carries to suggest any of them will rush for 1,000 yards no matter how many games the Buckeyes play. They might all be capable, but it’s unlikely any of them will get enough carries.
Some want it to be Bo Jackson … like now. He ran well against Grambling State to a 100-yard day, but that’s hardly a resume to move to the top of the pile. But he flashed, some are saying. A flash doesn’t last long. That’s not to say Jackson is a flash in the pan, but freshmen flashes at the end of a blowout are akin to spring game flashes.
However, it is quite possible that Jackson will be the Buckeyes’ next 1,000-yard man. Just not this season. And only if head coach Ryan Day, play caller Brian Hartline and running backs coach Carlos Locklyn decide it’s necessary.
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This – and possibly many to come – will be another running-back-by-committee season.
Why? Recent results tend to influence coaching decisions. And recent results helped Day win his first national championship.
The Buckeyes employed a near-perfect two-back system last season with Judkins and Henderson. The coaches loved it. Neither was overworked, both stayed healthy, and both were as fresh as possible for the championship run.
Don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken. That’s got to be the theory until injuries or performances change the coaching staff’s mind. Could happen. Probably won’t.
He gets the tough yards…CJ Donaldson clutches the football as he scored the first touchdown in the win over Texas.
Day, as he should, put a lot more stock in how the running backs performed against Texas than they did against Grambling or will on Saturday against Ohio.
“I thought there were some physical runs in Week 1,” Day said Wednesday after practice. “Not explosive, we want to be explosive, and so that’s what we’re going to continue to work on.”
Jackson made the explosive splash against Grambling with a 51-yard run, 108 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. He also fumbled – never a good way for a freshman to earn playing time – and failed to politely hand the ball to the official after scoring, incurring a reprimand from Locklyn.
When Day was asked about Jackson on Tuesday, he didn’t talk about the numbers. Instead, he said, “Every play is an opportunity to get better. And I think that’s what we’re really trying to hammer home right now.”
Jackson’s name came up again later. This time Day said, “Guys are going to make mistakes. The question is, did they learn from it.” Did Jackson learn from his mistakes? He will have to prove that he did. That’s how he will earn more trust and more playing time. It’s not just about the yards. Ohio State has enough good players at every position that no one gets a pass.
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Donaldson might not be a game breaker, but he gets tough yards. Don’t minimize his 1-yard touchdown against Texas. He found the narrow crease and scored. Guys who have already rushed for over 2,000 yards in college, like Donaldson did in three seasons at West Virginia, know how to get that yard better than freshmen not named Maurice Clarett.
“The running backs are involved in making sure the timing and all those things are right,” Day said.
Donaldson has the most experience to do the little things right with Peoples is close behind. Jackson, we should all suspect, needs more seasoning. He will get carries Saturday against Ohio, but when the games are more competitive you can bet Donaldson and Peoples will be the guys.
The Buckeyes averaged under three yards a carry against Texas. But it was the first game and probably the best defense the Buckeyes will face in the regular season. It seems the coaches are pleased – but probably only to a point – with the run blocking.
“There’s physical play going on – we’ve got to keep building on that,” Day said.
Austin Siereveld, the starting left tackle, said, “Right now we’re good, but every day we gotta get better with our run blocking, pass blocking. It’s all about the little details. We just can’t be satisfied.”
Day and his offensive coaches will bark and bark at practice and talk and talk in the film room at every wrong move in the running game. And when they consistently block for the backs – from the linemen to the tight ends to the wide receivers – maybe then Day will single some people out.
“We’ll figure as we continue to move forward where we see ourselves and how do we stay ahead of the trends and make sure we have enough things to give us explosives,” he said. “There’s a lot that goes into the running game. Everybody’s involved with it.”
Siereveld wants those good feelings that come with run blocking. He’s not thinking about 1,000-yard backs or who is taking the handoff. He’s thinking about making those coveted explosive plays happen.
“When you see the running backs run by you for like 15-20 yards that’s an awesome feeling,” he said. “As an offensive lineman you know you did your job making holes.”
At No. 1 Ohio State, like rarely before, it matters not for who.
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