Ohio State Football: Skill players put up terrific numbers in 2018

The skill position players on the 2018 Ohio State football team put up numbers that rival any group of running backs and receivers in the past.

The Ohio State football program has never lacked for talented skill position players. From Heisman Trophy winners to Hall of Fame wide receivers there has been plenty of Buckeyes who could throw the football, or catch and run with it extremely well. But last season’s group of skill position players put up numbers that rival any that came before them.

First a look at the running backs.

J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber came up just short of becoming the second running back duo to rush for 1,000 yards apiece. However, they joined an elite group of running back tandems to gain 1,000 yards from scrimmage.

Dobbins rushed for 1,053 yards and caught 26 passes for 263 yards totaling 1,316 yards from scrimmage. Weber’s rushed for 954 yards, had 112 receiving yards for 1,066 total yards.

Here are the Ohio State running back duos Dobbins and Weber joined in the 1,000 yard club.

1975:

• Archie Griffin:  1,450 yards rushing, 1,620 total yards
• Pete Johnson:  1,059 yards rushing, 1,085 total yards

1989:

• Carlos Snow:  990 yards rushing, 1,174 total yards
• Scottie Graham:  977 yards rushing, 1092 total yards

2016:

• Mike Weber:  1,096 yards rushing, 1,187 total yards
• Curtis Samuel:  771 yards rushing, 1,656 total yards

Even though the majority of Samuel’s yards came on receptions, any player who rushes for 771 yards and 8 touchdowns while averaging 7.9 yards per carry is a running back in my book.

With Parris Campbell’s performance it was the first time two Ohio State running backs gained 1,000 yards from scrimmage and another player had 1,000 receiving yards. Campbell caught a team record 90 passes for 1,063 yards.

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K.J. Hill had 885 receiving yards, Terry McLaurin 701 and Johnnie Dixon 669. After 50 years of following Ohio State football, I didn’t have to stat-check to see if that was the first time the Buckeyes have had four players with at least 600 receiving yards in a season. And they also accounted for 37 touchdowns through the air.

Of course someone had to throw them the football and Dwayne Haskins did that better than any Buckeye quarterback ever has. He didn’t break Ohio State and Big Ten single season records, he smashed them

He completed 70 percent of his passes for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns while only throwing 8 interceptions.

With the many outstanding running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks who have played for Ohio State, it’s difficult to decide which group of skill position players were the best. But with the stats last year’s bunch put up, they have to be in the conversation. At the very least, you have to admit they were a fun group to watch.