The Importance of Parris Campbell to The Buckeyes

Parris Campbell’s performance at the H-Back position was a promising move moving forward after a strong first game.

After watching Thursday’s opener against Indiana, I have realized just what Parris Campbell brings to the table for Ohio State this season. Urban Meyer has always loved to have a guy he can count on to produce with five or more catches a game, and play anywhere on the field he’s needed.

I liked the explosiveness I saw from Campbell returning kicks, and also what he can do on offense, and I believe he is something extremely special.

Against the Hoosiers, Campbell caught six passes for 136 yards. But like the Buckeye offensive unit as a whole, Campbell didn’t get heated up until the second half. When he did, it was something terrific to watch.

At the beginning of the second half, Campbell dropped a pass in the end zone letting the ball fall right through his hands on what should have been an easy score. Then, in the nature of Ohio State football, JT Barrett walked over to Campbell on the sideline to give him encouragement.

The senior quarterback told him he’s going to get one, to keep playing hard and keep his head up. For a young athlete like Campbell confidence is everything, and you could see that the positive attitude of JT has rubbed off.

Campbell stayed level-headed and just a few possessions later broke away for a 74 yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. The fact that Campbell turned around what was an unimpressive first half to me made his performance all the more impressive.

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The Buckeyes will face adversity this season and coach Meyer is going to need guys he is able to rely on to play to their top ability no matter the score of the game.

Going forward we will see Parris Campbell’s usage keep increasing not only in the pass game, but In the run game as well. Urban Meyer has talked about the blocking abilities of his receivers and specifically Campbell, which is an attribute that was a big part of the receivers on the National Championship team a few years ago.

Last year, we were able to witness how big of an impact Curtis Samuel made everywhere on the field, including the blocking game, and I think Campbell will be “that guy” for the Bucks this season. Next week, when the Sooners visit Columbus, I predict Campbell will explode.

Mike Weber’s return is going to open up the offense even more and allow Parris Campbell to hopefully create some plays in the open field.

Next: Scarlet And Game Round Table, Predictions Week 1

While some doubters still criticize Campbell’s pass catching ability, I think he is going to be JT Barrett’s number one guy the entire season and prove to be one of the most versatile players in the country. I think he will be a major piece of the Buckeyes success this season, and hopefully can start by leading them to a 2-0 record after the game versus Oklahoma next Saturday.