Ohio State Football: Urban Meyer now has his first dynamic RB duo
Ohio State has two running backs any coach would love to have.
With all of the success Urban Meyer had before taking the Ohio State head coaching position, he never had a 1,000 yard running back. In 2013 Carlos Hyde broke that barrier and now Urban has had a back rush for over 1,000 yards in each of the three years since. However, he has never had a dynamic running back duo, until now with JK Dobbins and Mike Weber.
Coach Meyer had Ezekiel Elliott as a backup RB in 2013, but there was no doubt Hyde would be the one to carry the ball when the game was on the line. Then it was Elliott’s show the next two seasons and Weber’s last year.
Now the freshman Dobbins and sophomore Weber are becoming a 1 and 1-A combo Urban hasn’t had before.
Dobbins is on pace to break the Ohio State freshman rushing record of 1,237 yards held by Maurice Clarett. Weber became the third Ohio State running back to rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman last year. While he has battled a hamstring injury this season, Weber is now healthy and running well.
Coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson have been working Weber into the Buckeye offense the last three games. Against Rutgers he rushed 10 times for 44 yards and 3 touchdowns. Weber’s stats were 13-59-1 versus Maryland and 18-82-0 Saturday against Nebraska.
That has enabled Dobbins to get a breather and that can only benefit Ohio State going forward. The young freshman has only averaged 10 carries the last three games but still rushed for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
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The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time as the Buckeyes are about to enter the toughest part of their schedule. Weber is now back in football shape but a week of rest will be good for his hamstring.
A week off will benefit Dobbins as well because it’s a difficult task for a running back to carry the load in his first college season. He has performed well in doing so, but I’m sure the rest is welcome.
Entering Ohio State’s stretch drive, having to play Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan in a five-week period, Urban Meyer will have a dynamic RB duo to lean on. And they should be fresh as could be hoped for at this point in the schedule.
It will be interesting to see how coach Meyer and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson will use the Weber and Dobbins from here on out. Will the two be used situationally because Weber is more of a power back while Dobbins can just find a seam and take it to the house?
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But coach Wilson may choose to alternate his backs from series to series for much of the game in order to keep both players fresh, or maybe just give the ball to the running back with the hot hand? It’s hard to say how the two will be used, but there are certainly plenty of options with these outstanding backs. You know Urban Meyer has to love that.