Ohio State Football: A ray of sunshine through a dark cloud
One Ohio State football player won’t quit.
My wife always looks for a rainbow after a storm while I think about the ton of water it just dropped on us. That’s the way I felt after Saturday, but I decided to look up for something bright following the storm that hit the Ohio State football team in Iowa City.
I have yet to see a rainbow, but there was one ray of sunshine peeking through the dark clouds.
And it was provided by wide receiver Johnnie Dixon’s performance. The junior continued to be a big play guy for the Buckeyes even in defeat.
Against Iowa, Dixon caught four passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and his longest catch was for 44 yards. Why does that matter when the Buckeyes were soundly defeated? It’s because of what Dixon has battled since he enrolled at Ohio State, and now he is finally getting a chance to shine.
Dixon showed up on campus as a prized recruit in the 2014 class and it was reported he had sub 4.4 speed in the 40. However, the wide receiver had knee surgery his freshman season and has had a hard time getting on the field since.
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Prior to this season, Dixon had only caught 6 passes for 55 yards and had yet to catch a touchdown pass. Now it appears he is fully healthy because his stats this year are17 receptions for 413 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Dixon’s 24.3 yards per catch easily leading all Ohio State receivers. His 8 TD receptions are tops on the team as well.
In Ohio State’s spring game last April, Dixon finally displayed the talent everyone had been waiting to see. He had 6 receptions for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Coach Urban Meyer attributed it to his attention to strength and conditioning as well as nutrition that made the difference. Evidently he has stayed on his regimen so far and his success story is one of the best this season.
A star recruit who battled back from medical issues and finally gets to display his talents is inspiring. I hope only the best for the young man going forward.
Next: 4 important questions after loss to Iowa
Boy, I hope my wife reads this article. I couldn’t find a rainbow following the storm that hit Iowa City last Saturday, but I found a ray of light peeking through the dark cloud. That’s a first step isn’t it?