It had been 370 days since now Ohio State and former La Grange running back J.K. Dobbins had seen game action. Last year against Liberty Hill, the star tailback broke his ankle on the first play of the season and wound up missing the entire year. Fast forward to Thursday night in Bloomington and the matchup between second-ranked Ohio State and Indiana turned into a record-setting night for Dobbins.
The freshman finished with 181 yards on 29 carries, breaking a 15-year school record held by Maurice Clarett for most rushing yards in a collegiate debut. He did not score but played an important role in helping the Buckeyes come out with a 49-21 win over the Hoosiers.
Buckeyes win!@Jkdobbins22 just had the best rushing debut of any @OhioStateFB freshman ever, including this icy pair of cuts: pic.twitter.com/lIpZqPgUWy
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) September 1, 2017
He showed quickness, speed and explosiveness that he had been known for in high school and that his coaches had raved about throughout the offseason. For Urban Meyer, what Dobbins showed was good enough to set him as the backup behind redshirt sophomore Mike Weber.
“He came in here and he’s an excellent student, one of the best workers in the weight room and then on top of that, God’s gifted him great speed, elusiveness,” Meyer told reporters back on August 21, “He’s a real one.”
Meyer has also made a comparison to a former Buckeye and current Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott.
“He’s very similar to Zeke in the way he works and he handles his business like a pro,” Meyer told reporters in his postgame press conference, “We’re very happy to have him.”
With Weber still struggling with a hamstring injury, Dobbins got the start and took full advantage of his opportunity. He was also playing with some extra motivation. His hometown of La Grange is situated between Austin and Houston and was within the vast area in Southeast Texas and the Gulf Coast affected by the floods left by Hurricane Harvey.
“I’m probably the only good thing going on in my town right now, so I just thought of it as bringing my city up,” Dobbins told reporters following Thursday’s win, “That’s why I came out and played hard like that.”
The Buckeyes needed every bit of that effort from the true freshman and while it is just one game, he gave Ohio State something to think about for the future. When asked who would start at running back next week, Meyer paused for a moment and then responded with “J.K. Weber.”
No matter what Dobbins’ role is moving forward, he could be well on his way to becoming the next star in Columbus.
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