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The game was closer than Buckeyes fans probably wanted, but Saturday’s win over Nebraska meant one crucial thing for Ohio State.
The running game is back.
Sure, it has been fun watching Dwayne Haskins sling the ball all over the place and pile up huge passing yards this season. He possesses the best pure passing arm to wear Scarlet and Gray in a long time.
But the Buckeyes, like most teams, are always better when they can bring a balanced offense.
Against the Cornhuskers, Ohio State gained 229 yards on 40 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. That was both the most rushing yards and the best average OSU has had since the opener against Oregon State.
J.K. Dobbins had his best game this season, rushing for 163 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Mike Weber also chipped in nicely, picking up 91 yards on just nine carries. They both broke long runs as well — Dobbins had a 42-yarder for a touchdown and Weber had runs of 37 and 27 yards in the third quarter.
It seemed that OSU wore out Nebraska’s defense, and Dobbins kept up his effectiveness as the game went on. His final touchdown run showed his speed, a solid stop-and-start move, and the offensive line’s strong play on the day:
Dobbins surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards, making him and Weber the first running back tandem on the same team to surpass that mark in school history.
“The run game in the red zone, I think we pounded the ball in there pretty good,” Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said. “We worked ad nauseam at that. The amount of time that we spent at that was over the top, and I felt the line of scrimmage change.”
This red zone play is a good example of what Meyer was looking for. Dobbins makes a decisive cut and bulls his way through a couple of defenders at the goal line, and the linemen do their jobs:
OSU’s running backs and offensive line needed the extra work. The run game was almost nonexistent in the win against Minnesota (92 yards rushing) and especially in the loss to Purdue (76 yards) when it seemed Meyer gave up on the run and just asked Haskins to throw on every down.
Meyer said the running backs had to make things happen against Nebraska. “I thought they both did,” the coach said of Weber and Dobbins.
The Buckeyes will need more of the same if they want to give defenses something to think about besides what to do about Haskins and the receiving group. If OSU can also do damage on the ground, a conference title and another victory over archrival Michigan can be in reach.
Longtime newspaper veteran Jim Tomlin is a writer and editor for saturdaytradition.com and saturdaydownsouth.com.