Ezekiel Elliott deserves to have his name written in the pantheon of legendary Ohio State football players. Right now. Don't look at the stats (although we will), don't compare him to anyone else, don't try and contextualize any of it.
Your eyes and your heart will tell you all that you need to know: Zeke is John Henry and Babe the Blue Ox and Captain America and heart and guts and gristle and bone and he is why Ohio State finished off the most improbable season in the 125 year history of the program.
| Opponent | Game | Att | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 WISCONSIN | B1G CHAMPIONSHIP | 20 | 220 | 2 |
| No. 1 ALABAMA | SUGAR BOWL | 20 | 230 | 2 |
| No. 2 OREGON | NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP | 36 | 246 | 4 |
Watching Elliott bounce off would-be tacklers, churn his legs for first downs, and pinball down the field on long run after long run was shocking. Not because his ability wasn't evident; but more because with each successive run he became some kind of weird, otherworldly presence.
It's easy to be hyperbolic after a National Championship game, but man, in your life have you ever seen someone single-handedly suck the living soul out of three consecutive opponents with run after run after run?
In the Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon games Elliott had runs of 15, 81, 60, 54, 17, 85, 33, 17, 26, and 22 yards, which buried Ohio State's three opponents. In those three games, he ran for over 200 yards three straight times, something no Ohio State player has never, ever done. He set rushing records in the B1G Championship Game, the Sugar Bowl, and the National Championship. 76 carries. 696 yards. 9.1 yards per carry. Three of the most amazing games by a running back these tired eyes have ever seen.
And that's the thing. Enjoy this, because for the rest of your college football watching life you may never see something as special as what we've seen from Ezekiel Elliott over the last month or so.
