Ask Ezekiel Elliott about his current 14-game streak of 100-plus yard rushing performances and Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy candidate will almost always deflect it and shift the credit in another direction. Saturday, following Elliott’s 114-yard effort in the Buckeyes’ 28-14 win over Minnesota, was no different.
“The O-line, I wouldn’t be able to do anything without them,” Elliott said. “Sometimes, like on my touchdown run [Saturday], the hole was so gaping wide how do I not score? You’ve gotta give so much credit to those guys for just coming out every week, grinding during practice and performing on Saturdays.”
Elliott was again Ohio State’s best offensive player in a game where the Buckeyes struggled to move the ball against a stingy Gophers defense. He needed 26 carries to gain those 114 yards and also found the end zone on a 15-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Elliott now has 1,244 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns through nine games this season. He moved into fourth place all time at Ohio State with his performance Saturday passing Chris Wells. Elliott currently has 3,384 rushing yards in his career.
“He’s an animal,” head coach Urban Meyer said of Elliott following the game. “He’s a work horse that we’re very glad he’s going to be with us for a while.”
Miller Expected To Be Fine
Braxton Miller left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return after he appeared to injure his head following a 45-yard catch. Miller’s head smacked against the Ohio Stadium turf and he was down on the field for a few minutes before being helped off the field for a pair of trainers.
After the game, Meyer said he expects Miller will be fine.
“I think he’ll be all right,” Meyer said. “I think he just got the wind knocked out of him or dinged a little bit. I’ll know more [Sunday].”
Elliott said he also spoke to Miller and he also expects one of the Buckeyes’ most dangerous offensive weapons to be OK.
“He’s all right, he just hit his head real hard,” Elliott said. “He doesn’t have a concussion or anything, he just hit his head hard on the ground.”
Meyer will likely provide a full update Monday during his weekly press conference, but right now it doesn’t seem to be a serious injury for Miller.
Bell’s Pick-Six Leads Strong Defensive Effort
With the game scoreless late in the second quarter, Ohio State safety Vonn Bell took it upon himself to make a play. He promptly stepped in front of a Mitch Leidner pass and took the ball back 16 yards to the end zone for the game’s first touchdown.
“They ran that play earlier,” Bell said. “I took a picture in my head, I said they were going to run that play again, I jumped in front of him and made the play.”
Bell’s pick-six almost didn’t happen, though. Linebacker Joshua Perry was initially called for targeting on the play, but after a review the call was properly overturned. The touchdown held up and it was the highlight of an overall strong defensive performance by the third-ranked Buckeyes. Ohio State held Minnesota scoreless for the first three quarters before surrendering two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
The Gophers gained just 314 yards of total offense and were forced to punt eight times in the game. Minnesota was also held to just 33 rushing yards as a team.
“We watched a lot of film this week and all the reads held true,” defensive end Tyquan Lewis said. “Everything they did we already had a plan for what was going to happen.”
Overall, Ohio State was very pleased with its defensive effort. The Buckeyes weren’t OK with how they finished the game, though.
“We came out strong, we held them out, but we’ve gotta finish,” Bell said. “We’ve gotta play four quarters, we’ve gotta learn our assignments, keep on learning and hold each other accountable.”
