In Carlos Hyde and Jordan Hall, Ohio State has enjoyed as good a 1-2 punch from the running back position as any team in the country — and challenged only by Wisconsin’s James White-Melvin Gordon combo in the Big Ten.
The duo has combined for 1,220 rushing yards on 175 attempts (6.97 YPA), scoring 15 touchdowns. That’s 135.5 yards per game. They’ve also caught 18 passes for 101 yards and another score (by Hyde). Since both are seniors, that’s a lot of production for Urban Meyer to replace next season.
Aside from incoming freshmen who might play their way into the mix, there are really four major contenders for the role of starting Ohio State running back in 2014 (assuming Dontre Wilson continues in his hybrid role, which appears to be a safe bet). One will be a senior, two will be redshirt sophomores and perhaps the most likely candidate will be a true sophomore.
Herein, we’ll take a look at the four most likely players to grab the spot next season, in order of least to most likely.
Warren Ball
Ball is an intriguing candidate. He’s got good size at 6-foot-1 and 222 pounds. The freshman from DeSales High in Columbus fell behind last season when a foot injury forced him to redshirt. But his stock has risen this year.
In 2013, Ball has seen the field in seven games so far. Appearing mostly on special teams, Ball has gotten the rock 13 times from the running back spot. He’s acquitted himself well, gaining 76 yards (5.8 YPA), while playing mostly at garbage time. However, he hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown yet — something eight other Buckeyes have done.
Ball will be entering his third season in the program in 2014, and another camp could make the difference in his playing time. Still, there are better candidates at this point in time, so it will be up to the Columbus native to work hard and earn his way up the ladder.
Chances of starting: Poor to average. He will probably see the field a lot more in 2014, but it will be to provide depth unless there are injuries ahead of him.
Bri’onte Dunn
A surprise redshirt (presumably) this season, Dunn will need to be mentally tough to take the next step in his evolution, because he has all the physical tools to get on the field a lot. The former Canton GlenOak star is similarly built to Ball – at 6-foot, 220 pounds.
Will Rod Smith start in 2014? Will he change numbers?Dunn saw action as a freshman in 2012, playing in 11 of Ohio State’s 12 games. He rushed 25 times for 133 yards (5.3 YPA) and two touchdowns, including this one. He also returned a kickoff for 22 yards. By the time next season rolls around, the hope is that Dunn will be hungry to get out on the field again. We’ll learn more in camp. There haven’t been any concrete indications that he’s looking at transferring, although that’s always a risk when a returning player doesn’t feel he’s progressing in the program.
Urban Meyer wants his players to be hungry and willing to earn their way onto the field via special teams. Rumblings are that Dunn wasn’t able (or willing?) to do that and as he hasn’t seen the field, will likely be given a redshirt. If that’s the case, he’ll still have three seasons of eligibility to make his mark on the program.
Chances of starting: Poor to average. Dunn will need to show he’s willing to do whatever it takes to earn his spot. That’s the big first hurdle with this coaching staff. Once he’s done that, he’ll get some opportunities, because he’s a big (only a few pounds lighter than Hyde), talented back.
Rod Smith
Smith’s career has been a bit of a puzzle. Meyer has stated he thought Smith wasn’t long for Ohio State when he became head coach shortly before the 2012 Gator Bowl. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound product of Fort Wayne, Ind., was even moved to linebacker at one point.
The senior-to-be carried 29 times for 116 yards (4.0 YPA) as a freshman in 2011, scoring one touchdown. He caught two passes for 15 more yards. Last year, Smith seemed on a very positive career trajectory. He rushed 32 times for 215 yards (6.7 YPA) and two touchdowns — including this one in beast mode against Nebraska — catching two more passes for 55 yards and another score (1:40 mark).
But this season he’s had a hard time getting on the field. He’s logged 22 carries for 117 yards (5.3 YPA) and a score, playing sparingly. He has set a career high with four receptions, but has gained only 16 yards on them. It was probably a bad sign that he began the season with a one-game suspension for an incident that happened in February, but a suspension certainly didn’t hold Hyde back.
Chances of starting: Average to good. Smith will be a senior and the team’s most experienced running back entering 2014. That’s going to carry a lot of weight with his teammates. But, like his competition, he’ll have to prove to Meyer that he’s the man, and to this point he’s had trouble doing that. Smith’s size and athleticism is as intriguing as his past fumble problems have been frustrating, but he’s got as good a shot as anyone at landing the starring role in 2014.
Ezekiel Elliott
What sophomore-to-be Elliott brings to the party is raw talent and a (short) history of success. The true freshman has looked the part during the last nine games of Ohio State’s 21-game winning streak. He’s got the requisite size to take the punishment, at 6-foot and 218 pounds, and he’s been impossible to keep off the field.
The St. Louis, Mo., native is Ohio State’s fifth-leading rusher in 2013 — third among running backs — appearing in seven of the nine games this year. Elliott has carried 29 times for 255 yards, for a sick 8.8-yard average. He has two rushing touchdowns, and he’s caught three passes for 23 yards and another score. He destroyed Florida A&M.
Elliott’s advantage in the 2014 race is his proven on-field production, although much of that has come in the second half of blowout wins. Still, he appears to have excellent instincts to go with the athleticism. Another year in Ohio State’s strength and conditioning program will morph him into a even bigger beast, more experienced beast.
Chances of starting: Good to excellent. In my view, this is EzE’s race to lose. He’s more or less the incumbent, with Ohio State’s other top backs term limiting at season’s end. Elliott has the moves, the size and the talent to become the next great Buckeye runner. He may need to run with a little more lean and improve his blocking/pass protecting, but there’s really not much to criticize in his game so far.
