For the last two seasons, Ohio State had the luxury of handing the ball off to one of the best running backs in school history whenever it wanted to punish opposing teams with the ground attack. Whenever the Buckeyes wanted to impose their will on teams, there was no question who was touching the football.
Over the last two seasons, Ezekiel Elliott totaled 3,699 rushing yards and 41 rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry for Ohio State. He finished his career second all time in rushing yards and left a legacy as one of the school’s best ever at the position.
The Buckeyes simply can’t replace a player like Elliott, who declared for the NFL Draft after just three years in Columbus and is widely-projected to be a first-round pick. Ohio State knows it’s not as simple as plug in a new player and expect Elliott’s production to be matched.
The term ‘by committee’ gets thrown around an awful lot in football, particularly when it comes to running back, and Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer, though he didn’t use that exact phrase, said it’s a strong possibility the ‘by committee’ approach is the one Ohio State takes this fall.
“As I see it right now, you’ve got four guys carrying the ball for us in the fall,” Meyer said earlier this spring.
Four seems like a lot, and it’s likely that’s not an every game thing. But there are no shortage of options for the Buckeyes this season when it comes to taking handoffs from quarterback J.T. Barrett.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to win football games. If it’s by committee, it’s by committee. If it’s not, it’s not.”– Tony Alford
The two prime candidates are fifth-year senior Bri’onte Dunn and redshirt freshman Mike Weber. The other two Meyer was referencing were hybrid players Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson. Dunn and Weber will likely see the majority of the workload at the position, though, while Samuel and Wilson will be used in certain situations.
Neither Dunn nor Weber won the starting job during spring practice as Meyer repeatedly stated the two were “neck-and-neck.” Dunn did not play in the spring game due to a minor ankle injury sustained in practice, while Weber carried the ball eight times for 38 yards and two touchdowns.
Antonio Williams, Ohio State’s freshman running back who enrolled early, heads out of spring practice as the team’s No. 3 running back.
Position coach Tony Alford somewhat echoed Meyer’s sentiments that it may be a ‘by committee’ approach for the Buckeyes this fall if nobody emerges as a clear-cut winner in the battle between Weber and Dunn.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to win football games,” Alford said this spring. “If it’s by committee, it’s by committee. If it’s not, it’s not.
“The one thing we have to make sure we’re doing is that everyone is preparing themselves to be complete football players.”
Elliott is arguably the player Ohio State will miss most this upcoming season; his production over the last two years was just so vital to the Buckeyes’ overall success. And right now, even after 15 spring practices, it’s still unclear who will be called on to be his replacement. Perhaps that answer will come, or perhaps Meyer and Co. opt to ride with the ‘by committee’ approach for the duration of next season.
One thing is for certain, though: There will be no expected drop-off at running back, or any other position.
“We’re not going to change our standards,” Meyer said. “We certainly don’t lower our standards just because a player moves on. That’s not what this place is all about.”
