At the midpoint of the regular season, it has become clear a few longstanding Ohio State records will likely fall by the end of the year.
J.K. Dobbins, Chase Young and K.J. Hill are among the current Buckeyes taking aim at records held by the likes of Eddie George, David Boston, Dwayne Haskins, Archie Griffin, Mike Vrabel and others.
With six games remaining in the regular season and an as-of undetermined amount of post-season games, we're taking a look at how the chases for program records have progressed.
Chase Young, Most Single-Season Sacks
The Ohio State record: Vernon Gholston, 14 sacks in 2007
Young through six games: 8.5 sacks
Young's 13-game pace: 18.4 sacks
Young's 14-game pace: 19.8 sacks
Young's 15-game pace: 21.3 sacks
Young isn't just on pace to break Gholston's 12-year record. He might smash it.
A year after he recorded 10.5 sacks, he has already nearly equaled his total from last season, and he has done so with consistency rushing off the edge. Young has picked up at least 1/2 of a sack in each of the past eight games, which is a streak that dates back to his sophomore season.
Provided opponents don't find some unforeseen way to stymie him, this record will likely fall. The rest of the defensive ends getting healthy in the second half of the season should aid Young in his pursuit of it.
K.J. Hill, Most Career Receptions
The Ohio State record: David Boston, 191 career receptions from 1996 to 1998
Hill through six games: 27 receptions in 2019; 171 career receptions
Hill's 13-game pace: 58.5 receptions in 2019; 202.5 career receptions
Hill's 14-game pace: 63 receptions in 2019; 207 career receptions
Hill's 15-game pace: 67.5 receptions in 2019; 211.5 career receptions
Hill has already moved into second place in program history, recently passing Cris Carter who had 168 career receptions, and he now has his sights on Boston's record.
Though Hill isn't on pace to break his personal season high of 70 catches, which he set a year ago, he's expected to become the all-time leader in receptions. Hill has been a model of consistency throughout his career, and he maintained the reliability that got him to this point in the first half of the season.
Given how much passing offenses have exploded in recent years, it's unknown how long Hill would be able to maintain the record. But the longevity needed to hold such a mark would offer him a bit of cushion.
J.K. Dobbins, Most Single-Season Rushing Yards
The Ohio State record: Eddie George, 1,927 rushing yards in 1995
Dobbins through six games: 826 rushing yards
Dobbins' 13-game pace: 1,790 rushing yards
Dobbins' 14-game pace: 1,927 rushing yards
Dobbins' 15-game pace: 2,065 rushing yards
Everybody knew Dobbins might set a personal high in rushing yards without splitting carries with Mike Weber anymore. Few, though, predicted he'd challenge George's record that has stood for nearly 25 years.
At this point, that's well within reach. Dobbins' 14-game pace of 1,927 rushing yards is remarkably George's exact total from 1995.
Had Ohio State not won each of its first six games by at least three touchdowns, Dobbins likely would have been even closer to George's mark. The blowouts have allowed him to exit games early, thus capping his stats.
Other Record Chases To Watch
Justin Fields, Most Single-Season Rushing Touchdowns By A Quarterback
The Ohio State record: Braxton Miller, 13 rushing touchdowns in 2012; Art Schlichter, 13 rushing touchdowns in 1978
Fields through six games: 8 rushing touchdowns
Ohio State has had plenty of quarterbacks unafraid to pick up yards on the ground. None of them – not even J.T. Barrett – scored more rushing touchdowns in a season than Miller in 2012 and Schlichter in 1978.
Fields won't come close to Dwayne Haskins' record of 50 passing touchdowns, but he could break the Ohio State mark of 13 rushing touchdowns with his legs.
Chase Young, Most Seasons With Double-Digit Sacks (Tie)
The Ohio State record: Mike Vrabel, 12 sacks in 1994 and 13 sacks in 1995
Young through six games: 10.5 sacks in 2018 and 8.5 sacks in 2019
Consider this a lock. All Young needs is 1.5 sacks to tie Vrabel's mark with a second double-digit sack season.
Vernon Gholston, Joey Bosa, Andy Katzenmoyer, Matt Finkes, Will Smith and Jason Simmons have all had one season with at least 10 sacks. Nobody but Vrabel has done it twice as a Buckeye.
Justin Fields, Best Single-Season Passing Efficiency
The Ohio State record: Dwayne Haskins, 173.9 in 2018
Fields through six games: 187.6
Fields currently has a significantly better passing efficiency than Haskins had last year when he set both the Ohio State and Big Ten record in the category.
With some of the Buckeyes' toughest games remaining on their schedule, it's likely that Fields' passing efficiency mark slips a bit, making it unlikely that he breaks Haskins' record. But him having a better passing efficiency than his predecessor at the midpoint of this season underscores how proficient he has been throwing the ball in his first year as a starter.
J.K. Dobbins, Most Seasons With 1,000 Rushing Yards (Tie)
The Ohio State record: Archie Griffin, 1,577 rushing yards in 1973, 1,695 rushing yards in 1974 and 1,450 rushing yards in 1975
Dobbins through six games: 1,403 rushing yards in 2017, 1,053 rushing yards in 2018 and 826 rushing yards in 2019
Another lock. Dobbins needs just 174 yards to have a third 1,000-yard season as a rusher.
At this moment, he might not be thought of in relation to some of the best to ever play running back at Ohio State. But he's putting up stats that would back him up in those types of conversations.
Justin Fields, Most Touchdowns Responsible For In A Single Season
The Ohio State record: Dwayne Haskins, 54 touchdowns responsible for in 2018
Fields through six games: 26 touchdowns responsible for
A year ago, Haskins set this as both the program and the conference record. But with how well Fields has played, it's well within the realm of possibility that the first-year starter lays claim to the record this season. He's on pace to do so.
Last year, 50 of Haskins' 54 touchdowns came through the air, with four coming on the ground. Fields already has eight rushing scores compared to 18 passing touchdowns.
K.J. Hill, Most Consecutive Career Games With A Catch
The Ohio State record: Gary Williams, 48 consecutive games with a catch between 1979 and 1982
Hill through six games: 40 consecutive games with a catch
Given his consistency, the question of whether Hill will break this record or not is left almost entirely in the hands of the team's success rather than his play.
To tie Williams' mark, Ohio State needs to make the Big Ten title game and a bowl game. To break it, the Buckeyes need to make the national championship game.
Justin Fields, Best Single-Season Completion Percentage
The Ohio State record: Dwayne Haskins, 70.0 percent
Fields through six games: 69.5 percent
It's hard to imagine Fields breaking Haskins' recently set record considering he'd need an even higher completion percentage than he had in the first six games of the season.
Even if he didn't have a higher percentage than Haskins, he still could end up with the second-best mark in program history. Currently, Troy Smith is in second place with a 65.3 completion percentage in 2006.
Chase Young, Most Sacks In Program History
The Ohio State record: Mike Vrabel, 36 sacks from 1993 to 1996
Young through six games: 8.5 sacks this season; 21.5 sacks from 2017 to 2019
Is this absurd? Yes. Does this belong on the list because Young has shown that he's not bound by reality? Yes.
Young would need 14.5 sacks the remainder of his junior season just to tie Vrabel's record of 36 career sacks. That would put him at 23 sacks for the year, which is nine more than Gholston had in his record-setting season.
