Ezekiel Elliott’s consistency hurting Ohio State RB in Heisman Trophy chase?

Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott only rushes for more than 100 yards every game but his workmanlike consistency could be working against him in the minds of the Heisman Trophy voters.

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Ezekiel Elliott ran for 100 yards for the 15th straight game as the Buckeyes back ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns as Ohio State remained undefeated.

His consistently excellent play as a ball carrier, blocker and overall football player had him sixth in the nation entering the game against Illinois, trailing Derrick Henry by 10 yards for fifth place but for some reason Elliott isn’t getting as much Heisman attention as Henry.

The Alabama junior running back surged to the front of pack with a 200-yard outing in the win against LSU last weekend, his second in the last three games and looks like a lock to get an invite to the Heisman ceremony, if not win the Trophy.

Henry entered this weekend with 1,254 yards for a 5.75 yards per carry average and 17 touchdowns. Elliott had 1,244 on a 6.45 yards per carry average and 14 touchdowns on 25 fewer carries.

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The stats are nearly identical, although Elliott has been better on a per carry basis, so why is Henry the front-runner for the Heisman and Elliott is not even a sure bet to get an invitation to the Heisman ceremony in December?

It’s not like Elliott isn’t playing for a national program with an undefeated record. It’s not like the college football world isn’t aware of him after watching him run for 230 yards on 20 carries against Henry’s Alabama team in the College Football Playoff semifinals last year.

So while Elliott has been a more productive player every time he touches the ball and his team hasn’t lost I think he may be a victim because of his greatness. He’s so consistent that his production is being taken for granted. He does have a 274-yard performance against Indiana earlier this year, with much of the damage coming in the second half, but otherwise has been between 101-181 each game.

That’s incredible production, especially when you consider Ohio State had ongoing quarterback problems with Cardale Jones starting eight of the Buckeyes 10 games and defenses knew Elliott would be the team’s entire offense. And yet he hasn’t been slowed. He’s not flashy, which is what Heisman voters fall in love with, but don’t be bored by consistency. Applaud it.

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First it was LSU’s Leonard Fournette with highlight-reel runs in September and October to be the runaway favorite. Then it was Henry beating Fournette’s team with highlight-reel runs. And it’s Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and his near-nine yards per carry average that voters could fall in love with.

But don’t forget the constant that is Elliott because he could be the last one standing and run past Henry, Fournette and the rest of the Heisman field with a strong finish to his season. And as we saw last season, he plays his best football late in the year.

With games against Michigan State, Michigan and potential meeting with Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, Elliott has three opportunities to dominate against quality opponents and dominant defenses from Michigan and Iowa.

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As we see in the Heisman voting in recent years, the person who ends up winning isn’t so much the player who was the best all year, rather the person who was the best most recently. In this case, Elliott could check off both of those boxes.