Ohio State Football: Mike Weber belongs among nation’s best RBs

Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal like potential All-American running back Mike Weber.

Ohio State has the luxury of top notch offensive talent. J.T. Barrett and Mike Weber form a duo giving opponents nightmares. Only Penn State has a better QB-RB duo in the Big Ten between Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley.

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Weber follows Ezekiel Elliott as the next great Buckeye rusher. A productive sophomore campaign puts Weber in the thick of the Heisman race. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry last year. Production sputtered out at the end of the season.

Clemson exposed Ohio State’s offensive flaws in the College Football Playoff. Weber and Barrett were held off the scoreboard. Only 50 rushing yards was all Weber mustered in the final two games of the year.

Michigan held Weber in check like Clemson. The results Weber put up to start the 2016 season shows what he needs to do to start 2017. Three of the first four games saw Weber eclipse the 120 rushing yard mark.

Opportunity for Weber to show what he can do comes in Week 2 against Oklahoma. Weber rushed for 123 yards against OU’s front seven in a 45-24 defeat in Norman last year. When Weber produces at an elite level, Ohio State competes with any team.

Barrett needs efficiency in the pass game to open run lanes for Ohio State’s rushers. He could notch over 1,000 rushing yards himself. Barrett has only eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark in one of three seasons.

A 1,500-yard and 12-touchdown effort is needed for Weber to be a quality Heisman candidate. He’ll get out of Barrett’s shadow from a consistent effort all year.

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Winning the Big Ten and a National Championship solidifies Weber as one of the nation’s best rushers. He has some work to do before earning that claim.