Ohio State Football: Buckeyes true Freshman J.K. Dobbins impresses in first game
By Jesse Smith
Ohio State football rolled over the Indiana Hoosiers on Thursday night thanks in part to a stellar performance by true freshman running back J.K. Dobbins
Thursday night the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to Bloomington, Indiana to face Big Ten foe Indiana Hoosiers. Normally the Buckeyes face an easy first opponent, but this year getting the Hoosiers on the road wasn’t an easy draw.
As I was watching the game the first thing I noticed was that the normal starting running back Mike Weber was out due to injury (hamstring) and that true freshman J.K. Dobbins received the start. A La Grange, Texas native, Dobbins is the first true freshman to start at running back for the Buckeyes since Maurice Clarett. The 4-star recruit doesn’t come without any fanfare. He carried offers from Alabama, Oklahoma and Notre Dame just to name a few.
In the first half the freshman showed a knack to make people miss and fight for extra yards. He shined in the midst of an offense that struggled. Dobbins tallied 107 yards on 15 carries, while he team was down 14-13 on the road.
Dobbins could be a star in the making
The national telecast didn’t say when Weber was coming back, but #BuckeyeNation knows they have a star running back for the future and when needed in the present in Dobbins. The steady running game provided by the freshman in the first half set the table for the rest of the Buckeye offense. Once the passing game woke up in the second half the offense started clicking on all cylinders. By the end of the third quarter they were up 35-21.
Dobbins broke Clarett’s freshman record for most rushing yards in a game with 181 yards. The old record was 175 yards. Dobbins surpassed that mark with the majority of the fourth quarter still remaining.
He finished with 205 total yards (181 rushing and 24 receiving) on 29 carries and 2 receptions. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry and 12 yards per reception. Keeping it real simple the, Dobbins was a major playmaker for the Buckeyes offense. He was a key reason why the boys from Columbus won their first game of the season.
Next: Game by game predictions for Ohio State in 2017
Everyone who follows the Buckeyes knew the Hoosiers would be a tough first game. What a lot of fans didn’t know was what to expect from the true freshman. A lot of questions were answered in the 49-21 road victory. Where can Buckeye fans buy number two jerseys at? I’m asking for a friend.