Ohio State football true freshman J.K. Dobbins rushed for 181 yards in his first game. Urban Meyer needs to name a new starter for Week 2 against Oklahoma.
Urban Meyer learned his lesson. He knows he must name a starter to avoid disaster. Questions will start to surround the team and division will occur. Part of the team will believe Mike Weber should start, and the other part will believe J.K. Dobbins should start. Urban Meyer learned that lesson first hand with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones two seasons ago.
Buckeyes fans have to look back at the 2015-16 season as an opportunity lost. Ohio State returned virtually all of their top 10 players after winning a national championship. Meyer was noncommittal all season on his starting quarterback in an attempt to keep both young men happy.
If you have two “starting” quarterbacks you really have none, and a bunch of problems. The same is true at any position in football. I cannot imagine a situation where Urban Meyer makes the same mistake he did with the 2015-16 Buckeyes team. He will name a running back starter quickly, but ensure the best one gets the most carries.
Here are the five reasons J.K. Dobbins must be the starting running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes:
No. 5 Play it safe. Go with the freshman
Urban Meyer has a huge decision about his starting running back ahead of the Oklahoma game next week. If the Buckeyes are going to beat the Sooners, they must limit the number of possessions Baker Mayfield and the high-powered Sooners has.
The only way to do so is control the clock by running the football a lot. J.K. Dobbins has shown he can put the team on his back in a way Mike Weber did not to do in 12 games has a freshman. Dobbins carried the ball 29 times with a 6.2 yards per carry average against Indiana. Weber has only carried the ball over twenty times once. That came in a game against Penn State where Weber only averaged 3.4 yards per carry.
This game could arguably be called the most important game of the Buckeyes season. Non-conference games are going to weigh heavily into ranking the top four teams for the College Football Playoff. After the speed, power and athleticism we saw from Dobbins in week one, it would be a serious risk not to start him and give him the lion share of carries against Oklahoma.
No. 4 Wally Pip
You have heard the story of Wally Pip right? Probably not, so I will explain. The Wally Pip story is the sports equivalent of the boogey man told by college and pro coaches in every sport. The boogey man comes out if kids don’t go to sleep. In sports, players must play and practice hurt or they run the risk of becoming Wally Pip.
As the story goes, Pip was the first baseman for the Yankees. He took a couple of days off because he had a headache and Lou Gehrig got a shot to play. Pip never got his job back. Now you know who Lou Gehrig is, but don’t remember Pip.
Ohio State true freshman J.K. Dobbins got the start because last years’ starter Mike Weber was recovering from injury. Dobbins showed up and showed out. In theory, a 1,000 yard shouldn’t lose his spot to a true freshman after one game. However, when the freshman carries the ball 29 times for 181 yards the coaches have to legitimately consider the move.
Dobbins was fast, physical and tough to tackle against Indiana. In fact, he looked like he has big time NFL potential. Coaches want to give their upperclassmen opportunities to play, but at the end of the day, the player who gives your team the best opportunity to win must start.
No. 3 Urban Meyer has no choice
Urban Meyer loves to run the football. If he could run the ball every play and win the game he would. Both Weber and Dobbins will see a lot of carries this season, however one of them must start. Health is one key reason Meyer has no choice but to start J.K. Dobbins over Mike Weber. Weber is not healthy. He is reportedly dealing with some hamstring issues. So inserting him back into the starting lineup would likely ensure he would be dealing with nagging injuries all year.
Between, pass protection, rushing, and receiving, running backs both backs will take a bruising. So, Meyer has to find a way to keep his backs healthy. In my time playing college football and in the NFL I saw our running backs spend more time in the treatment room than any other position. Splitting carries is the only way to keep both backs healthy enough for a run at the national championship.
Having two running backs that are good enough to start is a luxury most coaches do not have. The Ohio State is living a caviar lifestyle trying to decide whether Mike Weber or J.K Dobbins will be the starting running back.
No. 2 Buckeyes fans want J.K. Dobbins
Nothing creates buzz around a team more than a new star. Nothing excites fans more than having a new face to cheer for. For example, former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott captured the hearts and minds of NFL fans last season. So much of praise and adulation from fans for leading the league in rushing was because he was a rookie on a high-profile team.
The same exact thing started during the Ohio State game versus Indiana. College football analyst and social media have been buzzing about Dobbins since his first couple carries game.
In one game, Dobbins has become a household name amongst Buckeyes fans. I guarantee Ohio State fans will show up to the Oklahoma game next Saturday with every kind of creative J.K. Dobbins sign known to man. If Urban Meyer starts Weber instead of Dobbins against the Sooners and the team doesn’t run the football well early, be prepared for “We want Dobbins” chants. I can’t say I’d blame them much.
No.1 Ohio State wants to win a national Championship
The last two won national championships won by Ohio State have won on the legs of their talented running backs. Both championship teams were constructed much like this year Buckeyes; average quarterback, elite defense and a phenomenal running back.
The running back for the 2002 national championship team was Maurice Clarett. That season Clarett carried the ball at least 20 times six times that season. He also rushed for over 100 yards seven times and 200 yards once.
During the Buckeyes 2014 national championship run Ezekiel Elliot carried the ball at least 20 times seven times. He also rushed for over 100 yards nine times and over 200 yards in the last three games of the season.
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J.K. Dobbins proved in one game that he has all the goods to carry the team. He has to be the starter. Ohio State has the recipe and the ingredients to win a national championship. Hopefully, Urban Meyer sticks to the script.