Ohio State Football: 5 reasons J.K. Dobbins will win 2018 Heisman Trophy
By Phil Poling
5. Playing for Urban Meyer
While players like Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor will garner the bulk of their team’s carries, J.K. Dobbins will likely split time and touches with Mike Weber. Under head coach Urban Meyer though, both players can still flourish in their respective role.
Just last season, Dobbins piled up a team-high 194 carries for 1,403 yards. Weber, meanwhile, had only 101 carries for 626 yards, but scored a team-high 10 touchdowns to Dobbins’ seven. Neither were heavily-used in the passing game, combining for only 32 receptions and 229 yards; Dobbins scored the lone touchdown through the air of the pair.
Regardless, if Dobbins can become a greater factor in the passing game, even if it’s staying in to pass protect, that would make a world of difference for the Buckeyes. Ezekiel Elliott was a three-down back at OSU and the simple threat of him being on the field made the offense better.
Related Story: 5 teams that could win their first national championship
Meyer’s deployed a two-back system at virtually every stop in his career, and he’s done it in a unique way once or twice. I wouldn’t imagine Meyer puts much stock in the phrase, “If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any,” because, well, Chris Leak and Tim Tebow made it work for a National Championship.
It’s evident Meyer squeezes everything he can from his players when looking at recent NFL drafts. But even if Dobbins splits carries, Meyer will utilize him in a way that highlights his strengths.