Ohio State Football: 5 reasons J.K. Dobbins will win 2018 Heisman Trophy

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BLOOMINGTON, IN – AUGUST 31: J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs with the ball against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

4. Plenty of experience

Dobbins played out of necessity early in his freshman season but hit the ground running — a lot. In the Buckeyes’ first game of the 2017 season, a conference game at that, the true freshman carried the ball 29 times for 181 yards. The Buckeyes won 49-21.

Following the 29 carry season-opener against Indiana, Dobbins’ carries dwindled but remained in the teens. In 12 of the Buckeyes 14 games, Dobbins tallied double-digit carries. In one instance that he failed to record at least 10 carries, the Buckeyes lost to Iowa. In other words, feed Dobbins the ball!

Dobbins is a true sophomore now, but he did enroll at Ohio State a semester early back in 2017 and was able to participate in spring practice. So while most high school seniors were running track or going to the prom, Dobbins was preparing for his freshman campaign with the Buckeyes.

His early enrollment certainly helped lend the upper hand when Meyer and the Buckeyes were searching for a No. 1 running back fill-in for the opener. Returning starter Mike Weber would miss the game with an injury, so Dobbins got the nod and the workload. With another full offseason under his belt, don’t expect a sophomore slump from this workhorse.

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