After the first two games of the 2016 season, it appears Ohio State’s rushing attack has not missed a beat since the departure of Ezekiel Elliott.
As with just about everything we’ve seen from this Buckeyes team so far, we’ll have a more accurate picture of just how great this running back committee really is when they square off against Oklahoma.
In part three of our five-part series, we’ll take a look at Ohio State’s running game and how it will match up against the Sooners’ defense.
Despite losing Elliott to the 2016 NFL draft, Ohio State’s backfield has been phenomenal, led by redshirt freshman tailback Mike Weber and junior H-back Curtis Samuel.
Weber is more of the traditional “bruiser,” who runs straight through would-be tacklers, and does not look like a guy who only played two college games in his NCAA career.
Even taking into account the fact that his big games came against Bowling Green and Tulsa, his 228 yards on 36 carries (6.3 yards per carry) would be impressive against any level of competition.
Although this is his first test against a top-ranked team, Buckeye fans have plenty of reason to feel confident in the redshirt freshman, who has been nearly flawless to start the season and has yet to lose a fumble in two games.
Not to diminish the success of Weber, but Samuel might be one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country at any position, let alone just on Ohio State’s roster.
Samuel is shifty, elusive, quick, and a versatile threat – a nightmare for opposing defenses to deal with- on the ground and through the air.
In two games, Samuel rushed 21 times for 162 yards (7.7 yards per carry), scored one rushing touchdown, caught 14 passes for 239 yards, and scored three receiving touchdowns.
Break out the calculator for this one. Samuel has collected 401 yards on 35 touches, for an average of 11.4 yards every time the ball is in his hands.
It’d be unfair to expect Samuel or Weber to duplicate those numbers against Oklahoma, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if they’re just as efficient.
Oklahoma’s offense should keep the defense off the field more than Bowling Green and Tulsa, but the Sooners don’t have a particularly impressive defense.
They allowed 26 points to Houston’s offense (seven points came courtesy of a “Kick-Six” field goal returned for a touchdown).
Although Houston has a potent offense, the Buckeyes have more talent at the skill positions, a Heisman candidate quarterback, and one of the best offensive lines in the nation.
Fans may very well be in store for a shootout on Saturday night.
Along with Weber and Samuel, Dontre Wilson is another factor in the Buckeye backfield, and like Samuel, is a dual threat.
Wilson scored three touchdowns in the first two games, one rushing and two receiving, gaining 141 total yards on 14 touches.
Even if he only carries the ball four to six times on Saturday night, it’s just another wrinkle that Urban Meyer can throw in to make life miserable for Oklahoma’s defense.
This is not to take anything away from Oklahoma’s talented players. Getting recruited to play at a premiere championship contending team means everyone that’s starting is a great player and puts the vast majority of players on teams like Bowling Green and Tulsa to shame.
However, this Ohio State offensive line is right up there with the best in the country.
For a team that had some question marks heading into the season with its running back situation, there was not much to worry about on the o-line.
Center Pat Elflein is projected to go in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Billy Price is a third-year starter. Isaiah Prince saw valuable playing time even as a freshman in 2015, and Jamarco Jones is relishing the opportunity to fill the shoes of left tackle Taylor Decker. Oklahoma’s front seven may have a long night ahead of them with this group blocking for a potent running back committee.
Athlon Sports ranked Ohio State as the third-best offensive line coming into this season.
Let’s not forget, J.T. Barrett can run, too.
Even if Barrett was a traditional quarterback with little mobility, he’d be a tough matchup for opposing defenses because of his accuracy, size, and arm-strength.
The fact that he can run with the best of college quarterbacks just makes him even more deadly.
Barrett ran for 85 yards on 22 carries in the first two games, scoring three rushing touchdowns.
It’s tough to say how Meyer will use Barrett in the showdown versus the Sooners on Saturday night, but when the Buckeyes are near the end zone, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Heisman candidate continues to rack up those total touchdown numbers.
He’s up to nine in two games.
As great as the defense played in the first two games, personally I have more faith in the Buckeye offense than I do in the defense.
They have yet to face an elite offense like Oklahoma, but all signs point towards a big day for Ohio State’s playmakers in this one.
Oklahoma’s strongest asset defensively is its secondary, which features a couple of NFL prospects.
That battle between Oklahoma’s secondary and Ohio State’s deep arsenal of receivers will be fun to watch on Saturday night and we’ll preview that in part four of our series on Friday.
One of Ohio State’s biggest advantages in this game is the running back committee and strong offensive line matching up against a less than stellar defensive front.
The one cautionary tale of Ohio State’s offense is that it got out to a sluggish start against Tulsa in Week 2, but the team did not start out by pounding the ball and establishing the run early. Look for that to change against Oklahoma, as once Weber and Samuel got going, it opened things up for Barrett, who let it fly and went on to cruise to a 48-3 victory.
Okahoma’s run defense did a solid job against Houston, holding the Cougars to 88 yards on 22 carries, but that offense doesn’t have the offensive linemen, like OSU, or a true workhorse running back, let alone two dynamic players in the backfield, like Weber and Samuel.
Look for Samuel and Weber to have a big night on Saturday in Norman.
Check back on Friday for part four of our preview, “Can Barrett Continue His Heisman Run?”
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