SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - For two running backs who play on different teams, in different conferences, in different parts of the country, J.K. Dobbins and Clemson running back Travis Etienne have had a lot in common this season.
Both rank near the top of their conferences in rushing yards, yards per carry and rushing touchdowns and have helped lead their teams to a College Football Playoff berth.
Now, as fate would have it, the two backs who have ran roughshod over their respective conferences will take the field against each other on Saturday in the Fiesta Bowl to determine who will play for a national championship.
These competitors obviously won't be on the field at the same time and will instead fight a proxy war against each other through how the rest of the team performs. Even though they won't face each other one-on-one, Etienne is excited to play on the same field as someone like Dobbins.
"Definitely. Any competitor, definitely. You want to go against the best. He's one of the best in the country," Etienne said. "We're definitely going to be out there, fighting awesome, just hoping to play our best game."
From Dobbins' side, he isn't as focused on the theoretical matchup between himself and Etienne, but he hopes Ohio State's defense will be able to contain him.
"Yeah, he's fast, you know, super fast. He's slippery, it's gonna be hard to tackle him," Dobbins said. "He's gonna give our defense a lot of problems and hopefully our defense can give him some problems as well. It'll be a great matchup between those guys and hopefully our defense can contain him a bit."
Despite Clemson and Ohio State both come into the game with identical 13-0 records, their seasons have gone very different ways.
The Tigers entered the season as a preseason championship pick but lost some steam after a close call against North Carolina early in the season. The Buckeyes on the other hand picked up steam as the season progressed, shifting from a team expected to compete in the Big Ten to a national title contender.
Even though their team's seasons have played out differently, Dobbins and Etienne have displayed similar seasons of dominance.
While Dobbins has more carries, rushing yards and touchdowns, Justin Fields hasn't thrown for nearly as many yards as Trevor Lawrence, so Etienne wasn't need as heavily as Dobbins was this year.
One thing the two backs do have in common is when they were used. Clemson and Ohio State won their games by nearly identical margins of 35.2 and 36.2 points, respectively, both numbers well above any other teams in the country.
With the big margins of victory minimizing the need of the starters in the second half and fourth quarter, both Dobbins and Etienne had to do most of their work in the first half.
Both of their numbers took a hit from not playing as much in the second half, but Etienne said this resulted in both him and presumably Dobbins feeling more rested this time of the year.
"I feel it's really great. It just helps us just stay fresh for when we get to games like this to be able to go out there and carry a load that we might haven't carried all year," Etienne said. "I feel we're going to be well rested, well prepared for this game and just ready to fire on all cylinders and play our best four quarters of the year."
Even though both of the backs have dominated in their conferences and are considered to be some of the best in the country, there's still a level of disappointment from both of them that there hasn't been more recognition for their efforts.
Neither back received an invite to the Heisman stage, and after not receiving any hardware for his incredible rushing season, Dobbins said it was shocking.
"I mean, not disappointing, but you know, kind of shocking. I don't know what the right word is to use for that," Dobbins said. "But I'm not disappointed because I can't control it, but it would have been great to be there."
Dobbins and Etienne will inevitably be compared after Saturday's Fiesta Bowl given that they're both a star running back on a nationally prominent team, and with the parallels between their two seasons, it may make sense to put their numbers up against one another's.
While neither running back has received the recognition they would have liked to this season, it still remains that they'll have at least one more game to accomplish those goals, and for one running back, a chance at stardom when they take the field in the national championship.
"I've met a few of my goals that I wanted to, but I still have some goals that I want to accomplish," Dobbins said. "So hopefully Saturday I can accomplish some of them and, you know, keep going."
