DALLAS - Fans do not have to look far to find where the athletic pedigree of J.K. Dobbins comes from.

His father, Lawrence Dobbins, was a standout in both track and football at La Grange High School, where J.K. — real name J'Kaylin — also played. The owner of the 1998 Texas Class 3A 100-meter championship, Lawrence had the speed to outrun his son.

Unfortunately, in 2014, Lawrence passed away at the age of just 33 years old. For J.K., that moment in his life will never leave him, but it gave him the motivation and fight to push through anything.

"Never give up. That's one of the things I've learned," he said. "It's just been a wild life for me. A lot of people don't see that, but that's what makes me the person I am because I've had to fight for everything. Never has come easy to me. So that I see as a blessing."

That attitude, backed by the inspiration he feels from his father, has powered J.K. to a record-breaking freshman season, thrusting him onto the national stage. With 1,364 yards, seven touchdowns and a staggering 7.5 yards per carry, it's hard to keep J.K. away from near the top of not just freshman running backs, but all ball carriers.

His teammates around him have taken notice of J.K.'s ability to keep positivity and strive for something better each day. With a backstory like his, it's hard not be inspired when watching J.K. run the football.

"We all go through adversity in our lives," Terry McLaurin said. "And for him to use that to almost motivate him to do better for him and his family is, like I said, for an 18-year-old kid to do that and come in, I don't know if I'd be able to do that, especially with all this coming at him so fast at a place like Ohio State. He's handled it with grace. I pray he continues to stay healthy and keep getting better."

McLaurin went on to say J.K. has never once complained about his ridiculous workload, consisting of constant practice repetitions and rare breaks. For any team, having a running back who has a tireless work ethic, along with an offensive mind like Kevin Wilson, is an equation for success.

Ohio State will be trotting out a potent offensive attack, against a less than adequate USC defense. It's a recipe for a big day for J.K., who will be rounding out a season that can only be classified as memorable.

No matter how the game goes, the freshman running back will be poised for a breakout season in 2018, possibly even thrusting him into Heisman watchlists before the season begins.

Unlike other players, J.K. will have a little more inspiration backing him every time he totes the ball Friday.