COLUMBUS, Ohio - One of the biggest questions going into the offseason was how the running backs would fare following the 2018 season. Dwayne Haskins threw for nearly 5,000 yards, and this historic season for Ohio State’s passing game meant the running game would have to take a step back. Furthermore, J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber seemed to be the only realistic options at running back, as they accounted for over 80 percent of the ground game for Ohio State.
Haskins and Weber are now off to the NFL, there’s a whole lot of offense to be made up for. While the new starting quarterback Justin Fields is a runner in his own right, he isn’t expected to have the revolutionary impact on the passing game like Haskins did, so the ground game should return with a vengeance for the Buckeyes this season, and there is a hungry running backs room ready for the carries.
With the expected increased focus on the running game this year, Tony Alford understands how the ebbs and flows from season to season can shift the identity of an offense.
“It goes from year to year,” Alford said. “You think about a couple years ago, we ran them. That started with J.T [Barrett] and then we had Dwayne [Haskins] as a first round quarterback that threw it all over the yard, so you do what you gotta do to win, and you play into the skill sets you have available to you. Where we’re at right now, we’ll know a little more in about a week, week and a half.”
While Alford may need to wait until Ohio State kicks off its season against Florida Atlantic to fully figure out the running back situation, what we know now is that Dobbins is the clear No. 1 running back for the Buckeyes for the first time in his career, and Alford has been impressed with the work he has done to further cement his position this offseason.
“His ability is really intentional about everything he’s doing. He’s trying to be a leader,” Alford said. “He’s had a great camp, much more physical in his running style as far as attacking defenders and putting his foot in the ground and not dancing around and looking for big runs, just running, taking what’s there.”
Behind Dobbins, Ryan Day has said Demario McCall has a leg up on his competition for the backup spot, and the coaches have just recently starting declaring that McCall is the No. 2 back.
“Probably about a week ago that I finally said ‘You know what, this is the guy I would turn to,” Alford said. “He’s done a nice job. It’s been a long camp, but he’s done a nice job for us.”
McCall has has put in hard work to earn the backup role. While he’s had a winding path to get to this position, dealing with his share of criticism and experiencing a great deal of personal growth, the expectations are now simple for McCall in his junior season: perform.
“I want to see him make plays for our football team on a consistent basis. I want him to be the best player he can be,” Alford said. “I want him to continue to try to be a leader...in the locker room and our room and just compete at a high level every day, and thus far in camp he’s done that.”
After Dobbins and McCall, the situation becomes a little less clear. While Alford has pegged Marcus Crowley as the No. 3 guy, Steele Chambers and Master Teague III are also waiting in the wings for carries that may open up for them this season. Regardless of where Crowley ends up on the depth chart, Alford is happy with the progress that’s been made.
“If I had to go, I don’t know, probably Marcus, Marcus Crowley,” Alford said when asked who will be behind McCall. “He’s really come into his own the last week or so, week and a half. He had the ebb and flow of being a true freshman, and the highs and lows, the peaks and valleys and the plateaus, and he’s really, you can tell the past three or four days he’s done a really nice job. You can tell he’s playing with a lot more confidence.”
