Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins Climbs Rushing List, Wants More
The letter grade applied to J.K. Dobbins performance in Ohio State's 38-7 victory over Wisconsin would really anger the OSU fan base if it didn't come from Professor J.K. Dobbins.
"It was probably a, B," Dobbins said.
For, brilliant, presumably.
Or, perhaps, breathtaking.
Dobbins, though, didn't mean it that way.
He meant it as, better than average, but still room for clear improvement.
Sure, he could have had, say, 200 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries, not the 163 yards and two touchdowns he contributed to the third-ranked Buckeyes' eighth win in as many games.
That's the exacting standard Dobbins has applied this season after, in his mind, settling for just 1,053 yards as a sophomore on the heels of a freshman year in which he gained 1,403 yards.
"My performances have been OK," Dobbins said. "They haven't been outstanding. I'm trying to find a way to have that outstanding performance. One day, it's going to come if I keep working on my craft."
From that, you can gather that none of what Dobbins has accomplished this year merits an outstanding review:
- Not 17 attempts for 141 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati.
- Not 22 carries for 193 yards and a touchdown at Indiana.
- Not 24 carries for 177 yards at Nebraska.
- Not 24 tries for 172 yards and a score against Michigan State.
And not out-rushing Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor by 113 yards on the same number of carries Saturday.
"I know he has even more to give," OSU coach Ryan Day said. "It's what we talked about all preseason. The way he's been practicing since August, he's been running really hard. He worked really hard on his body...when you practice that way you start to play that way. He's playing at a high level right now and he has to keep building on it."
Dobbins took some motivational barbs from his teammates all week, not just because Wisconsin's defense entered No. 1 nationally against the run, but because Taylor had the label as the Big Ten's and the nation's best running back.
"I still didn't understand why J.K. didn't have as much hype as he did," OSU guard Wyatt Davis said. "We all were staying, 'This is your time to prove it.' "
Dobbins did, for the second time.
Two seasons ago in the conference championship game, he won Offensive MVP honors by rushing for 177 yards on 17 attempts, while Taylor managed just 41 on 15 tries.
Of course, there's no telling what Dobbins could manage against an Ohio State defense that's now No. 9 nationally against the run (91.5 yards per-game).
There's also no fair way to place Dobbins definitively in a certain slot among OSU backs all time.
Do you slot him strictly by career rushing yards?
If so, he's fourth (3,566), with enough games left to overtake Eddie George (3,768) in third and Ezekiel Elliott (3,961) in second. Only Archie Griffin (5,589) is out of range, assuming Dobbins heads for the NFL after this season.
But running back ratings are more subjective than statistical.
It's a swallow-hard decision to place Dobbins ahead of George, who won the Heisman Trophy, or Elliott, who helped OSU to the 2014 national championship, or even ahead of guys who did the former (Hop Cassady), the latter (Maurice Clarett) or neither (Chic Harley, Robert Smith, Keith Byars).
What's not in dispute is that Dobbins, with 1,110 yards already this season, has the distinction of being the first running back in Ohio State history to surpass 1,000 yards each of his first three seasons.
"It means a lot to me," Dobbins said. "It's a blessing. There are a lot of great running backs who've come through here. I don't take that lightly. It's an honor to have that. You sit and think about all the guys who came through. I'm just trying to carry on that tradition. For that to happen, I can only thank God for that."
And what would merit an, A, on Dobbins' grading scale if 163 yards and two touchdowns against a defense previously allowing 58 rushing yards per-game earns a, B?
"We'll see, he said. "In due time."
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