Teague's Injury Complicates Plan to Fill Hole Left by Dobbins' Departure

Buckeyes must replace only back in school history with 2,000-yard season

Maybe it's the draft position where Chase Young and Jeff Okudah are likely to go.

Maybe it's the history at Ohio State, which seems to always have an available talent to adequately fill the role J.K. Dobbins has vacated.

Or maybe it's that Dobbins, although he rushed for 174 yards and a score, left OSU fans thinking more about the three TDs he didn't get than the one he did in a narrow College Football Playoff loss to Clemson.

Whatever the reason -- and those are three possibilities -- few among the fan base seem stressed about replacing Dobbins in 2020.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day, though, need not be reminded that when Dobbins left school a year early to enter the NFL, the Buckeyes' offense lost an All-American tailback who left a 2,003-yard hole in the rushing game and a 22-touchdown cavern on the team's scoring list.

Coupled with Dobbins' 200 receiving yards, that means he accounted for 32% of OSU's total offense and 25% of their touchdowns.

That's not just a plug-and-play afterthought. That's a full-blown, five-alarm question Day needs answered as the Buckeyes begin spring practice.

Of course, he returns a strong candidate in sophomore Master Teague, who averaged 6.1 yards to Dobbins' 6.5 per-carry last season, but Teague's availability for fall took a hit Tuesday when he suffered an undisclosed injury that will keep him out the remainder of spring practice.

Whether that will translate into numbers close enough to Dobbins' production remains an unknown, however, because Teague's tenuous status entering the season.

"It’s a concern when you lose so much production," Day said. "J.K., his freshman year, did such a great job. Then he and Mike (Weber) kind of split it the year before and then J.K. stepped up in a big way (last season). That position, when it comes time for the fall, is going to have to step up in a big way."

Other schools in the Big Ten would see the return of a third-team all-conference running back as a major plus.

Ohio State RB Master Teague (#33) vs. Northwestern (10/18/19). #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/iWg2tUCZPt

— PFDZ (@PFDZ44) December 4, 2019

Teague gained that distinction last year playing in mop-up time and now won't be matching his physical style against tired defense worn out by chasing Dobbins.

Fifth-year senior Demario McCall looms as an option.

He was scheduled to get at least half his snaps this spring at slot receiver until Teague's injury, which likely causes a change in that strategy.

Sophomore Marcus Crowley played in seven games last season before his season ended with a November injury that's still limiting him and may all spring.

Steele Chambers preserved his redshirt in 2019 by playing in only four games. He rushed for 56 yards against Rutgers and 63 against Maryland.

OSU has 15 true freshmen already on campus and participating in spring practice, but the only running back in their 2020 recruiting class -- Miyan Willians of Cincinnati Winton Woods, is not among them.

He won't arrive until June and thus will be far behind the competition to succeed Dobbins.

For the latest on Ohio State follow Sports Illustrated Buckeye Maven on Facebook and @BuckeyeMaven on Twitter.