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If there was one concern with Urban Meyer when he signed on to become the next head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, it was that no team of his ever had a 1,000-yard rusher.
That’s kind of a thing in Columbus. Especially when your program is built on the legs of prolific runners. Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Beanie Wells, and more recently Ezekiel Elliott, just to name a few.
But any doubts surrounding Meyer’s ability to coach runner were quickly put to rest.
Each of his first five seasons at OSU have included a 1,000-yard rusher. He’s coached six total, with Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde both crossing the mark in 2013.
Here’s a full list of the Buckeyes that’ve ran for at least 1,000 yards with Meyer at the helm.
Urban Meyer’s Top Rushers at Ohio State
Year | Name | Rushing Yards | Yards per carry | Rushing Touchdowns |
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Name | Rushing Yards | Yards per carry | Rushing Touchdowns |
2012 | Braxton Miller | 1,271 | 5.6 | 13 |
2013 | Braxton Miller | 1,068 | 6.2 | 12 |
2013 | Carlos Hyde | 1,521 | 7.3 | 15 |
2014 | Ezekiel Elliott | 1,878 | 6.9 | 18 |
2015 | Ezekiel Elliott | 1,821 | 6.3 | 23 |
2016 | Mike Weber Jr. | 1,096 | 6 | 9 |
At the pace freshman phenom J.K. Dobbins is going, Meyer will tally his seventh consecutive 1,000-yard rusher this season.
Dobbins has churned out 573 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. He racked up 205 yards of offense Week 1 in Bloomington and had a 172-yard, two-touchdown performance against Army.
Despite the extra rest that the coaching staff is giving him – coupled with the return of Mike Weber – he’ll still likely to break 1,000 yards.
#Buckeyes stud RB J.K. Dobbins goes over 100 yards on the day thanks to this 52-yard touchdown run! #OSU leads 24-7 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/j5pnh5jfyk
— Tino Bovenzi (@TinoBovenzi) September 16, 2017
In 10 seasons of coaching before OSU – at Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida – the closest thing Meyer had to a big-time runner was Utah’s Brandon Warfield.
He totaled 976 yards on the ground during the 2003 season. Tim Tebow was the only other player to reach 900 rushing yards under Meyer.
And you would’ve thought Tebow had surpassed 1,000 yards at Florida, but he never really came close. As a starter, Tebow finished his Heisman Trophy winning campaign in 2007 with 895 rushing yards, 2008 with 673 yards, and 2009 with 910 yards.
Below is a chart of Meyer’s top three rushers throughout his coaching career.
Urban Meyer’s Career Top Rushers
Year, School, & Name | Attempts | Average Yards Per Carry | Rushing Yards |
---|---|---|---|
Year, School, & Name | Attempts | Average Yards Per Carry | Rushing Yards |
2001 - Bowling Green | |||
Josh Harris | 126 | 4.9 | 614 |
Joe Alls | 129 | 4.3 | 553 |
John Gibson | 97 | 4.6 | 444 |
2002 - Bowling Green | |||
Joe Alls | 122 | 6.6 | 801 |
Josh Harris | 186 | 4 | 737 |
P.J. Pope | 101 | 5.7 | 577 |
2003 - Utah | |||
Brandon Warfield | 237 | 4.1 | 976 |
Alex Smith | 149 | 3 | 452 |
Mike Liti | 42 | 4.9 | 207 |
2004 - Utah | |||
Marty Johnson | 165 | 4.9 | 802 |
Quinton Ganther | 109 | 6 | 654 |
Alex Smith | 135 | 4.7 | 631 |
2005 - Florida | |||
Deshawn Wynn | 130 | 4.8 | 621 |
Markus Manson | 81 | 4.5 | 365 |
Kestahn Moore | 48 | 5.8 | 277 |
2006 - Florida | |||
Deshawn Wynn | 143 | 4.9 | 699 |
Tim Tebow | 89 | 5.3 | 469 |
Percy Harvin | 41 | 10.4 | 428 |
2007 - Florida | |||
Tim Tebow | 210 | 4.3 | 895 |
Percy Harvin | 83 | 9.2 | 764 |
Kestahn Moore | 104 | 5.6 | 580 |
2008 - Florida | |||
Tim Tebow | 176 | 3.8 | 673 |
Percy Harvin | 70 | 9.4 | 660 |
Chris Rainey | 84 | 7.8 | 652 |
2009 - Florida | |||
Tim Tebow | 217 | 4.2 | 910 |
Jeff Demps | 99 | 7.5 | 745 |
Chris Rainey | 89 | 6.5 | 575 |
2010 - Florida | |||
Jeff Demps | 92 | 6 | 551 |
Chris Rainey | 51 | 7.2 | 366 |
Trey Burton | 75 | 4.7 | 349 |
2012 - Ohio State | |||
Braxton Miller | 227 | 5.6 | 1,271 |
Carlos Hyde | 185 | 5.2 | 970 |
Jordan Hall | 40 | 5.5 | 218 |
2013 - Ohio State | |||
Carlos Hyde | 208 | 7.3 | 1,521 |
Braxton Miller | 171 | 6.2 | 1,068 |
Jordan Hall | 81 | 6.6 | 536 |
2014 - Ohio State | |||
Ezekiel Elliott | 273 | 6.9 | 1,878 |
J.T. Barrett | 171 | 5.5 | 938 |
Curtis Samuel | 58 | 6.6 | 383 |
2015 - Ohio State | |||
Ezekiel Elliott | 289 | 6.3 | 1,821 |
J.T. Barrett | 115 | 5.9 | 682 |
Braxton Miller | 43 | 6.1 | 261 |
2016 - Ohio State | |||
Mike Weber | 182 | 6 | 1,096 |
J.T. Barrett | 205 | 4.1 | 845 |
Curtis Samuel | 97 | 7.9 | 771 |
Dobbins is on track to join Meyer’s short list of 1,000-yard tailbacks.
And at this rate, he’ll breeze past that mark next year, too. Maybe Weber can get himself up to snuff and we’ll see two 1,000-yarders. Who knows? We’ll save that conversation for another day.
What we do know is that Meyer has adapted beautifully to Big Ten football. Guys like Miller and Elliott have powered the Buckeyes’ impressive five-year run.
Now it’s Dobbins turn.