Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

November 05, 2018 at 9:15 pm.

Improving run game gets big test at Michigan State

Ohio State set out to fix its problems with the running game after a humbling loss two weeks ago at Purdue and made progress in the 36-31 victory over Nebraska last Saturday.

The 10th-ranked Buckeyes rushed 40 times for 229 yards (5.7-yard average) and three touchdowns against the Cornhuskers. They accumulated 166 yards on the ground after trailing at halftime.

J.K. Dobbins led Ohio State with a season-high 163 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. His 42-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter expanded the Buckeyes’ lead to 36-24.

The sophomore joined running back Mike Weber as a 2,000-yard career rusher. Dobbins and Weber are the first Ohio State duo in school history on the same team to achieve that milestone.

After failing to score in eight previous red-zone trips the past two games, Ohio State had three touchdowns on four possessions inside the 20-yard line against Nebraska. The 229 rushing yards were the second-best output this year.

“We came in this week trying to run the ball,” Weber told reporters after Saturday’s win. “We didn’t care how many guys were in the box. That was the motto this week.”

Ohio State spent a lot of time working on the run game the past two weeks and assessing the play of the offensive line. In addition to Dobbins’ total, Weber almost reached 100, finishing with 91 yards on just nine carries and a fumble.

“We were tired of hearing the criticism about us not being able to run the ball and be physical,” Ohio State offensive lineman Isaiah Prince said, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

“We took that to heart, and it showed. To be honest, schematically we didn’t change anything. It was just the attitude of being violent and physical. No new plays. No new blocking schemes. Just a different attitude.”

Ohio State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) definitely will find out Saturday (noon ET, Fox) at Michigan State (6-3, 4-2) how much the running game has improved. The Spartans lead the nation in rushing defense, giving up just 71.7 yards per game.

“Obviously, you’re facing the number one rush defense in the country coming up this next week,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. “But our offensive line played very well (against Nebraska) and our backs, that was their best pad level game as far as dropping their pads and getting through those holes.”

The Buckeyes’ other concern after the 49-20 loss at Purdue on Oct. 20 was their defense, which had a tendency to give up big plays in the first half of games and then stiffen after halftime. That pattern continued against Nebraska.

Trailing 17-14 at halftime, Ohio State held Nebraska scoreless in the third quarter. The Cornhuskers’ lone second-half touchdown came late in the game.

The defense’s inconsistency is due in part to injuries that have caused shuffling. Ohio State also lost safety Jordan Fuller when he was ejected after a targeting penalty.

“I thought our defense improved,” Meyer told reporters. “Obviously nowhere near we need to be, but they improved. We’re still stop-gapping. That means the lineups continuously keep changing because of injuries. But I think we should have everybody back next week if we don’t get a guy hurt in practice.”