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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Urban Meyer asked the Ohio State to run harder, run more aggressively, multiply tackles and energize the Buckeyes game.
He asked that after the loss of Purdue and J.K. Dobbins ran for 163 yards against Nebraska. Then Mike Weber ran for 104 yards against Michigan State. It was only the second 100-yard match of the season for everyone.
That's what Meyer was looking for when he challenged the goaltenders and as the Buckeyes put the emphasis on running. The quick attack was better – but it still has not reached the level of danger and dominance typical of a ground game in the state of Ohio.
But more than anything, Meyer clearly wanted his guardians to regain confidence, regardless of the statistics. That's what he's working on, and he can see results.
"This is not the ploy but rather the attitude," Weber said. "And it just works for guys, and it worked for us in the last two weeks."
Meyer will ensure that the Buckeyes realize what he hopes will be a wave of confidence in the race, although they may need to pass the game by the pass. The coach can honestly criticize things that do not work with the Buckeyes, but he praised the first leg even though Weber averaged only 4.7 yards per run against the Spartans, and even though Dobbins had his worst game of the week. season against Michigan State just after having his best against Nebraska. Dobbins ran 14 times for 28 yards, averaging 2 yards per run.
"Dude, I love these two guys. They did it in practice, "Meyer said this week at Dobbins and Weber. "It's the only thing I can say about our offensive line, is: are we where we need to be? No. Do they grind and work and fight and spit and all that they can? "
Meyer gave a resounding yes to that one.
He focused on how the Buckeyes robbed the Spartans during the second half of last week, when Weber did almost all of his work and gained a bigger share of the charge while Ohio State had done what it had done the week before and leaned toward the burning hand. Against the Cornhuskers, it was Dobbins and against the Spartans, Weber.
"It's as good a defense as I've seen it," Meyer said. "And to be able to do that, Mike Weber's last touchdown, there was a guy in the hole, he hit, spun and went into the end zone, and he's working on it.
"And notice that he was also very tight with the ball. So I think (coach Tony's half-defenders) Alford did a great job with them. And to be honest with you, it's going to be very similar.
Combined, the defensemen made it 36 times for 132 yards in last week's win, averaging 3.7 yards against a MSU defense that gives just 2.6 yards per pursuit on the 'year.
The return leg may be back against Maryland, with quarterback Dwayne Haskins playing in the state where he went to high school and against the program he was originally engaged in, with OSU record-breaking records. a season.
The Buckeyes could perhaps try to run again because Meyer wanted the game to be created again. But if Dobbins and Weber were just one hobbyhorse, that runner would have 1,423 yards, which would rank him third in the nation. He would have that on 284 races, which would be by far the leader of the country, and with an average of 5 yards that would rank 18th in the country, but in the Big Ten.
Even though the Buckeyes have launched, the delays are not ignored. Taking the quarterback on the offensive opened up many more opportunities, with Dobbins and Weber finishing fifth and eighth respectively in the Big Ten, while they shared the load about equally.
Ezekiel Elliott averaged 22.2 games per game in 2015. Dobbins and Weber currently have an average of 28.4 combined.
"I think we are improving every week and if we continue in this direction, it will be beneficial for the home stretch," said Weber this week.
That's exactly how Meyer wants his racing game to reflect.
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