Most difficult Ohio State rushing records to break
COLUMBUS — Ohio State already has a case for being “Wide Receiver U,” thanks to the recruiting pipeline and coaching development provided by former Buckeyes wideout and now co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. Simultaneously, Ohio State has produced three Heisman Trophy finalist and first-round signal callers under head coach and quarterback guru Ryan Day.
Day’s offenses, typically, have put on air shows at will.
But Day also wants balance, meaning a strong rushing attack to go with his often-potent passing game. The Buckeyes have a history of talented rushers, anyway.
The program record book is littered with them across decades.
As “Running Backs Week” continues at Lettermen Row, we went back through that record book and rounded up the Ohio State rushing records that will prove most difficult to break going forward.
Career rushing yards … 5,589
RECORD HOLDER: Archie GriffinRECORD DATE: 1972-75
Archie Griffin is the only player to win the Heisman Trophy twice. He earned college football’s most prestigious honor in 1974 and 1975. And he’s the Buckeyes’ all-time leading rusher — by more than 1,000 yards. Griffin tops the leaderboard with 5,589 yards on the ground, and J.K. Dobbins is next closest with 4,459 rushing yards to his name. But Dobbins spent only three seasons at Ohio State, and that’s typical of current running back stars: They make an impact right away before making the jump to the NFL after their third year in college. Reaching the 5,000-yard career rushing mark is a tall order these days.
Single-season rushing yards … 2,003
RECORD HOLDER: J.K. DobbinsRECORD DATE: 2019
Speaking of Dobbins, he’s the only Ohio State running back to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a season. He barely got over the barrier during the 2019 season. He didn’t win Big Ten Running Back of the Year, though. That award went to Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, who ended up finishing with exactly 2,003 yards, too. When the Buckeyes beat the Badgers in the Big Ten Championship, Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a touchdown, and Taylor ran for 148 yards and a touchdown. What a fitting matchup to cap a spectacular Big Ten rushing race. Dobbins also did damage as a receiver, catching 23 passes for 247 receiving yards that year.
Single-game rushing attempts …. 44
RECORD HOLDER: Harold “Champ” HensonRECORD DATE: Nov. 18, 1972 vs. Northwestern
During Champ Henson’s standout 1972 season, he piled up 44 rushing attempts in a 27-14 win over Northwestern. No Buckeyes player has ran the ball more times in one game. That mark has stood for more than 50 years, and it might go another half century. The closest an Ohio State back came to touching that single-game record recently was when Beanie Wells got 39 totes in the 2007 iteration of The Game, a 14-3 Ohio State victory.
100-yard rushing games in career … 34
RECORD HOLDER: Archie GriffinRECORD DATE: 1972-75
Griffin’s got this one locked up as well. He reached the 100-yard rushing mark in 34 games over the course of his four-year Ohio State career. Of those 34 games, 31 were consecutive. That’s the longest streak of 100-yard rushing performances in NCAA history. The streak started and ended against Minnesota, beginning with the 1973 season opener and ending on Griffin’s Senior Day.
Single-season rushing yards per game average … 148.2
RECORD HOLDER: Eddie GeorgeRECORD DATE: 1995
This list would be incomplete without Eddie George. He won the Heisman in 1995. That year, he set the single-season Ohio State rushing yards per game record with an average of 148.2 yards on the ground. George flirted with the 2,000-yard milestone, finishing his accolade-adorned campaign with 1,927 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns. He also reeled in 42 passes for 417 yards and one receiving touchdown that season, his final go-around with the Buckeyes.
Career rushing touchdowns … 56
RECORD HOLDER: Pete JohnsonRECORD DATE: 1973-76
Griffin starred down the stretch of the Woody Hayes era, but Pete Johnson was a critical part of the Buckeyes’ backfield in the mid-70s. In 1975, when Griffin won the Heisman for the second time, Johnson scored 24 rushing touchdowns to Griffin’s four. Johnson went over 1,000 scrimmage yards that season. He didn’t get close to that number the next year, but he did find the end zone 18 times.
Single-game rushing yards … 331
RECORD HOLDER: Trey SermonRECORD DATE: Dec. 19, 2020
Trey Sermon rushed for 870 yards in 2020, his lone season with the Buckeyes — and an abbreviated one because of the pandemic — after he transferred from Oklahoma. A good chunk of that yardage came in the Big Ten Championship against Northwestern. Sermon erupted for 331 yards, including a whopping 271 in the second half, and two touchdowns. Then, in the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal, he poured on 193 more rushing yards.
The post Most difficult Ohio State rushing records to break appeared first on On3.
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