âIâm 100 percent,â said Weber, a redshirt junior, âand Iâm ready to do anything I can to help the team win. Thatâs my job. Thatâs why I came back.â
Âť GAME COVERAGE:Â Five things to know about Ohio Stateâs victory
Weber could have declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft after the 2017 season. Instead, he returned, and his presence gives Ohio State one of the nationâs best duos in the backfield. He was asked if heâs as good as Dobbins, who didnât have a bad day himself, gaining 74 yards on 15 carries.
âSometimes you look at that stuff and you see people say (Dobbins is clearly better than he is) and itâs like, a lot of people donât know what theyâre talking about,â Weber said. âIt gets frustrating sometimes, but me and our coaches and me and J.K. do a good job of knowing whatâs real and knowing how we are because heâs a hell of a player and we both are really good for each other. We knew that the whole way through. The opportunities came, and we just made the best of them.â
Ohio Stateâs offense produced 721 yards, the second-highest total in school history. More than half of the total yards (375) came from the running game. Dobbins and Weber rotated series through the first three quarters. Freshmen Master Teague (56 yards) and Brian Snead (25 yards) carried the load in the fourth quarter.
Âť PHOTOS:Â Haskins in action |Â Top shots from first half
Weber expects he and Dobbins to share carries as the season continues.
âThatâs what weâre looking for,â Weber said. âI donât want to carry all the load, but if I have to, I will. He doesnât want to carry all the load, but if he has to, he will. Thatâs how itâs supposed to be.â
Participation report: Ten Buckeyes earned their first starts: quarterback Dwayne Haskins; tight end Rashod Berry; left tackle Thayer Munford; left guard Malcolm Pridgeon; defensive tackle Robert Landers; defensive end Jonathan Cooper; linebackers Baron Browning and Pete Werner; and safeties Isaiah Pryor and Jahsen Wint.
Freshman contributions: In addition to the debuts of Teague and Snead, several other freshmen got on the stat sheet in their first game. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert had one catch for 13 yards. Wide receiver Chris Olave had one catch for five yards.
Âť ARCHDEACON:Â Bosaâs decision pays off for Buckeyes
Defensive lineman Tommy Togiai had 2½ tackles. Defensive tackle Taron Vincent and defensive ends Tyler Friday and Tyreke Smith also had tackles.
Other freshmen who saw action were: linebackers Dallas Gant and Teradja Mitchell; offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere; and defensive end Alex Williams.
Looking ahead: The Buckeyes play Rutgers at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Ohio Stadium in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Rutgers beat Texas State 35-7 on Saturday despite three interceptions thrown by quarterback Artur Sitkowski.
Ohio Stateâs third opponent, No. 16 Texas Christian, beat Southern 55-7 in its opener Saturday.
About the Author