This is the first in a series of previews, which will cover nine Ohio position groups ahead of the 2018 season. The Bobcats start the season on Sept. 1 at Peden Stadium against Howard. For more, check The Post in the coming weeks.
Aug. 20: Quarterbacks | Aug. 21: Running backs | Aug. 22: Receivers | Aug. 23: Tight ends | Aug. 24: Offensive line | Aug. 25: Defensive line | Aug. 26: Linebackers | Aug. 27: Defensive backs | Aug. 28: Specialists
Today’s position: Running backs
Projected starter: A.J. Ouellette (redshirt senior)
Key backups: Maleek Irons (redshirt senior), Julian Ross (sophomore), David Burroughs (redshirt senior), Jake Neatherton (redshirt freshman).
Newcomers: O'Shaan Allison.
Breakdown: Almost two years removed from the 2016 Mid-American Conference championship game, A.J. Ouellette still remembers exactly where he was on the sideline.
Greg Windham snapped the ball out of the shotgun formation, made his read and threw an interception into the arms of a Western Michigan linebacker. All that Ouellette could do was watch.
He had suffered a season-ending injury in the first week of the season and had been forced on a scooter for the remainder of the season. He was standing on the far left side of the field, behind the offense and saw the mistake coming.
After the game, he couldn't comfort for his teammates -- he had to worry about making his way back to the bus because his injury made his mobility so much tougher.
“There was nothing our quarterback could’ve done, that was just a good play by the linebacker,” Ouellette said earlier in August. “Good teams find ways to win.”
Two years removed from that night in Detroit, Ouellette came storming back in 2017. Along with Nathan Rourke, Ouellette is the most important offensive player for Ohio. He’s led the team in rushing each of his three full seasons, despite sharing carries with Dorian Brown and Daz’Mond Patterson. At 5-foot-10, 209 pounds, he’s a physical runner who’s never been one to shy away from contact. He ranks ninth in program history in rushing yards (2,478) and 10th in touchdowns (20).
As a former walk-on and who played high school football for Division VII Covington, Ouellette has had to make his own path at Ohio. He ran for 785 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman in 2014 and 687 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore, last season looked to be a breakout season. It was, as he ran for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s just the 10th player in school history to do so.
“It’s a great feeling when you can represent your hometown and the people that believe in you. But you got to stay the same person you were when you showed up,” Ouellette said. “Your just the same person who came here five years ago who is trying to make a dream come true.”
He’s overachieved expectations, but he has a lingering sense that he’s underachieved relative to the team’s goals, particularly this past season.
He wasn’t satisfied with that ending at Ohio. It’s the main reason he came back so rejuvenated: to end on a high note — personally and as a team. Ouellette wants that MAC Championship more than ever. He wants to be on the team that breaks the 50-year drought — the Bobcats haven’t won a conference championship since 1968.
He was picked to attend the conference’s media day in Detroit in early August. It brought back some memories of that December night.
But, everything he knows he has to do has been working. In all of his media appearances this summer, Ouellette’s used his time to talk about his personal and team goals. He wants another 1,000 yard season. He’s also been complimentary of his teammates, primarily the younger running backs on the team.
As he enters his final season, he’s is reflective of his time in Athens. Both he and the team are hoping it leads to a productive year.
Position battle to watch: If Ouellette is the every-down back, then Maleek Irons is the speed back to come in and break things open for Ohio’s talented offense.
Irons returns to the core of the running back group after sitting out a year due to a suspension because of an arrest in the spring of 2017. Almost by default, he returns as the second-leading rusher for the Bobcats after the graduation of Brown. He finished 2016 with 439 yards and five touchdowns, but coaches are sure he can return to that form, if not better.
Behind Ouellette and Irons, there’s some interesting depth on the roster. Julian Ross returns, and last season, he rushed for 250 yards on 60 carries with three touchdowns. He has the potential to be the three back, but he may be redshirted because he wasn’t able to last season due to Irons’ absence. The Bobcats also added O’Shaan Allison, a true freshman, who has the size to be a threat in the red zone.
Ross and Allison look like potential third-string backs, but David Burroughs and Jake Neatherton are capable of stepping into the role, too.
"Running back wise, we have three seniors,” offensive coordinator Tim Albin said at the Bobcats’ media day earlier in August. “I’ve got six in our room and I guarantee six will all play. There's not any question in my mind. A.J. Ouellette had an unbelievable offseason. He's bigger, faster and stronger than he's ever been. He's clocking 4.4's electronically. Julian Ross ran a 4.37 in the 40 electronically, he had a tremendous off. Maleek Irons is back too, I'm really excited about that room.”
Best-case scenario: Ouellette continues to be the workhorse of the Bobcats’ offense and stays healthy, which results in a 1,000 yard season and puts him as one of the top-five rushers in program history. Irons returns better than before and is the perfect back for when Ouellette needs a break. One of the four potential third-string backs progresses well and the Bobcats are still able to redshirt someone for the future.
Worst-case scenario: Ouellette is injured at the early onset of the season with no defined return date. Irons doesn’t look like a better version of 2016 and none of the third-stringers seem to have the toughness to step up. The lack of a run game hinders what should’ve been a balanced offense and caps Ohio’s ceiling as a team.
