When former Ohio running back Kalvin McRae finished his career at Ohio in 2007, his goal was to leave behind a legacy for future running backs. Until recently, it’s a legacy that has yet to be fulfilled.
McRae, who was the last Bobcat running back to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season, was never on the same roster as current backfield dynamo Beau Blankenship, a redshirt junior, but is more than pleased to see him have an opportunity to pass his single-season rushing record.
“It gets me upset. I wanted to start something that, when I left, could be carried on throughout the years,” said McRae, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in sophomore, junior and senior seasons. “I don’t think we’ve had an 1,000 yard back since I left. So to see Beau have this kind of season and getting a chance to break that record, I think it’s tremendous.”
Through six games, Blankenship has racked up 951 yards — 274 more than McRae’s pace at the regular season’s halfway mark. Ohio offensive coordinator and running backs coach Tim Albin’s estimation, Blankenship won’t slow down, giving him the opportunity to potentially eclipse McRae’s single-season record of 1,434 yards on the ground.
Former Ohio running backs Chris Garrett, Vince Davidson and Donte Harden could not accomplish the feat while clad in the green and white, but were also plagued by injuries that kept them out of games. Blankenship has been relatively healthy in his two active seasons with the Bobcats.
“We’ve had guys at the tailback spot, in general, (that) have produced over 1,000 yards, but we haven’t had one guy show the durability and play every down,” Albin said. “(Blakenship) has shown he can run the ball, pass protect and catch. I really like his start to the season, and I see of lot the same characteristics (of McRae) in Beau.”
McRae echoed Albin’s praise when talking about the durability Blankenship has shown so far this season.
“He’s a really good back, he’s a tough runner who gets yards after contact,” McRae said. “He’s an every down back — that’s one of things I prided myself on, and I think that’s one of the things that coach Albin and coach Solich look for in a running back.”
The single season rushing record is a nice reward to focus on down the road, but Blankenship said individual accolades are far off his radar.
“People ask me about the record and tell me about it, but I’m not focused on it,” Blankenship said. “It’d be nice to have, but I am not worried about it. As long as we keep winning, it doesn’t really matter.”
Ohio’s offensive attack is based upon the running game and the read option scheme, so Albin said having a big-yardage back is not as chief of a concern as seeing the same guy in the backfield every game. Albin said Blankenship has been a model of consistency, and the numbers back him up, as he has averages 4.8 yards per carry.
With the season’s second half almost underway, Blankenship needs to average less than 100 yards per game to break McRae’s rushing record.
nr225008@ohiou.edu
