Papi White and Daz Patterson are the explosive players Ohio has been waiting for.
When redshirt freshman Papi White made his ESPN-highlight hurdle over an Akron defender Saturday, the jaws of everyone in the stadium dropped.
That collection of stunned onlookers included someone who’s been there before: senior Daz Patterson.
“Did you see how high he got up?” Patterson asked. “That was big time.”
Even with all the athletes that come out of high school football looking to make an impact at the next level, it’s difficult for coaches to find the right playmaker who will actually be able to deliver on those hopes.
Most programs are lucky to get one. Ohio has found itself with two.
And if both stood on the field in full pads with numbers missing from their respective jerseys, one would have a difficult time telling them apart. Patterson and White have nearly identical builds, with Patterson standing at 5-feet-7 and clocking in at 177 pounds, and White looms slightly leaner at 5-foot-9 and weighs 166 pounds.
Patterson has spent his career landing on highlight reels for the Bobcats. Now in his fourth season, he has made significant contributions both out of the backfield as well as in the return game, combining power and quickness to make life hard on opposing defenders.
White, meanwhile, has seen his moments come quickly and frequently in his first season on the field for Ohio. His 477 all-purpose yards lead the Bobcats, as he’s become a threat all over the field.
He’s come out of the backfield for a long touchdown run against Southeast Louisiana, lined up wide at receiver to grab a deep touchdown pass against Minnesota and leads the Mid-American Conference in punt return average.
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Against Akron, he shined in his first shot at returning kickoffs — a role that White himself says is where he is at his best.
“I really like returning punts and kickoffs,” White said. “That’s probably the best spot for me. I honestly expected to be a big part of the team because they pushed me so hard in fall camp every day.”
With both players filling the role of all-purpose playmaker solidly each week, the increasing question on the hands of the coaching staff is how best to use those weapons.
So far this season, there has typically only been one of them on the field at a time, something coach Frank Solich would like to amend going forward.
“It puts explosiveness on the field,” Solich said. “Those two guys are tough customers. You can run an entire offense with them. If you have them split-out, they will block somebody. If you have them in the backfield and it calls for a pass protection, they will block. They are the complete package as far as an explosive player is concerned. They are the complete player.”
Even if defenses figure out how to hold back Patterson and White, it still won’t leave Ohio without options. The Bobcats have gotten redshirt senior quarterback Derrius Vick’s most effective season to date in 2015, and the receiving game has greatly exceeded expectations.
And, of course, Ohio can always go to bruising sophomore A.J. Ouellette out of the backfield, forcing opposing defenses to constantly adjust to Ohio's three-headed ground game.
“It’s big to have our offense clicking on all cylinders,” Patterson said. “Having a bunch of guys who can do what we can do allows us to be more flexible with play calling, and it gives us backs a lot of opportunities to showcase another side of our game with our blocking ability.”
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