With five capable running backs in the backfield, Ohio's offense is stocked full of play makers for the 2016 season.
A.J. Ouellette put his hands on his knees and stood the customary few steps behind quarterback Greg Windham. The two lined up in the Bobcats trademark Pistol offensive formation.
Ohio's pistol formation usually has the quarterback, in this case Windham, a few yards behind the center, similarly to the shotgun formation, with the running back a yard or two behind the quarterback.
Windham clapped, checked the defense, then clapped once again. He took the snap, turned, and handed Ouellette the ball.
Ouellette lowered his shoulder into the mass of humanity and emerged with a gain of four yards.
He picked himself up, and jogged back to the line of players behind the offense. His series was over.
The same thing then happened to C.J. Hilliard. Then to Papi White. Then to Dorian Brown and Maleek Irons.
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Then the process started all over again with Ouellette jogging back out onto the field.
Collegiate teams across the country are in constant search for a running back pairing that can complement each other well, typically referred to as a “two-headed monster” in football lingo.
It just so happens that Ohio has a "five-headed monster" looming in its backfield this season.
“Personally, I believe we’re the best group in the MAC,” Tim Albin, the offensive coordinator and running backs coach, said. “I think we’ve got the best group of running backs, and we’re the deepest. I’ve got five guys that can play at any time.”
Albin worked with head coach Frank Solich this offseason to figure out a way to get all of the running backs onto the field. Ohio went 8-5 last season and 5-3 in conference play.
The result was new formations to the Bobcats' playbook, designed to incorporate as many running backs onto the field as possible.
“As an offense, no matter what offense you run, you want to have your best 11 guys on the field,” Albin said. “We feel like two guys in my room make up (the best offensive package), so I’ve got to get nine more.”
The group is still relatively young, with Brown, Irons and White garnering a combined 104 carries in 2015. Ouellette is the most seasoned of the five, rushing for 1,476 yards in his two years at tailback. Hilliard has yet to run the ball for the Bobcats in a game since transferring from Iowa last season.
Brown, Irons and Ouellette are the most physical of the Bobcat backs, with Hilliard being more balanced with a mix of power and speed. White is used in spread formations for his quickness.
“Better than last year’s (offense), the team looks really good,” Ouellette said. “I know the whole offense now, everything is clicking, everything is running smooth.”
With the tinkered offense in place, White has room to be an unconventional running back, sometimes lining up as a slot receiver, but still keeping his roots in the backfield.
“It’s gonna keep us from getting tired on the field,” White said. “Fresh legs are the best. Five backs probably switching out four or five different linebackers, we’re probably gonna win that competition.”
With the crowded backfield, playing time and carries will likely be scarce for the Bobcats this season, with all five backs bringing variety to Albin's offense. They all said, however, that getting their carries doesn’t matter to them, as their only focus is making the offensive as "explosive" as possible.
“That keeps everybody in check. We teach each other,” Ouellette said. “We’re not worried about who’s gonna start, just getting better as a person.”
For all the talk of splitting carries, Ohio's backfield still could be a scary place to venture to as a running back.
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That doesn't deter Hilliard who, after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations, will make his debut for the Bobcats this season.
“The main thing is that having that much competition in the backfield means that you have to come to practice and give your 110 percent everyday, because if you don’t, you’ll be exposed by the other backs,” he said.
Ohio's "five-headed monster" has come from all different places to create what could be one of the deepest backfields in all of college football.
Ouellette is from Covington, Ohio. Irons is from Chilliwack, British Columbia. White is from Seminole, Oklahoma. Brown is from Pittsburgh. Hilliard is from Cincinnati.
The hodgepodge group not only complements each other in their skill sets, but their personalities. And that just might be enough to help carry Ohio to a Mid-American Conference championship.
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