Master Teague was named third-team all big ten this year despite not getting any carries against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin. That certainly makes one wonder how much part Teague will play with Ohio State’s gameplan in the College Football Playoff.
While some may say that Teague is being underutilized, it’s more likely that the dominance of starting running back J.K. Dobbins has taken away snaps from Teague as the Ohio State coaching staff goes with the hot hand and known commodity.
But now, not only does OSU have a fresh Teague, it has a starting running back that’s nearing 2,000 yards on the season.
To this point in the season, Teague has almost 800 yards rushing and has proven to be a dynamic complement to Dobbins in the running game. It makes some reminisce about the days of Boom and Zoom which was the combination of Boom Herron and Jordan Hall in 2009.
Dobbins and Teague though have better eye-popping stats, with the duo looking at the possibility of rushing for over 2,800 yards on the season once the curtain falls on the 2019 postseason.
So what does all of this mean for the Fiesta Bowl and hopefully beyond?
Of course we’re still going to see a ton of J.K. Dobbins, but look for Teague to be used in short yards situations, or as Dobbins gets gassed from the pounding he is likely to take against Clemson’s defensive front.
No matter what happens, with Dobbins expected to exit the college stage to the NFL after this season, it will most likely be Teague as the featured back next year. He looks to be the next one in the long lineage of great running backs in Ohio Stae history. Buckeye fans can certainly be excited about the future of Master Teague.
But first, I have a feeling we’ll see him a bit more on December 28 when Ohio State tries to slay the defending national champions and earn a spot in the New Orleans for a chance to win a national championship of its own.
