Former Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins headlined a long list of ex-buckeyes to make an impact for their respective NFL teams on Sunday.
Dobbins ran for 135 yards in just 10 carries in the Los Angeles Chargers’ 22-10 win over the Raiders on Sunday. Dobbins, who suffered a relentless string of injuries derailing his Baltimore Ravens tenure, including a torn Achilles tendon in 2023, signed a one-year contract with the Chargers over the offseason. Sunday Dobbins looked like the running back that went for 211 yards rushing and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s last win over Michigan in 2019. With four minutes to go in the game, Dobbins broke through the Raiders’ defense for a 61-yard run, virtually ending any hope the Raiders had to come back in the game.
For his strong performance, Dobbins was given a game ball by former Michigan head coach and first-year Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. In a clip posted to the Chargers’ Twitter account, Dobbins made sure to credit his teammates for his performance in the locker room after the game.
“O-line you blocked incredibly for me, I couldn’t have done it without you, Quarterback (Justin Herbert) I couldn’t have done it without you,” Dobbins said. “We are going to keep getting better each and every day.”
On the topic of former Buckeye running backs, Ezekiel Elliott got into the end zone with the team that drafted him, the Dallas Cowboys. Although Elliott may not have had the same burst he did as a rookie who ran for over 1,600 yards, he did help the Cowboys get off to a 1-0 start with a 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns. Elliott finished the game with 40 yards on 10 carries.
At the Quarterback position, C.J. Stroud looked just as solid in week one as he had in his Pro Bowl rookie season. In a 29-27 win over the Colts, Stroud completed 24 of 32 passes for 234 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Stroud’s predecessor at Ohio State, Justin Fields didn’t have quite the passing day that Stroud did but still led the Steelers to an 18-10 road win over the Falcons. Still, Fields completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards.
One of the youngest former Buckeyes, Marvin Harrison Jr. struggled to find a connection with Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray in the team’s 34-28 loss to the Bills.
In three targets, Harrison Jr. had one catch for four yards. Harrison was wide open on the Cardinals’ final drive of the game, on what could have been a potential go-ahead touchdown with about a minute to go, Murray must not have seen Harrison break free running towards the end zone because the rookie was not targeted on the play. The Cardinals would go on to turn the ball over on downs on the drive.
