Looking back at Tony Alford’s tenure as Ohio State football’s running backs coach

Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford left for archrival Michigan on Wednesday.

It was an abrupt departure for Alford, who spent nine seasons with the Buckeyes after he was hired by former coach Urban Meyer in 2015.

Here’s a look back on the defining moments of Alford’s stint in Columbus, spanning the second half of Meyer’s tenure into the Ryan Day era:

Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) watches from the sideline behind running backs coach Tony Alford during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

Single-season rushing highs

Alford coached running backs as they posted some of the most prolific seasons in school history.

It was a group led by J.K. Dobbins, who became Ohio State’s first-ever 2,000-yard rusher in 2019.

As Dobbins ran for 2,003 yards, he finished sixth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, the highest by a Buckeyes back since Eddie George captured the prestigious player of the year award in 1995.

Four years before Dobbins set the single-season school record, Ezekiel Elliott also amassed 1,821 yards on the ground, a total that is the fourth-most rushing yards in a year at Ohio State.

Both Dobbins and Elliott rank second and third on the Buckeyes’ career rushing yards list with 4,459 and 3,961, respectively, trailing only the legendary Archie Griffin.

Dip in production

TreVeyon Henderson led the Buckeyes with 926 rushing yards last fall.

Miyan Williams had a team-high 825 yards the previous year.

It was the first time since 2004 and 2003 that Ohio State went consecutive years without a 1,000-yard rusher.

Injuries contributed to the lower totals as Henderson was sidelined for three games after taking a shot at Notre Dame last September and Williams…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/looking-back-tony-alfords-tenure-185011324.html

Author : The Columbus Dispatch

Publish date : 2024-03-14 18:50:11

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