Were Expectations Too High for Ezekiel Elliott?

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter of Ohio State's 20-13 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, Ezekiel Elliott took off from the Huskies' 48-yard line and bounced outside down the west sideline of Ohio Stadium.

Darting toward the north end zone, the Buckeyes running back suddenly found himself taking flight, as he cleanly hurdled NIUdefensive back Albert Smalls before stumbling forward for what was ultimately a six-yard gain.

The sold out crowd in The Horseshoe let out an audible gasp, followed by an even louder one when Elliott's jump was replayed moments later on the south end-zone scoreboard.

It was the type of play Ohio State fans have come to expect from Elliott, the type of highlight made for instant Internet consumption. 

Yet in what was an otherwise forgettable day for the Buckeyes offense, which totaled just 298 yards and 13 points against its opponent from the Mid-American Conference, Elliott's hurdle, too, got lost in the shuffle.

Moments earlier, LSU's Leonard Fournette provided college football with its most watched running back-related highlight of the day, essentially performing a WWE-style back body drop on Auburn defensive back Tray Matthews during a 29-yard touchdown run against the Tigers.

In a way, it wasn't just Matthews but also Elliott whom Fournette found himself tossing to the side.

LSU's sophomore running back is the new front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy, according to Bovada (h/t Odds Shark).

This wasn't the way it was supposed to be for Elliott, the preseason favorite for college football's most prestigious individual award following a historic run through last winter's postseason.

In the Big Ten Championship Game, Sugar Bowl and national title game, the then-sophomore totaled 696 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, earning Offensive MVP honors in both of the Buckeyes' two victories in the College Football Playoff.

"He's the most underrated back in America," Urban Meyer said of Elliott after the national title game. "A monster."

But before Elliott could even put down his championship trophy, the hype machine for his encore season was already hitting on all cylinders.

Some, such as Time's Sean Gregory, even questioned whether Elliott should challenge the NFL draft's restrictions, which don't allow a prospect to turn pro until three years after his time in high school has come to a close.

Elliott, a projected first-round pick by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller and one of the few remaining faces of college football, entered 2015 with no shortage of expectations attached to his name as Ohio State set out to defend its national title.

But through three games, Elliott's numbers have hardly matched what he did last winter, as his rushing totals in his past three games (331 yards and four touchdowns) aren't even half of what he combined for in his three previous games.

"We're not playing well, we're not executing," Elliott said of the OSUoffense's recent struggles. "We're not paying attention to the details of the game."

That's not to say that Elliott is underperforming, as the Buckeyes offensive line has endured inconsistencies and the Ohio State quarterback situation remains a work in progress, with Meyer needing to declare Cardale Jones his starter 

three times in four weeks.

Despite all the question marks around him, Elliott has been the one steady force in the Buckeyes offense, rushing for more than 100 yards in each of Ohio State's first three games.

"The confidence level I have right now is to give it to one of the best running backs in America," Meyer said of his team's offensive strategy.

But just being "steady" wasn't what led to preseason magazine covers and ESPN E:60 segments. And it raises the question of whether expectations were simply too high for Elliott heading into the 2015 season.

Perhaps, although that could be viewed more as an indictment of today's hyperbole friendly, quick-to-crown media landscape. After all, while Elliott looked like an all-world player in the postseason, he wasn't even an all-conference selection at the end of his sophomore season.

Nor was Elliott thought of as one of the headlining players in the 2016 NFL draft until he gashed an Alabama defense with no shortage of pro prospects of its own for 230 yards and two touchdowns in last season's Sugar Bowl.

That doesn't make the praise that's been heaped on Elliott any less warranted, but it does make one wonder if there was too much, too soon.

It'd be hard to classify what Elliott is currently going through as struggles, especially after he turned just 11 carries into 122 yards and a touchdown against Virginia Tech in the season opener. Some of his most impressive work on the season can't even be quantified on a stat sheet, as he's drawn universal praise for his ability in pass protection.

But it wasn't his blocking that landed the St. Louis, Missouri, native at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy discussion before the start of the season.

And while there's still plenty of time left in the season for Elliott to reinsert himself in the conversation, he currently finds himself third when it comes to running backs behind Fournette and Georgia running back Nick Chubb.

For now, Elliott's lack of eye-popping numbers can be considered the result of an Ohio State offense still searching for its identity. The Buckeyes, however, know what they'd like their calling card to be, and it involves Elliott making a jump not only over defenders but also back into the Heisman race.

"We're a power-running team," Elliott asserted. "The thing is, on our drives, we're not starting out well. So we're getting behind and we're not running the type of offense we're used to running. That's a problem."

OSU's Ezekiel Elliott has practical reason for hurdling more tacklers

Ezekiel Elliott not only has a practical reason for adding more hurdles to his array of moves on the football field.

He also might be genetically inclined to do it.

First there was the explanation for why the Ohio State running back leapt over two would-be tacklers as the Buckeyes beat Western Michigan last weekend:

"My first time hurdling someone in football was last year when we played Alabama," Elliott said. "This year, it seems like it's been a real emphasis from defenses to cut tackle me. I'm tired of taking those shots to the leg, those thigh bruises, so I decided to go up top a couple times."

Then came more background via ESPN.com, which caught up with Elliott's mother -- who just happened to be a former track standout at Missouri.

Dawn Elliott pointed out her son used to actually run the hurdles in high school but had not done it on the football field during his prep days.

"I was laughing and asked him about it after the game Saturday, and he said he had always just been scared to do it," she said. "He did not do that in high school or any other time he played, but I mean, it doesn't surprise me, because Ezekiel is a very good athlete, just very athletic."

Hurdle gene: Ezekiel Elliott's new go-to move came from his mother

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Over time, the hurdles have progressively grown in size. These days, the obstacles Ezekiel Elliott are leaping over have the ability to move and fight back.

But Elliott's form is as impressive on the football field, flying over potential tacklers, as it ever was for the Ohio State running back when he was a high school track sensation. And whether the hurdles were 33 inches tall when he was 13 years old or 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds, as they are now, Dawn Elliott is watching the same thing in action from the stands.

It's a genetic gift from Mom, an all-conference track star at Missouri, to her son, a Heisman Trophy candidate with the Buckeyes.

“That’s me,” Dawn Elliott said with a laugh. “I get the hurdle credit.

“But truthfully, I don’t know where this is coming from [lately]. He’s been hurdling since he was 13; he’s just never done it before in a football game.”

Those moves have proved to be quite useful in pads recently, and Elliott has turned the hurdle into a go-to move that does far more than provide easy filler for the highlight reel.

During the last two weeks, Elliott has jumped over defenders three times to pick up extra yardage, including once with what his mom quickly identified as the wrong “lead leg” when his left was used instead of his typical right. But in addition to the short-term benefit of tacking on a couple of yards to a carry, Elliott has more practical reasons for taking to the air.

The junior running back has noticed more defenders lowering their targets when they try to tackle him, aiming for his legs to avoid the punishment he’s been known to deliver with his shoulder pads. Those leg shots not only hurt to receive, but they take away his ability to pick up yards after contact. That left Elliott in need of a different approach to account for the adjustment, and a solution wasn’t all that hard to find, thanks to his bloodline.

“It was not something I really planned, but it was just more of something that just kind of happened because of the way teams have been playing us,” Elliott said. “It seems to be a tendency for opposing defenses to aim for my legs when tackling, and it’s kind of hard to do anything when you’ve got a bunch of guys aiming for your legs. Those aren’t shots you want to take; they’re pretty dangerous.

“I just decided I’m going to try to go up and over some guys, and I’ve definitely seen it working already in games. Guys are just hesitant when they’re trying to tackle me now, and they don’t really want to hit me high. It plays to my advantage.”

More often than not, Elliott already has the advantage thanks to his natural athleticism, his ability to read blocks and a fearless attitude, whether he’s taking on a tackler head-on or jumping over him.

Just about the only thing that can slow down Elliott so far this season is Ohio State itself, which hasn’t been giving him rushing attempts as frequently as it did last year during his ridiculous run through the postseason. Elliott still has 455 rushing yards and five touchdowns and has been a factor as a receiver with eight receptions for 51 yards. But he has averaged five fewer touches per game than he did during the three-game barrage that produced nearly 700 rushing yards, eight touchdowns and a national championship.

Ohio State is aware of all those numbers, and coach Urban Meyer has made it clear he plans to get his workhorse tailback more involved as the season progresses. But if the concern for the moment is just about keeping the tailback’s body fresh, Elliott actually came up with his mother-approved way of doing that already.

“I was laughing and asked him about it after the game Saturday, and he said he had always just been scared to do it [on the football field],” Dawn Elliott said. “He did not do that in high school or any other time he played. But, I mean, it doesn’t surprise me, because Ezekiel is a very good athlete, just very athletic.”

And Mom’s influence in that is impossible to miss now.