Bo Jackson had a lot of pressure coming into this season, as fans were expecting him to keep up the same production as last season. To start 2026 Jackson has had his struggles, against Maryland he rewrote the script.
Through Ohio State’s first three games of the season, its rushing attack had averaged 4.6 yards per carry. It might not seem like a concerning number, but if you eliminate two 40+ yard runs in their first game against Ball State, that average drops to 3.5 yards per carry.
As fans in Columbus continue to watch Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith as the big playmakers, I think Bo Jackson in the backfield is an even bigger piece of the puzzle.
In the past, an early-season game between top-ranked Ohio State and No. 4 Texas might have been classified as an elimination game. The winner would emerge
Ohio State’s backfield conversation this fall starts, as it should, with Bo Jackson. The sophomore already has a 1,090-yard, six-touchdown freshman season behind him and is widely viewed as one of the country’s most complete running backs.