Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott Belongs Among Big Ten’s Best

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the moments following Ohio State’s Oct. 18 win over Rutgers, Ezekiel Elliott stood at the podium inside Ohio Stadium’s media center, answering questions about the Buckeyes’ 56-17 victory. But as reporters scattered to various players, questions became sparse, so I decided to take a stab at at an offhand topic.

“Zeke, I’ve gotta ask you about something on social media,” I prefaced, as the Ohio State running back’s eyes got big.

“Fans seem to love that you wear the half-shirt, the Eddie George-like shirt. Can you explain why you choose to go with that type of jersey?”

“I just like my jersey tucked up because I don’t like how long the jerseys are,” said a relieved Elliott, now wearing a smile. “I like a little midriff showing. A lot of great players have worn it before me like Eddie George, so I’m going to keep wearing it that way.”

The “crop top,” as fans call it, may not be the key to Elliott’s success in his sophomore season, but it certainly hasn’t hurt, as the St. Louis, Missouri, native finds himself on the verge of becoming Urban Meyer’s second consecutive 1,000-yard running back. Through 10 games, Elliott has tallied 954 rushing yards on 167 carries, an astounding 5.7 yards per carry, good for fifth in the Big Ten for players who have totaled 100 or more carries.

But Elliott’s sophomore surge seems to have been somewhat lost in the shuffle in Columbus during a 2014 campaign that has the sixth-ranked Buckeyes currently fighting for a…

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