ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Ezekiel Elliott, judged by people who didn’t know him as selfish and a prima donna, apologized again on Saturday even though none of his coaches or teammates thought he needed to apologize for anything. The Ohio State junior tailback popped off last week after the Buckeyes’ loss to Michigan State, and the content of his comments made it easy to understand why someone who didn’t know Elliott might have thought he was a me-first player. After all, he had suggested the Buckeyes lost because they hadn’t given him enough carries. But Elliott didn’t say what he did because he wanted to carry the ball and rack up stats. Elliott said it—and anyone who has actually watched Ohio State this season can confirm this—because he knew the Buckeyes would have stood a much better chance of beating the Spartans had he carried the ball more. So, on Saturday at Michigan, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and co-coordinators Ed Warinner and Tim Beck gave Elliott the ball more. He carried it 30 times, and he gained 214 yards and scored two touchdowns. In the process, Ohio State steamrolled rival Michigan 42–13 to finish the regular season 11–1. Afterward, Meyer said Elliott deserves to go to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Told of Meyer’s comments, Elliott said something that should dispel any notion that he was thinking of anything other than team success when he unleashed his frustration after the Michigan State game. “It would mean a lot to me and to my family,” Elliott said of the Heisman…
Continue Reading: Ohio State shows championship form a week too late in blowout of Michigan
