Prior to this season, Chris “Beanie” Wells held down the #16 slot for all-time rushing yardage at The Ohio State University. The season got derailed a bit by his injury, but it looks like it’s safe to say that he’s back on track again and still climbing the charts.
He began the season with 2,185 yards on the ground. Last weekend, he broke into the Top 10 by passing both Calvin Murray and Raymont Harris. Beanie is now the 9th-best all-time leading rusher at Ohio State.
I predict Wells, if he stays healthy, will finish the season as the #4 rusher of all time at Ohio State.
Here’s the rest of the Buckeyes ahead of Wells, their total rushing yardage (and how many yards Beanie needs to pass them)
- #9 – Beanie Wells – 2,664 yards
- #8 – Antonio Pittman – 2,945 yards (281)
- #7 – Michael Wiley – 2,951 yards (287)
- #6 – Carlos Snow – 2,974 yards (310)
- #5 – Pepe Pearson – 3,121 yards (457)
- #4 – Keith Byars – 3,200 yards (536)
- #3 – Tim Spencer – 3,553 yards (889)
- #2 – Eddie George – 3,768 yards (1,104)
- #1 – Archie Griffin – 5,529 yards (2,865)
Against Michigan State tomorrow, I do not expect Beanie’s position to rise any higher than #9. 281 yards against the Spartans just doesn’t seem likely. I think we’ll be pounding the ball tomorrow against MSU, but Beanie will have one hell of a day if he gets half of that total. Nor do I expect him to crack the Top 8 against Penn state next week. But after that PSU game, the chart will go much smoother for Wells.
The Buckeyes games against Northwestern, Illinois and Michigan could provide ample opportunity to gain big yards on the ground. Here’s how I see the near future playing out for Wells (provided he stays injury-free and gets the carries he needs)
I predict Wells to get between 200 and 220 yards against MSU and PSU combined. Let’s break that down the middle and say it’s 210 yards, putting him at 2,874 yards for his career. I think an RB like Wells is good for two games just over 100 yards against these teams, so I think that’s fair.
With those numbers, Wells should pass Pittman, Wiley and Snow all at the same time against Northwestern. A simple 100 yard game against the Wildcats would take care of that, putting him at #6. This means he would only need another 230 yards combined against Illinois and Michigan, and would put his name above Byars as #4 all-time.
To summarize, go get 100 yards a game the rest of the way, Beanie. That should be what we need for you to lead us to 5 more victories during the season, and should be enough to put you in the Top 4.
Rev ‘em up. Kickoff is in 17 and a half hours!
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