Knock on wood before you read this

Yesterday I wrote a brief piece about Keith Byars and I posted the numbers of all-time Ohio State RB greats. Here they are again, for your enjoyment;

1. Archie Griffin – 5,529 yards
2. Eddie George – 3,768 yards
3. Tim Spencer – 3,553 yards
4. Keith Byars – 3,200 yards
5. Pepe Pearson – 3,121 yards
6. Carlos Snow – 2,974 yards
7. Michael Wiley – 2,951 yards
8. Antonio Pittman – 2,945 yards
9. Raymont Harris – 2,649 yards
10. Calvin Murray – 2,576 yards
11. Jim Otis – 2,542 yards
12. Howard Cassady – 2,466 yards
13. Jonathan Wells – 2,381 yards
14. Lydell Ross – 2,339 yards
15. Pete Johnson – 2,308 yards
16. Chris Wells – 2,185 yards
17. Bob Ferguson – 2,162 yards
18. Ron Springs – 2,140 yards
19. Don Clark – 2,116 yards
20. Cornelius Greene – 2,066 yards

Take special note of where Chris Wells is located. After just two seasons (one in which he was far from a featured back, playing behind Antonio Pittman), Beanie finds himself at #16 all-time.

Here’s the part where you can knock on wood…..

Barring major injury or leaving early for the NFL, Beanie Wells should end his collegiate career and find himself in the top four of Ohio State’s all-time leading rushers. And dare I say it….if he has himself a couple of years slightly better than his 2007 campaign, he could pass Archie Griffin and finish with more yards than the 2-time Heisman Trophy winner.

Taking a closer look;

Wells is now 3,344 yards behind Griffin for the top spot. If he plays his senior season, and the Buckeyes reach a bowl game both years, he’ll have 26 games to get that goal. If he averages 129 yards per game, he’ll pass Griffin by 10 yards.

In 2007, in 13 games, Wells racked up 1,609 yards (that’s just under 124 yards per game).

Yeah, it’s a lot to ask, but Beanie has shown he can rack up big yards on good competition….the last six games of 2007 were all against teams that made bowl games, and he averaged 161 yards per game in those.

OK, so it’s a lot to ask for….then let’s shrink it down a bit. 460 yards will get him into the Number 9 slot. Let’s work on getting him there before the Big Ten season opener. Can Beanie get 460 yards against YSU, Troy, Ohio, and USC?

Stay healthy Beanie, and we shall see…..