Article published August 10, 2008
RUN TOWARD GREATNESS
Buckeyes' Wells evokes memories of best backs
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS - Put a dozen or more people around the dinner table every night, and you quickly learn about teamwork. That's the environment Chris Wells grew up in.
The Ohio State junior running back comes from a family of 13, so the team concept is something that is part of his DNA. "Beanie," as the 6-1, 237-pounder has been known to his kin since childhood, knows all about banding together and utilizing an all-for-one approach.
"Football's all about team and people looking out for each other. It's not a little like family - for me it is family - and I think you get a lot of your strength from that," Wells said. "I know my family at home and my football family here at Ohio State mean everything. They've made me what I am."
What Wells is can best be described as the drive train that makes the Ohio State offense go. He is the ultimate merger of size, strength, and speed. Beanie runs over people, he runs through people, and he runs away from people.
"Chris Wells is the closest thing to Jim Brown I've seen," said Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, college football's highest award.
| CHRIS ‘BEANIE’ WELLS |
BIO
• Chris “Beanie” Wells
• Junior running back
• 6-1, 237
• Hometown: Akron
• High school: Garfi eld
PERSONAL
• Wells is one of 11 children
• He got the nickname “Beanie” from his older brother
TWO SEASONS
• Sophomore: First-team All-Big Ten, Ohio State MVP
• Freshman: Played in all 13 games, scored on a 52-yard run against Michigan
CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS
2006
104 att.
576 yds.
7 TDs
2007
274 att.
1,609 yds.
15 TDs |
|
|
Brown was a star at Syracuse before his NFL Hall of Fame career with the Cleveland Browns, and he is generally recognized as likely the best running back ever, and at 6-2 and 230 pounds, the specter he presented to opposing defenses was much like that of Wells."I say he really reminds me of Jim Brown because of his size and strength," Griffin said.
"And the way he brushes people off of him - people can hit him, and they just fall off of him. Some people don't think he's got that speed, but when he gets out in the open, he seems able to run away from people. Jim Brown was my hero, and you'll probably think I'm crazy, but when I watch Chris Wells run, that's what comes to mind."
Terry Bowden, the former coach at Auburn and a college football analyst, came out of the gate earlier this summer and christened Wells as the favorite in this year's Heisman race. That's a robust endorsement, especially considering that the incumbent Heisman holder, last year's winner Tim Tebow, is still the quarterback at Florida.
"Barring any unforeseen injury ... Ohio State's sensational running back Chris Wells will win the award this year," Bowden wrote for Yahoo! Sports. "He is the best running back in the country, he will put up phenomenal numbers on the season, and the Buckeyes will make it back to the national championship game."
Wells came to Ohio State saddled with those kinds of enormous expectations. He was not only Ohio's top high school player, he was the nation's best in the eyes of many. And when you're a Buckeye tailback, they expect greatness.
"Beanie had to deal with a lot of hype and publicity when he came here because he was such a great high school player and just about everyone knew about him," Ohio State senior quarterback Todd Boeckman said. "That's a lot of pressure on a young player, but I think he handled it really well. He contributed right from the start."
After backing up Antonio Pittman for one season, Wells became the workhorse for the Buckeyes a year ago and produced the best sophomore season in the history of the program with 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns. His career-best 222 yards rushing with a couple of touchdowns against Michigan iced that prodigious cake.
"It was rainy and kind of sloppy that day, but Beanie didn't seem affected by it at all. We just saddled him up and rode him," senior offensive tackle Alex Boone said about Wells, who had 39 carries in the Ohio State win. "He was just outstanding. He was the difference in the game."
Wells is expected to be a major difference-maker in 2008, as one of 20 Ohio State starters who return to make a run at a fourth consecutive Big Ten Conference crown and that third straight trip to the national championship game that Bowden mentioned.
Mark Rea, the managing editor of Buckeye Sports Bulletin who has been covering Ohio State since 1978, winces a little at the Jim Brown comparison, since Rea considers Brown as "the gold standard" among running backs. But Rea does not hesitate to put Wells, nearing the start of just his junior season with the Buckeyes, alongside the Ohio State greats such as Griffin, Eddie George, and Keith Byars.
"I think Beanie has a chance to become one of the all-time great running backs," Rea said about the Wells chapter in OSU history, which is conceivably just half-written.
"He certainly has the size, speed, and agility - not to mention a killer stiff-arm move. I'm not quite ready to put him with the 'all-time all-timers' yet, but that's only because he has had only one year being 'the man,' and that was while he was hurt most of the year."
Wells had a nagging ankle injury in 2007 and played with a broken bone in his wrist. He also later admitted to starting the season with a surprising lack of confidence.
"Coming into last year, I wasn't confident at all," Wells said about adjusting to the lead role in the OSU offense. "There were times when I felt like my wrist was going to fall off. Then throughout the season, the more games I played, the more comfortable I became. It's gonna be great to go out there and know you are totally healthy."
Dick Tressel, Ohio State's running backs coach and the older brother of head coach Jim Tressel, inherited the same dominant composure gene as his brother. Neither is prone to hype or exaggeration, but the elder Tressel on the OSU staff jumps alongside Archie when it comes to defining Wells.
"I've said it before - Beanie definitely reminds me of Jim Brown. And I don't say that to put extra pressure on him or anything, but that's who comes to mind. Beanie is a big, powerful, strong back with speed that surprises people, and his gait is a lot like Jim Brown's."
Wells, who said he is honored and humbled by such words, is also honest about his Heisman thoughts, saying the coveted statue has been on his mind for a while now.
"I do think about winning the Heisman. I started thinking about it way back in high school," Wells said. "But my most important goal is always for this team to do well. If I can help that happen, we'll see how that Heisman thing all works out. Right now, my mind is focused on this team."
Contact Matt Markey
at mmarkey@theblade.com
or 419-724-6510.
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