Jason Wright had nowhere to run this time.
The junior running back who dodged Ohio State tacklers all night couldn’t shake off his disappointment after the 27-16 loss to the No. 5 Buckeyes Saturday.
The good-natured Wright burned the Buckeyes for 199 yards of total offense, but no one would have known it after the game.
“I’m sick right now,” Wright said. “I’m just really frustrated. Being close is not acceptable and it’s no consolation.
“I wasn’t brought up like that and neither were any of the guys in this locker room.”
The running back in the other locker room, true freshman Maurice Clarett, received all the attention before the game, but it was Wright who carried the load for his team in the first half.
While Clarett fumbled twice, Wright had 115 of NU’s 215 total yards in the first half and nearly doubled Clarett’s rushing yards.
And while the hype after the game again focused on Clarett, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel praised the NU running back.
“I thought Jason Wright did a good job running the ball today, ” Tressel said. “He caught the ball extremely well and also did a good job of breaking tackles.”
Wright shed defenders and scampered for 86 yards in the first half against a defense that came into the contest allowing only 73 rushing yards per game.
The Cats handed the ball to Wright 20 times in the first half, and the 5-foot-10 back pounded the ball between the tackles for tough yardage.
“On the first carry of the game I saw open grass,” Wright said.
“But the next thing I know Mike Doss is in the hole. I didn’t even see him coming and it happened all day. They have amazing speed on defense.”
Wright used some speed of his own to break into the open field twice for big gains on NU’s final possession of the first half.
On the second play of the drive he took a pitch to the left and cut back across the field for a 31-yard gain. Three plays later he caught a screen pass and weaved 29 yards down to the Ohio State four-yard line, where NU’s drive stalled and ended with a missed field goal.
“I think Jason played awfully solid,” NU coach Randy Walker said.
“He runs hard and gets what is there, plus a little bit more. He’s a good pass receiver and very complete back. He’s someone who picks up blitzes and is a great pass protector and blocker.”
Wright was forced to pass block more in the second half with his team trailing. He caught three short passes and carried the ball only four times. But one of the carries was a key nine-yard run straight up the middle for NU’s only touchdown — a score that cut the Buckeyes’ lead to 24-16.
He ended the game with 95 yards rushing, just shy of his fourth consecutive 100-yard game.
“In the second half we had to come out and throw the ball because they had eight or nine in the box and I didn’t get a lot of carries,” Wright said. “I became more of a receiver and a blocker, but however we can move the ball is fine with me.”
Limited on offense, Wright made his mark in the second half on special teams with a 67-yard kickoff return. Wright, the leader in the Big Ten with a 40-yard average on returns, avoided the initial tacklers, got outside and faked-out the kicker before being caught from behind.
But Wright doesn’t want to look back on his performance. Instead, he is concerned about correcting the mistakes that led to the Cats’ disappointing loss.
“As long as everyone feels the same way and has that pit in their stomach about losing, we will be fine,” he said.
