| Ohio State fullback Zach Boren got a chance to see what it’s like on the other side of the ball when he also played linebacker for the Buckeyes on Saturday. (US Presswire) |
Ohio State FB Zach Boren got a taste of the Buckeyes’ defense Saturday night against Indiana. The Buckeyes lost linebacker and captain Etienne Sabino last weekend with a fractured leg and were forced to play Boren, the 6-1, 245-pound blocking back, at left outside linebacker.
Boren, also a team captain, rotated with LB Storm Klein on a few series in the first half of Saturday’s game but wasn’t in on any tackles. He didn’t play his normal fullback position, either, but the Buckeyes did have 123 rushing yards and jumped out to a 24-14 halftime lead.
The idea to play Boren at linebacker came from current defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, who as the head coach last season, compared Boren to Wisconsin’s standout linebacker Chris Borland.
“He would be a good football player, I don’t care where you’d put him,” Fickell said last year to Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “You could put him at right guard and he’d be a heck of a player. You could put him at tailback and he’s going to be a heck of a player. He could be a linebacker.”
Boren relished the idea and nagged his coaches about it but it didn’t happen until Saturday night. Whether lining up at linebacker or at the fullback position, Boren always takes the same approach.
“I get in trouble with it at times because I try to blow people up,” he said to Lesmerises last year. “I forget about technique and I go in and I’m almost like tackling the guy. I don’t tackle him but I act like I’m about to tackle him. So I do think I take that linebacker mentality to fullback but that’s the mentality I’ve had my whole life.”
Boren’s blocking has been a crucial part of Ohio State’s ground game this year, highlighted by Braxton Miller. It’s the physical nature of both positions that likely appeals to him.
“It definitely would be a lot of fun,” he said. Saturday night he got his chance.
For more Big Ten coverage, follow Mike Singer and Dave Carey @CBSSportsBigTen.