Growing up about 20 minutes south of Oklahoma City in the town of Norman, Oklahoma, Beau Blankenship finished four years at Norman North High School with 5,050 career rushing yards, 59 total touchdowns and a lot of attention from nearby colleges. The tailback earned 1,250 of those yards and scored 16 of those touchdowns in his senior year after rushing for 2,200 yards and scoring 26 touchdowns as a junior. Both the Oklahoman and Tulsa World newspapers selected Blankenship to their All-State teams.
Scouts considered Blankenship a three-star recruit, among the top seventy running backs in the nation and the top thirty in his state. Blankenship committed to Iowa State’s football program after high school. After a year playing for the Cyclones, Blankenship decided to look at other collegiate football programs, but his options were limited as he started looking for a new school after the football team’s fall camp.
He decided to transfer to Ohio University and try to walk-on to the football team after some recruitment by quarterback and former high school teammate Tyler Tettleton. Tettleton sold Head Coach Frank Solich and Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, and Running Back’s Coach Tim Albin’s offensive scheme to Blankenship.
“Tyler [Tettleton] really swayed me to want to play here, to play for Coach Solich and Coach Albin,” said Blankenship. “Their temperament and coaching style was more fitting for me than where I was at.”
Blankenship was also excited for the chance to play with the same quarterback who handed him the ball hundreds of times at Norman North. Blankenship and Tettleton quickly rediscovered their chemistry and Tettleton helped the transfer student feel a little more at home in Athens.
“We’re really good friends, so it’s fun to play together again. Having a great friend back there with you is comforting.”
Blankenship had to redshirt his first season at Ohio University. He waited patiently on the sidelines and watched senior Vince Davidson, junior Donte Harden, and freshman Ryan Boykin grind their way through opposing teams. He wanted more than anything to strap on his shoulder pads and pound the ball up the middle or use his speed to beat defenders to the outside. He worked hard every day on and off the field to prepare for the next season. He used the time off to allow his body to heal and return healthier and stronger. Nevertheless, standing on the sidelines with-out any way of helping your teammates on the field is never easy for any athlete.
“A year without football is never good,” said Blankenship. “It was hard watching the guys out there playing and knowing you have to sit out a year.”
Blankenship stands at 5’9” and weighs in at around 184 pounds. He isn’t afraid to take a hit from the heavier defensive linemen who stand between him and the goal line. With a 4.47 40-yard-dash time, Blankenship also possesses good speed and is able to break free from defenders into the secondary at times. He runs with speed and power instead of flare and fancy feet. The ultimate goal is to make it into the end zone however possible.
“I just run as fast as I can,” said Blankenship. “I try to run with quickness, power, and speed.”
To help his game, Blankenship likes to watch current NFL running backs. He tries to watch running backs with similar size and running style, including Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, and Danny Woodhead of the New England Patriots. The year off allowed Blankenship to fine-tune his game and prepare for his second NCAA season and his first with the Bobcats.
The Bobcats started out the 2011 season by thumping New Mexico State and Gardner-Webb and winning the
“Battle of the Bell” against the Marshall Thundering Herd. After the 3-0 start, Ohio lost to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, but rebounded to beat MAC rival Kent State. The Bobcats dropped to consecutive games to the University of Buffalo and Ball State, but beat the lowly Zips of Akron. Of all the games so far this season, Blankenship liked how he played in and the result of the game against New Mexico State the most.
“They’re all fun to get into. I got the most carries [at New Mexico State], but hopefully that changes for the rest of the season.”
Blankenship contributed quite nicely to the Bobcats’ success on the field. In a situational role behind sophomore Ryan Boykin and senior Donte Harden, he started the season with a bang in the team’s first game against New Mexico State. He ran for 50 yards on only 10 carries and capped it off with his first touchdown in an Ohio uniform. The touchdown was definitely the highlight of Blankenship’s first career game for Ohio.
“I was excited because it was my first game back after sitting out a whole year. It’s always fun to score and just do whatever you can to help the team,” said Blankenship.
He bettered his average the following week against Gardner-Webb after finishing with 46 yards on 8 carries. After 5 games, Blankenship is averaging 4.9 yards per carry. His work-load decreased as the season progressed because of some issues with ball control, but he believes with more practice and better focus, the issues are fixable.
“The season started off good, then I had a little fumbling is-sue, but I just got to stay patient and keep going,” he said.
Blankenship expects to contribute more as the season progresses. He likes the makeup of the team and believes their ability doesn’t reflect their 5-3 record. Some minor mistakes have ended up costing the Bob-cats a few games.
We have the ability to finish out with all wins. We just kind of had some unfortunate things happen that hurt us, but there’s no reason we can’t go to a Bowl game,” he said.
While he wants to focus on the season at hand, Blankenship is also excited about the next few years for the team. He knows for the team is young and full of potential. On a more personal level, Blankenship may see more action and have more chances to help his team succeed in the upcoming years.
“I’m really excited about the future. I want to focus on now, but it’ll be fun. Finish this year and I’ve got two more years with these guys. It’s exciting and I think we have a chance to be really good.”
Sitting out a year was tough, but it looks to be paying off for Blankenship. He should challenge Boykin for the starting role next year, giving the Bob-cats a balanced running game with Blankenship’s power and Boykin’s shiftiness. Blankenship hopes the momentum of this season translates to a position where he can contribute more regularly for the remainder of this season and the rest of his career at Ohio University.
Jacob Betzner 