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Ezekiel Elliott rushes his way into Cowboys’ record books in style
BY DREW DAVISON
ddavison@star-telegram.com
Ezekiel Elliott got a simple message from Tony Dorsett before Sunday’s game – break the Dallas Cowboys’ all-time rookie rushing record.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion with Elliott only 2 yards shy of Dorsett’s record (1,007), and he broke it on the second play of the game with a 2-yard run which followed a 1-yard run. Afterward, Elliott understood the significance of his accomplishment, but was more pleased with the 27-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
“It means a lot just with the pedigree of this position for the Dallas Cowboys,” Elliott said. “It just means a lot to go out there and break a record. But it’s just one step toward what we want to do, one step toward greatness. Honestly, I’m just happy we went out there and got the win today.”
Elliott finished the game with 97 rushing yards on 25 carries, and also had 30 receiving yards against the league’s top-ranked defense.
For the season, he has a league-leading 1,102 rushing yards and needs to average 118 yards a game to break the NFL’s all-time rookie rushing mark of 1,808 set by Eric Dickerson in 1983.
But Elliott is just happy to be part of a winning formula at this point. He had only six carries for 26 yards in the first half, but the Cowboys relied on him heavily as the game wore on.
He had 39 all-purpose yards on a 92-yard TD drive on the first offensive possession in the second half, including an 8-yard reception in which he hurdled Ravens defensive back Tavon Young.
“At that point in the game, it’s very critical to go down there and score,” Elliott said. “That’s kind of where we broke them. That’s where we really wore them down. You get a chance to wear them down on those long drives, so it was really critical.”
As far as his hurdle, which has seemingly become a staple of his game each week, Elliott said: “DBs really don’t want to tackle me. They don’t want to tackle me up high, so that’s why you see me hurdle so many times.
“They’re not going to try to hit me up high. If they try to hit me up high, they’re going to be in trouble. All they can really do is cut me low, so I’ve got to catch them when it’s right and get the hurdle.”
On the 13-play drive that put the game away in the fourth quarter, Elliott carried it nine times. It was another dominant outing by the Cowboys’ first-round pick considering the Ravens are the top-ranked defense.
“He’s been awesome,” running backs coach Gary Brown said. “He’s been not only a great player, great teammate, great student, just a special guy that way. We’ve just got to continue to keep teaching him. He’s like a sponge, he wants to know everything. Just keep letting him go. It’s a wonderful thing.”
Owner Jerry Jones couldn’t be happier with how the fourth overall draft pick is doing, either. Everybody knew Elliott’s potential coming out of Ohio State, but his production has been even better than expected.
“I now look back and add up logically why he is being productive, but we didn’t see that,” Jones said. “But our guys had gotten sold that he was a special player and could really complement what are strengths are, and that is our offensive line.”
BY DREW DAVISON
ddavison@star-telegram.com
Ezekiel Elliott got a simple message from Tony Dorsett before Sunday’s game – break the Dallas Cowboys’ all-time rookie rushing record.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion with Elliott only 2 yards shy of Dorsett’s record (1,007), and he broke it on the second play of the game with a 2-yard run which followed a 1-yard run. Afterward, Elliott understood the significance of his accomplishment, but was more pleased with the 27-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
“It means a lot just with the pedigree of this position for the Dallas Cowboys,” Elliott said. “It just means a lot to go out there and break a record. But it’s just one step toward what we want to do, one step toward greatness. Honestly, I’m just happy we went out there and got the win today.”
Elliott finished the game with 97 rushing yards on 25 carries, and also had 30 receiving yards against the league’s top-ranked defense.
For the season, he has a league-leading 1,102 rushing yards and needs to average 118 yards a game to break the NFL’s all-time rookie rushing mark of 1,808 set by Eric Dickerson in 1983.
But Elliott is just happy to be part of a winning formula at this point. He had only six carries for 26 yards in the first half, but the Cowboys relied on him heavily as the game wore on.
He had 39 all-purpose yards on a 92-yard TD drive on the first offensive possession in the second half, including an 8-yard reception in which he hurdled Ravens defensive back Tavon Young.
“At that point in the game, it’s very critical to go down there and score,” Elliott said. “That’s kind of where we broke them. That’s where we really wore them down. You get a chance to wear them down on those long drives, so it was really critical.”
As far as his hurdle, which has seemingly become a staple of his game each week, Elliott said: “DBs really don’t want to tackle me. They don’t want to tackle me up high, so that’s why you see me hurdle so many times.
“They’re not going to try to hit me up high. If they try to hit me up high, they’re going to be in trouble. All they can really do is cut me low, so I’ve got to catch them when it’s right and get the hurdle.”
On the 13-play drive that put the game away in the fourth quarter, Elliott carried it nine times. It was another dominant outing by the Cowboys’ first-round pick considering the Ravens are the top-ranked defense.
“He’s been awesome,” running backs coach Gary Brown said. “He’s been not only a great player, great teammate, great student, just a special guy that way. We’ve just got to continue to keep teaching him. He’s like a sponge, he wants to know everything. Just keep letting him go. It’s a wonderful thing.”
Owner Jerry Jones couldn’t be happier with how the fourth overall draft pick is doing, either. Everybody knew Elliott’s potential coming out of Ohio State, but his production has been even better than expected.
“I now look back and add up logically why he is being productive, but we didn’t see that,” Jones said. “But our guys had gotten sold that he was a special player and could really complement what are strengths are, and that is our offensive line.”