– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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LOS ANGELES — Even with a move halfway across the country, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, upon his return to the National Football League, could not shake the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, and he saw a former Buckeye, J.K. Dobbins, run rampant on Sunday. It’s a good thing they’re on the same side this time around, and rivals-turned-allies combined to get the Chargers off to the perfect start.
Dobbins ran for 135 yards, including a fourth-quarter 12-yard touchdown run, to help Harbaugh make a winning return to the NFL as the Chargers defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 22-10 inside SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Quarterback Justin Herbert threw for just 144 yards on 17 of 26 passing, but threw a touchdown late in the fourth to rookie Ladd McConkey to seal the victory.
Dobbins was also making a return of his own, as the newest Charger started his career in Baltimore in 2020 but played just one game last season when he suffered an Achilles tendon tear in last season’s opener against Houston. like Harbaugh, Dobbins’ return was a rousing success, as he only needed 10 carries on the day to earn his fifth career 100-yard rushing game. His longest run of the day, and of his career, came early in the third when he rumbled up the middle for 46-yards on a third-and-1 from near midfield. That run set up a Cameron Dicker 24-yard field goal at the 9:08 mark of the third that gave Los Angeles the lead for good at 9-7.
Dobbins’ second-longest run of the game came on the fourth-quarter touchdown.
While at Ohio State, Dobbins closed out his regular-season collegiate career with a 211-yard, four-touchdown performance as the Buckeyes routed the Michigan Wolverines, coached by Harbaugh, at Michigan Stadium.
“It’s good. We are the same side now. That’s all I can say and we’re going to keep working together,” Dobbins said.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Arnie Bazemore. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are XX pictures in total.
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