ATHENS, Ohio – Ohio coach Frank Solich wants a running back to step up and be a go-to player and senior Dante Harden wants to be that guy.

The Bobcats shared carries between running backs last year, but Solich would rather that not be the case this year.

“I would like to have a guy who just becomes ‘the guy,’” Solich said. “Then we can plug in the other guys as needed. I do not like the ‘by committee’ form of running backs. Last year that was kind of what we felt we had to go to.”

Vince Davidson started all 12 games for the Bobcats in 2010, gaining 549 yards and six touchdowns on 138 carries. But Ryan Boykin (213 yards) and Dallas Brown (126 yards) also were factors in the running game at times, and so was Harden after he returning from a six-game suspension to start the season.

Harden, in his fifth season for Ohio, finished last year with 244 yards and three touchdowns in seven games.

Solich and Harden are on the same page, in that they both want Harden to become a featured back.

“Dante is our most experienced running back and is a very explosive back,” Solich said. “He can go the distance for you. He can be a physical runner.”

With an experienced offensive line in front of him, Harden has set high goals for himself, saying he wants to have 1,300 yards going into the Mid-American Conference Championship Game, and that he wants to finish the year at better than 1,600 yards.

But the coach and the running back also need to be on the same page in philosophy, Solich said, for him to be able to put up those kinds of numbers.

“He needs to become consistent,” Solich said. “He understands that. He’s got to be lined up right, he’s got be in tune to what play is called, he’s got to take the right steps, he’s got to do all the right things. Once he has the ball in his hands, he is capable of being your No. 1 guy. We expect that that will happen and that he’ll be focused and have a great senior year.”

The 5-10, 183-pound running back from Eria, Pa., has shown flashes of potential since his true freshman year in 2007 as a backup to Kalvin McRae. He gained 26 yards on five carries, but an injury in the second game forced him to take a medical redshirt.

Injuries and disciplinary action forced Harden to miss another 15 games during the last three seasons, but when Harden has played, he has gained an average of 4.7 yards per carry and a total of 961 rushing yards in 26 games.

His most impressive season was his redshirt freshman season in 2008 when he totaled 454 yards with an average of 5.2 yards per carry in just seven games. He also was a kick return threat that year with one touchdown and an average of 23.6 yards per attempt.

Harden said he is ready to step up, be a leader and do the things he needs to stay on the field. But if that does not work out, there are capable runners ready to fill in as needed.

Power back Boykin, a 6-1, 221-pound redshirt sophomore, gained 213 yards in 11 games with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. The Bobcats also have welcomed into action this year Iowa State transfer Beau Blankenship, a 5-9, 184-pound back who saw action as a true freshman for the Cyclones and had to sit out last year.

“We are having a good battle going on there,” Solich said. “Ryan Boykin and Beau Blankenship have all come on and played very well. I think we’ll be strong at that position. I would like to have a starter, and (offensive coordinator and running backs coach) Tim (Albin) can verify this, but I think at this point in time, Dante would start. We feel comfortable being able to the other guys, too.”