Don't expect Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott to carry the ball in his left hand, he doesn't trust it

Ezekiel Elliott doesn’t trust his left hand.

Ever since Ohio State’s leading rusher broke his wrist during the first week of fall camp, he’s learned to play without it.

“I can't carry the ball in my left hand with the brace, so at all times I carry it in my right hand,” Elliott acknowledged to the media on Saturday.

Elliott suffered the injury when he jumped up for a ball and landed funny on the wrist. X-rays revealed a broken bone and he had surgery to insert a screw to stabilize the fracture. Elliott acknowledge that after the season he’ll have another surgery for a permanent fix.

“It's kind of reached a point where it won't get any better,” Elliott told media on Saturday. “It may get a little worse, but it won't get better.”

But the injury hasn’t done anything to damage his running game. Elliott has 237 carries for 1,632 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. Elliott has topped 200 yards in each of the past two games and has four rushing touchdowns.

One of those touchdowns was a dynamic 85-yard score against the Crimson Tide. On that score, Elliott cut through the line on the left and went streaking down the left side. However, he’s holding the ball in his right hand the entire way down the field. While most players would tell you that you should always carry the ball in the outside hand, Elliott knows his right hand is much safer.

Ezekiel Elliott is GONE. 85 yards to the house, and Ohio State leads Alabama 42-28 in the #SugarBowl: http://t.co/cvE0q8gqWG

— ESPN (@espn) January 2, 2015

Of course, there wasn’t an Alabama player close enough to Elliott to strip the ball, but throughout the season defenders have targeted that left wrist in an effort to cause fumbles. So, just to be safe, Elliott adapted to only using his right arm to make sure he didn’t give defenders the option.

“It's something I had to get used to as the season went on,” Elliott said about only using his right hand. “When I first had surgery, just getting out there and practicing with it and only keeping it in that hand. It's become second nature, it's easy.”

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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