In an ideal world, Tom Herman would like to strike a 50/50 balance of run and pass, utilizing his playmakers in space on the edges, but also carving gashes in opposing defenses up the middle with his power running game.
But this is not an ideal world. Braxton Miller’s shoulder imploded just a couple of weeks before the season, destabilizing an offense that was already precariously situated due to the losses of Carlos Hyde, Philly Brown and four starters on the offensive line.
At the quarter mark of the season, Ohio State is still looking to fully form its offensive identity. But patterns have started to emerge, although not necessarily the kinds of patterns that Herman, Urban Meyer, or Buckeye fans would like to see.
Herein lies a look at the distribution of labor in the Ohio State running game.
Entering this season, Meyer talked glowingly about the work his running backs were doing in camp and discussed the need for getting all of them carries. This has further been backed up by the depth chart in weeks 1-3, which have listed the starting tailback as Ezekiel Elliott OR Rod Smith OR Curtis Samuel. Meyer also talked up Bri’onte Dunn a number of times in the preseason. He even recently said his running backs were his best practice players.
But the reality has looked quite different over the season’s first quarter.
Through three games, the Buckeyes are getting a 50/50 split in carries between sophomore Elliott and true freshman Samuel. Each has carried 27 times over the three games so far this season (just nine attempts per game).
Curtis Samuel is too explosive to keep off the field.
Samuel is averaging 6.3 yards per carry with 171 total yards and a pair of touchdowns, but his statistics include a 10-carry, 100-yard performance against Kent State. Elliott has rushed for 141 yards (5.2 YPA) and two scores, with a fairly even distribution across the three games.
Meanwhile, Smith has only four rushes for 10 yards (2.5 YPA) and a touchdown.
Dunn has largely been ignored this season, carrying only twice for nine yards (4.5 YPA) at garbage time late in the Kent State game, and he didn’t help his cause by fumbling away his second attempt. He’s been apparently surpassed by Warren Ball on the depth chart. Ball has 10 attempts for 41 yards (4.1 YPA), but all of that was in the second half of a lopsided game against the Golden Flashes.
H-backs Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall have a combined 11 attempts for 45 yards (4.1 YPA) and seem to mostly get carries as a change of pace, although they have been involved out of the backfield on the tap pass from quarterback J.T. Barrett.
With all of the talented ball carriers that Meyer talked up throughout camp, the clear leader in rushing attempts is his redshirt freshman quarterback.
Barrett was the team’s leading rusher against both Navy and Virginia Tech, and has carried 41 times for 126 yards with one touchdown. If not for losing 80 yards, primarily on sacks, coupled with Meyer and Herman putting the shackles on him against Kent State, Barrett would easily be the team’s leading overall ground gainer.
This is indicative of a team still struggling to find its most cohesive starting line unit. Meyer and Herman are well aware that Barrett is not Miller. Although quite athletic, Barrett doesn’t have the kind of X-Box moves that Miller uses to terrorize opposing defenses.
Quarterback runs will always be part of any spread team that utilizes both inside and outside zone reads, but Ohio State will not maximize its offensive potential until they find some consistency running the football via those they brought in specifically to tote the rock. And things won't be going to plan as long as the quarterback is carrying more than the tailbacks.
Elliott and Samuel certainly look like the best options to line up behind (or, in many cases, beside) Barrett. Both have the requisite speed to change a game on any play. Both can run through arm tackles. Elliott may have a slight advantage in power but Samuel looks like he has a little more wiggle to his game.
Based on what we’ve seen thus far, I’d expect a roughly 50/50 split in carries to continue between Elliott and Samuel until and/or unless one back clearly emerges over the other. Elliott seems to have a slight edge for meaningful playing time at this point, based on being rested in the second half against Kent State after racking up 65 yards on seven carries (9.3 YPA).
As fans, we’re often easily dazzled by shiny new things and, based on Twitter and our own comments sections, Samuel seems to get a little more love these days than Elliott. But a quick look at Elliott’s touchdown run in the second half to tie the Virginia Tech game at 21 shows he’s got all the power and speed needed to be the featured back in Herman’s offense.
The coaching staff will likely sprinkle in Smith. He gives Ohio State a bigger, more physical player in short yardage situations, and he’ll be rewarded with carries for his blocking, which is a strength.
Dunn and Ball are clearly behind the other three at this point. Barring injury, I wouldn’t expect much more than mop-up duty for those two for the foreseeable future.
