When Dwayne Haskins came in for J.T. Barrett last season against Michigan, the Buckeye offense really didn't change much and didn't miss a beat, partially because it seemed like Haskins was at least a threat to run the football.
Haskins obviously did his thing through the air, completing 6-of-7 passes for 94 yards, but he also did some stuff on the ground, busting a 22-yard run with his legs, outrunning Michigan's Rashan Gary to set up a go-ahead touchdown.
And now they're gone. His legs have disappeared.
Haskins is averaging just 1.6 yards per carry this season – less than half his average last season – and he has just one carry of over 10 yards, which was a 17-yard run against Oregon State in the opener. That's also the only time he's had more than 10 yards rushing in a game, finishing with 24.
Since the opener, he's averaging less than a yard per carry.
The numbers back up what you see on tape; Haskins doesn't seem like the same runner we saw in 2017. He now seems less elusive in the pocket, more reluctant tuck it and honestly, straight-up slow at times, getting caught by defensive linemen.
He looks like a completely different player than the guy in the above gif whenever he's tried to run the ball this season.
We all knew the Buckeyes would rely a little bit more on his arm, but I think everyone expected him to be a little more effective as a runner after we saw him do it last season, and I don't think we were the only ones.
Leading up to the season, Haskins and the coaching staff both reiterated that he was quite a capable runner and his legs were going to be part of the offense this year. They even doubled down on that statement less than a month ago. But nine games into the season, it doesn't seem like reality.
So the mystery remains: what happened to Dwayne Haskins' legs, and how do we get them back in the next week and a half?
