Tony Alford’s running back room was so packed this offseason that a former four-star recruit averaging 7.9 yards per carry in his college career was encouraged to switch positions.
Steele Chambers’ departure hardly put a dent in the rotation, as Master Teague, Miyan Williams, TreVeyon Henderson, Marcus Crowley and Evan Pryor all remained, and any of the first three in that group seemed capable of winning the starting job. Seven games into the season, there’s no controversy surrounding who the top back is for the Buckeyes, but the amount of viable names at the position has proven perhaps more important than most expected.
Aside from Pryor, every Buckeye running back to take a snap this season has dealt with health issues of some kind, whether it be a mid-game trip to the medical tent or a season-ending affliction.
Ohio State entered its road matchup with Indiana last weekend without two of its top four backs in Teague and Crowley, and Henderson left the game with an apparent injury two plays in. That left Williams, who had not seen action in three of the past four games, to handle five carries on the opening drive of the game.
“You just don’t know. All of the sudden you got a couple guys in there, and then before you know it you’re in the first drive and you’re getting all the reps, and it’s like, ‘Where did this happen?’” Day said on 97.1 The Fan on Thursday. “But that’s how football goes. You have to be ready and you have to always expect the unexpected. But you got to be ready, and (Williams) was in that spot, and that was good.”
The offense didn’t skip a beat with Williams in the backfield, and Henderson was healthy enough to return on the very next series. The true freshman admitted Wednesday he was “banged up a little bit” after taking a big hit on his first carry, and it’s not the first time his health was in question this season.
After absorbing a hit in the first quarter against Rutgers on Oct. 2, Henderson left the game, went to the medical tent and didn’t play another snap, although Day said he could’ve played in the second half if needed.
Henderson hasn’t played in the second half of two of Ohio State’s past three games, which has left his final touch totals a bit lighter than some fans would like. Henderson has topped double-digit rush attempts just three times through seven games, and he’s only carried the ball more than 16 times on one occasion.
| OPPONENT | ATTEMPTS | RUSH YARDS | YARDS PER CARRY | RUSH TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INDIANA | 9 | 81 | 9 | 2 |
| MARYLAND | 16 | 102 | 6.4 | 2 |
| RUTGERS | 8 | 71 | 8.9 | 1 |
| AKRON | 8 | 93 | 11.6 | 2 |
| TULSA | 23 | 270 | 11.7 | 3 |
| OREGON | 12 | 54 | 4.5 | 1 |
| MINNESOTA | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 |
As things stand, that doesn’t seem to be much of a problem with Henderson himself.
“I’m happy with the amount of carries I'm getting right now,” Henderson said. “When we’re up 50-something against a team, there’s no reason to get 20 carries and put myself at risk of getting an injury. So I think they’re being smart with the amount of carries I’m getting now. I think the 20 carries, I think that’ll come sooner or later.”
It’s not like the running backs behind Henderson on the depth chart have struggled to make an impact when their number is called. Henderson leads the nation with an average of 8.8 yards per carry, but Williams is not too far off with a mark of 7.7 in his own right. Teague, who is second to Henderson with 44 rush attempts, is averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Crowley was averaging more than five yards per carry as well, and even graded out as a champion against Rutgers, before the third-year Buckeye’s season was cut short with an injury in practice.
“Marcus is gonna be out for a long time. It’s a long-term injury, and certainly prayers go out to him,” Day said Tuesday. “It was something that happened during the bye week, and he’s working toward recovery, but it’s gonna be a long road for him.”
Day said the Buckeyes are hoping to have Teague back against Penn State after missing the Indiana game, but those injuries mean Pryor could see his name called more down the stretch of the season.
The true freshman led all Buckeyes in rush attempts against Indiana, logging 11 in the second half of the blowout to finish with 48 yards on the night. Pryor was named a champion for the first time in his young Ohio State career as a reward for those efforts.
“For this point in the year, we’re doing OK,” Day said. “It’s part of the game, you’re gonna have some guys bumped and bruised along the way, you’re gonna lose some guys. But it was exciting to see Miyan get back out there, and it was good to see Evan. I thought Evan had some good snaps. So you get Master back, and now you feel like you have four going into this game.”
The run game figures to be particularly important against the Nittany Lions this weekend, as Penn State’s pass defense ranks No. 15 in the FBS. Against Illinois last week, James Franklin and company gave up just 38 yards through the air but a whopping 357 on the ground.
If ever there was a week when 20-plus carries for Henderson are warranted, it would be this one. However, if the Buckeyes end up proving oddsmakers right – they are 19-point favorites, after all – we may not see quite that high a work rate for the first-year sensation.
As proven by the week-to-week injury questions at running back thus far, though, one play is capable of changing the Buckeyes’ plans for their personnel at the position.
“We know that it’s gonna be unexpected. That’s what we talk about to our players all the time, you just don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Day said. “That’s why you have to recruit depth, and guys gotta understand their opportunity’s gonna come if they just continue to work, because it’s a rough game and guys get injured. You have to be able to adapt with that, but I think Tony’s done a really good job with his room.”
