Had the Ohio State vs. Maryland game been played in Columbus, the Terrapins would have frequently heard, "He's a freshman!" from the Block O student section on Saturday.
That freshman, of course, would have been running back Dallan Hayden, who collected 146 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries on Saturday – not in front of 100,000 fans in Ohio Stadium but for over 50,000 in SECU Stadium in College Park.
Hayden's efforts over the weekend garnered the attention of many, including the Big Ten Conference. On Monday, the Memphis native earned the league's freshman of the week honor shared with Penn State's Kaytron Allen after his performance against the Terrapins.
Meet the #B1GFootball Freshmen of the Week:@OhioStateFB's Dallan Hayden@PennStateFball's Kaytron Allen
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 21, 2022
https://t.co/7QOjKyGTYj pic.twitter.com/XwARFOAO4E
The importance of Hayden's efforts on Saturday cannot be understated. The first-year Buckeye started the year as the fourth running back for Ohio State. However, Hayden continued to move up the depth chart with Evan Pryor, TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams dealing with injuries of varying severity. Soon enough, Hayden was the only fully-healthy tailback on the roster when his team faced Maryland over the weekend.
Henderson started for the Buckeyes against the Terrapins and even scored a 31-yard touchdown on Ohio State's first drive. But as the game went on, Henderson's health noticeably deteriorated as the second-year ball carrier only mustered 19 yards on 11 carries in the first two quarters.
Enter Dallan Hayden.
The Dallan Hayden Game pic.twitter.com/NCtrOry60D
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 20, 2022
Hayden rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in the third quarter alone. In the final frame, the freshman helped the Buckeyes put the game away with another round of 13 carries – this time for 76 yards and a score. His workload was critical in Ohio State's final drive, which resulted in a 45-yard field goal from Noah Ruggles that extended the lead to 36-30 with 42 seconds remaining. After a defensive touchdown from Steele Chambers, Ohio State would eventually win 43-30.
In 2022, Hayden has rushed 100 times for 503 yards and five touchdowns. He has topped the century mark in yards three times this season in matchups with Toledo (108), Indiana (102) and Maryland (146). At the same time, all five of Hayden's scores came in those contests, with one touchdown each against the Rockets and Hoosiers and three touchdowns against Maryland on Saturday.
With the Big Ten recognition, Hayden becomes the first Buckeye to win a freshman of the week honor this year. However, he is far from the first Ohio State player to earn a Big Ten weekly accolade. That list includes the likes of C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Tommy Eichenberg, among others.
Here is the complete list of winners and the stats from their award-worthy performances:
| Game | AWARD | Player |
|---|---|---|
| ARKANSAS STATE | OFFENSIVE |
MARVIN HARRISON JR., WR 7 catches, 184 yards, 3 TD |
| TOLEDO | OFFENSIVE |
C.J. STROUD, QB 22-27, 367 yards, 5 TD |
| WISCONSIN | DEFENSIVE |
TOMMY EICHENBERG, LB 14 tackles, 2 TFL |
| RUTGERS | OFFENSIVE |
MIYAN WILLIAMS, RB 21 car, 189 yards, 5 TD |
| @ MICHIGAN STATE | OFFENSIVE |
C.J. STROUD, QB 21-26, 361 yards, 6 TD |
| IOWA | SPECIAL TEAMS |
NOAH RUGGLES, K 4-4 FGs, 6-6 PATs, 18 pts |
| @ PENN STATE | DEFENSIVE |
J.T. TUIMOLOAU, DE 6 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INT FF, FR, PBU, TD |
| INDIANA | OFFENSIVE |
C.J. STROUD, QB 17-28, 297 yards, 5 TD |
| MARYLAND | FRESHMAN |
DALLAN HAYDEN, RB 27 car, 146 yards, 3 TD |
