Lining up across from an opponent and mauling them with runs straight at their face is great in principle, but the reality is that good schematics are needed to put running backs in a successful position in modern-day football.
Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson found an abundance of successful positions against Purdue, racking up 14.2 yards per touch of the football, and indeed the Buckeyes schemed him up to run or receive the rock in ingenious ways. That and his dynamic skillset are why he was able to collect 85 yards and a touchdown in just six carries with three receptions for 43 yards against the Boilermakers in a 45-0 win.
“He's an extremely versatile back that can play all three downs for you,” offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said on Tuesday. “He has the ability to run the ball up inside the tackles because of his physicality, but he has speed, long speed, where you can use him on perimeter runs. And he's really a weapon in the passing game.”
Each of those three elements Kelly mentioned – inside runs with physicality, perimeter runs with speed and being a weapon in the passing game – were on display for Henderson against the Boilermakers.
It started on his first carry of the ballgame. Henderson took an inside zone handoff, bounced off a block from tight end Gee Scott Jr., ran through two tacklers and plowed over a third to fall forward for a 12-yard gain.
There isn’t much schematic about that run. It’s a simple inside zone right, everyone steps that way and blocks the man who appears in their spot. The Buckeyes’ blockers only delivered Henderson 3 yards before contact; he made the final nine happen himself.
“I think he's running very well,” Ryan Day said. “I think he's running with power. I think he's playing well without the football. He's shown that he can do damage around the edge. He can do damage up the middle. Great in pass protection. So I think he's playing at a high level.”
Henderson’s touchdown jaunt, on the other hand, was the result of a perimeter run with great speed and a great design etched into a chalkboard somewhere by Kelly.
Ohio State put both its star running backs on the field together in several looks on Saturday, but in this instance, Henderson lined up as a wide receiver in a bunch formation out to the left with Quinshon Judkins as a single back behind an under-center Will Howard. Henderson motioned in behind Howard, took a handoff for a sweep, dodged a defender deep in the backfield and outraced everyone for a 19-yard score.
Treveyon Henderson to the house @ohiostatefb adds on another in the second half
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The beauty of that play is, earlier that same drive, Ohio State faked a handoff to Judkins on an orbit motion only to give it to Henderson on a counter with right guard Tegra Tshabola and right tackle Josh Fryar pulling to lead the way. Fryar cleared a lane with a massive pancake block, then Henderson ran over another defender and bolted 29 yards for his longest run of the day.
There’s always an argument that top-tier teams like Ohio State should save their best playcalls for top-tier opponents, but Kelly doesn’t see it that way. He always wants to call the right plays for the opponent the Buckeyes are facing.
“I don't think we hold anything back,” Kelly said. “I think our offense is always game-plan specific in terms of who we're playing and how do we attack what they do. Each defense you face is somewhat unique, and so you can say, ‘Hey, this team's a little bit like this team but not totally like that team.’ So I think it's not, ‘Hey, this is a really good play, let's not run it because we're going to need it down the road.’ You have to win every game.”
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Henderson showed his receiving ability as he split out to wide receiver and caught a pass for a 32-yard pickup. He was isolated against Purdue linebacker Kydran Jenkins to the short side of the field and hit him with a smooth slant-and-go route before making an over-the-shoulder catch to set the Buckeyes up with a 1st-and-goal.
“Trey's been grinding away at that,” Howard said. “All week we were working on that route and he was getting extra work with it after practice. And I remember going back to spring throwing balls to him over the shoulder and him catching and working on his ball skills. He wanted to make that more a part of his game and catching the ball. And I think he runs great routes. I mean, he broke that guy off. You put a linebacker on Trey, that's disrespectful. That's unfair.”
None of this even goes to mention the work that Henderson does when the ball isn’t in his hands. He’s become a ferocious pass protector and a solid run blocker, too, decleating a few more defenders in the blocking game against Purdue. That’s demoralizing to a linebacker who likely has to tackle you in the future.
“I think he's a complete running back,” Kelly said. “Add to that his ability on third down and pass pro pickup, which I think he's been outstanding at. I don't know if there's a better run-blocking or pass-blocking back in the country than Trey right now. He gives you everything that you want in a running back.”
A complete running back with a complete repertoire of plays to get him the ball in different spots and another elite, complete back to share the load with in Judkins. Sounds like a winning combination.
