For a veteran-laden team focused on winning the national championship since the roster was formed last winter, all eyes within the program are focused squarely on just one prize - capturing the CFP national title with a victory over Notre Dame on Monday night.
Even as 7.5-8.5-point favorites depending on the betting service, Ohio State doesn't appear to be taking anything for granted as it prepares for a shot at a legacy-defining win.
The expectation is Irish head coach Marcus Freeman will have a comprehensive game plan to give his squad a chance and the Buckeyes will therefore need a complete performance to hoist the CFP trophy.
And while much of the chatter specific to Ohio State's offense versus Notre Dame's defense has centered on if/how the Irish can slow down Jeremiah Smith, Will Howard and the rest of OSU's vaunted passing attack, the Buckeyes could also make some noise on the ground which would seemingly help open up passing lanes against the Irish's No. 2 ranked pass defense (165.3 ypg).
That of course means the two-headed tailback monster of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins will be called upon in some fashion to keep Notre Dame's defense honest. With that, both guys will have a shot to not only contribute to a national championship game victory but also make some history in the process.
Through 15 games, Henderson has 967 rushing yards while Judkins stands at 960, meaning TreVeyon needs 33 yards and Quinshon 40 for each to reach 1,000 yard rushing yards on the season.
If they can reach those markers, it'll be just the third time in Ohio State history that a pair of offensive players reached the 1,000-yard barrier in the same season.
Most recently, tailback Carlos Hyde (1,521) and quarterback Braxton Miller (1,068) accomplished the feat in 2013, while playing 11 and 12 games respectively that season. The only other time this happened in school annals - including the only instance it was done by two running backs - occurred in 1975 as Archie Griffin (1,450) and Pete Johnson (1,059) turned the trick while playing a 12-game season.
Back to Henderson and Judkins, they've each already played 15 games this season. Henderson is averaging 64.5 rushing yards per game while Judkins stands at 64.0 per contest. Across three CFP games, Henderson's bettered his season averages with 9.0 yards per carry while cranking out 72 yards per game (24 att, 216 yds). Judkins has actually averaged fewer yards per game in CFP play (51.7) but is gaining 5.96 yards per attempt. Said differently, Henderson's 33 yards needed and Judkins' 40 to crack 1,000 each is well within reach.
It won't be easy however as the Irish rank No. 28 in the country allowing just 3.67 yards per carry and 41st allowing 133 rushing yards per game. Notre Dame swallowed up the Indiana and Georgia rushing attacks in CFP contests, holding them to 63 and 62 yards respectively. That said, Penn State had its share of the success in last week's CFP semifinal, racking up 204 yards on 4.9 per try. Tailbacks Nick Singleton (15 for 84, 3 TD) and Kaytron Allen (19 for 82) each found some creases if not overwhelming success in what evolved into a 27-24 win for the Irish.
Again, the one and only goal next Monday in Atlanta is to Win. The. Damn. Game. but if Ohio State can also Run. The. Damn. Ball. with success, Henderson and Judkins could make some cool school history in joining Archie and Pete as the only running back duos to each go for 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.
