Despite Comeback Win, Ohio State's Rushing Attack Needs Addressing
Saturday is a day for celebration after a big road win, but there is one prominent growing concern for Ohio State as we progress into late October.
It ultimately didn't cost the Buckeyes a victory Saturday afternoon against Penn State. Their Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff national championship hopes are still intact.
But make no mistake, there's a potential problem brewing and as we get late in the season, people are noticing.
Ohio State's run game is trending the wrong direction.
After averaging 228 yards per game on the ground the first six weeks, Ohio State has run 56 times for a TOTAL of 164 yards the last two games combined against Iowa and Penn State.
We came into 2022 feeling pretty confident that TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams were the best running back tandem in the country, but over the last few weeks, their productivity has dropped off considerably.
I'm not 100 percent sure it's entirely their fault, but Henderson in particular is having a tough time. Give him credit for sticking with it Saturday and making an impact late. But it's impossible to ignore this any longer.
I don't know if he's having trouble seeing the hole or if it's not being created where it's supposed to be ... but if Ohio State is going to win the national championship, they almost certainly can't be an offense that relies too heavily on C.J. Stroud's right arm. The Buckeyes' inability to run the ball in critical situations last year cost them dearly. Right guard Matthew Jones made a couple good blocks in the first half, but he also seemed to be the culprit on multiple blown assignments.
Evan Pryor and T.C. Caffey are down for the season with injuries, Henderson and Williams have both been occasionally banged up this year and Williams got hurt again on Saturday. Dallan Hayden and running back-turned-linebacker-turned-running back again Chip Trayanum are there to provide some depth.
On a positive note, I think the unit has been outstanding in pass protection this year. But that's not enough, they're going to need more stability out of that part of the offense.
Again, to be fair, Henderson did score a couple of late touchdowns that helped ice the game, one of which was created by a great block right up the middle. But the teams that stand in Ohio State's way for a title have very good defensive line play.
Perhaps Ryan Day's play-calling in the first half reflected that problem. He acknowledged postgame that he was trying to get the ball to the perimeter of the field because he views screen passes as an extension of the run game. But it was borderline infuriating watching those plays get blown up on the outside time and time again.
Marvin Harrison Jr. and J.T. Tuimoloau saved the day for the Buckeyes Saturday and perhaps this problem won't manifest itself again over the next couple weeks. But if you can't run the ball between the tackles on November 26, it could be another really tough game against the Maize and Blue and any opponent thereafter.
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