Through its first four games, Ohio State has received significant production from running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Chip Trayanum, with the duo racking up a combined 441 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in the first month of action. This tandem may have come as a surprise for those who closely follow the team, however, as many expected senior tailback Miyan Williams to build upon his successful 2022 campaign — where he led the Buckeyes with 824 rushing yards and a team-best 14 touchdowns — to carry the load with the now-healthy Henderson.
Despite a two touchdown performance in Ohio State’s Week 1 matchup against Indiana, Williams has seen limited action in his fourth and final year at Ohio State. Jumped by Trayanum in the depth chart, he has logged just 73 rushing yards on 19 attempts (3.8 average), and has yet to record a score since the Indiana contest. Although Williams has not had a desirable start to his senior year, head coach Ryan Day sees an avenue where his veteran tailback can carve out more production in the backfield, starting this Saturday against Maryland.
“We’re looking forward to getting Miyan going a little bit this week,” Day said on his weekly radio appearance on Thursday. “He’s had a really good week of practice, so that’s good.”
Day, who has primarily relied on Henderson and Trayanum to carry the load in the Buckeyes’ backfield said getting a productive Williams who looks more like his 2022 self can help increase the versatility and potential of Tony Alford’s unit. He added that each running back has their unique set of qualities that they each can bring to the table on a week-to-week basis, something that can cause headaches for opposing defenses.
“I think it makes the defense need to be at least aware,” Day said. “It’’s a change of pace. But they all can do what you need well. They can protect, they can run routes, they can run inside of tackles, and they can create explosive plays on the perimeter.”
The depth at the running back position is something both Day and Alford have relied on in games in the past, most notably in last season’s 43-30 road win against Maryland on Nov. 19. While Henderson was hobbled with a foot ailment and Williams out with a lower body injury, the team relied on newcomer Dallan Hayden to carry the load and lead the Buckeyes to a last-minute victory, tallying a team-high 27 carries for 146 yards and three scores. With the upset-hungry Terrapins coming to Columbus on Saturday, a versatile and hungry running back room is something Day and his staff may need to depend on once again, and this includes the veteran Williams.
“Yeah, I went back and watched that film, and there’s a lot of things that we could have done a lot better in that game,” Day said. But it came all the way down to the last series in the fourth quarter. So that has everybody’s attention this week. But yeah, we have some good depth (at running back) right now.”
