The Ohio State Buckeyes were struggling mightly during Saturday’s road contest against the Maryland Terrapins as the team trailed 13-10 at halftime. The team had particular problems moving the ball on the ground as running back TreVeyon Henderson had just 19 yards on 11 carries after returning from injury. As a result, the team made a huge move, going with true freshman running back Dallan Hayden in the second half.
Whether it was a lingering injury, a lack of confidence, or something else, Henderson was simply ineffective on Saturday, and it was obvious on quite a few plays where he wasn’t following his blocks and couldn’t create plays with his legs.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day seemed to notice the issues as well, noting some “self-inflicted stuff.”
“We have to run the ball better,” Day said before the start of the second half. “I think we’re getting some good movement, we’re just not hitting it the way I think we should be able to hit it. We’ve got some self-inflicted stuff going on.”
With Henderson struggling and running back Miyan Williams injured, Ohio State turned to Dallan Hayden, who scored a touchdown on his first drive with the Buckeyes.
Hayden is a true freshman who was expected to be the team’s fourth-string running back this season, but he could be the team’s primary running back next week when the Buckeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines.
[Ben Koo]
About Kevin Harrish