Last week, the Ohio State Buckeyes struggled mightily on the ground during their 37-17 win against the Maryland Terrapins, averaging just 1.9 yards per carry in the game. So when the team took on the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon, they made a pretty big change to help jump-star the running game – using backup quarterback Devin Brown.
While Kyle McCord may have won the starting quarterback battle for the Buckeyes this year, Devin Brown is a stronger and more powerful runner. So when the Buckeyes got into some obvious running situations on Saturday afternoon in the red zone, Ohio State subbed Brown into the game to add a different dimension to the running game, and he was pretty effective.
During the first drive in which he saw action on Saturday, Brown provided a spark for the Buckeyes offense, scoring a touchdown on the ground when he powered his way into the end zone. The next drive, he was once again inserted into the game and once again seemed to add a new dimension to the Ohio State running attack. In fact, he nearly scored again but had the ball knocked out of his hands just as he tried to cross the goal line.
It’s an interesting wrinkle that the Buckeyes added to the offense. We’ll have to see if they use this package next week for the big-time showdown with the Penn State Nittany Lions.
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