Column: Without a healthy TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State cannot compete.
TreVeyon Henderson has rushed for over 200 yards in each of the last two games. With Miyan Williams out for the season, Henderson has totally reclaimed the starting running back position and has been essentially carrying this team to victory since his return from injury.
Henderson’s absence was extremely noticeable, as he missed three games this season and the run game struggled without him on the field. Against Maryland, the Buckeyes rushed for 62 yards. Dallan Hayden stepped up against Purdue, so the rushing total was 123 yards, but then it dropped again against Penn State with 79 total rushing yards.
All season long, Marvin Harrison Jr. has been keeping this offense alive. He has had over 100 receiving yards in six games. He’s one of the best, if not the best college football players in the country. He is definitely the backbone of the Ohio State offense.
However, everyone and their mother knows this fact, so opposing team’s defenses are going to try to stop him all day long. While it is almost impossible to do so, there needs to be a running option, and that would be Tre.
The run game has been a struggle up until the midway point of the season I would say. Henderson couldn’t really find his groove, and neither could Chip Trayanum or Williams before his injury. This also was on the offensive line, as they were trying to figure out their games too. But, once the Purdue game hit and Hayden stepped up big, the run game has really taken off.
Henderson has saved the Buckeyes’ offense the past two weeks. Against Wisconsin, he pretty much won the game for the Bucks, as he rushed for 162 yards and had another 45 yards receiving. His touchdown at the end of the game also sealed the deal, as Ohio State would emerge victorious from Camp Randall.
Then, this past week against Rutgers, he rushed for 128 yards with another 80 receiving yards. He was the entire offense. The passing game is not always going to work, as Kyle McCord struggled against the Scarlet Knights and Marv only had 25 yards this game. Harrison Jr. did have two touchdowns, which is what’s important, but Henderson is what got the offense down to the red zone to have these scoring opportunities.
Imagine if Tre was injured this past weekend. Could Chip and Dallan get the job done? Maybe. But Henderson is Ol’ Reliable. He always shines in the big moments and steps up when he has to. There was pretty much no passing game against Rutgers, so the run game had to be there — and it was.
This is critical for the remainder of the season. The defense will be all over Marv, especially against TTUN. The run game MUST be present, which means a healthy Henderson must be present to assure Ohio State’s success on the ground. I honestly believe that No. 32 will be crucial if this club is to achieve its ultimate ambitions.
