Ohio State must be ready to give the ball to Dallan Hayden vs. Michigan
Already once this season, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has admitted to being stubborn at times when he coaches. This may apply to the Buckeyes’ recent running back situation.
While the Scarlet and Gray had two clear starting running backs coming into the season, both Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson have battled injuries lately. When healthy, Williams and Henderson have proven to be one of the best rushing tandems in the country. Since they’ve both dealt with injuries, however, neither has been as nearly as effective.
The player who has been effective in carrying the ball for Ohio State is Dallan Hayden. In the last two games, where he replaced Williams against Indiana and Henderson against Maryland, the freshman rushed for a combined 248 yards and four touchdowns on 46 carries. This included career highs in carries (27), rushing yards (146) and rushing touchdowns (3) last week against Maryland.
Despite looking like the Buckeyes’ best option running the ball lately, plus a couple of other positive performances this year, Day has been hesitant to let Hayden be the guy at running back unless he has been forced to do so. Based on what he’s said, Hayden may have a fumbling issue in practice, although he has not fumbled in eight games and 100 carries.
With a rivalry game against Michigan on Saturday that will determine who represents the Big Ten East in the conference championship game, avoiding turnovers will be crucial.
“To see the way he stepped up last week was certainly tremendous and encouraging as we move into this rivalry week,” Day said of Hayden this week. “And great to see him taking care of the football. That’s the number one thing we need. So he’ll have to have a good week of practice and I know he’s going to prepare hard to get ready to play in this game.”
Through the first four games of the season, the duo of Williams and Henderson worked well for the Scarlet and Gray. The Ohio State running backs combined for over 104 yards and almost a touchdown per game over the initial contests this year. But then the injuries began to hit and the Buckeyes have had both running backs available for essentially one game since.
Other than a blowout win against Toledo, where the running back had his first 100-yard game, Hayden was more of an afterthought as the Scarlet and Gray’s third or fourth ball carrier. Only 11 of Hayden’s carries thus far this season have come in the first half of games.
But through 11 games, Hayden has proven to be as impactful as Ohio State’s other running backs. He averages five yards per carry, compared to Williams’ 6.7 and Henderson’s 5.3, but that number jumps to 5.55 in games when he receives 10 or more carries. He has five rushing touchdowns, only one behind Henderson, and has found the endzone in each game he’s been asked to carry a heavier load.
The question many Buckeye fans asked last week was why it took until nearly the second half a week ago– Hayden had one carry in the second quarter – before Day shifted from a clearly not 100 percent Henderson to the freshman. The result of that switch was a 13-10 deficit with 28 rushing yards at halftime turning into a 44-30 win with 160 yards on the ground.
So is it worth considering a healthier Hayden over whatever state Williams and Henderson are in heading into the biggest game of the year against the Wolverines?
“I think it’s definitely worth the conversation,” Day said. “I mean, I think when you put on the film, and the film speaks for itself, you gotta make that decision of who’s the best guy in this moment to go put on the field.”
According to Day, the Scarlet and Gray will evaluate the running back situation throughout the week. After Williams missed the last game following a first half departure two weeks ago and Henderson played just one snap in the second half on Saturday, Ohio State is hopeful that the team’s top two backs are available against the Maize and Blue.
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“It’s not like it’s early in the season. These guys are experienced,” Day said of Williams and Henderson. “So I think early in the year, you’d say, ‘Well if they hadn’t practiced all week, it’s going to be hard for them to play in the game.’ We’d like for them to practice and we’re gonna plan on them to practice. But if they miss a little bit here and there to get healthy to go play in the game, then we’ll adjust accordingly. But these are veteran players who have played a lot of football.”
If Williams and Henderson aren’t able to give the Buckeyes what they need, however, Day can’t be stubborn and has to turn to Hayden because he’s proven he’s more than capable.
Read More: Ohio State must be ready to give the ball to Dallan Hayden vs. Michigan