Ohio State freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) pushes through the Penn State defense during the Ohio State-Penn State game Saturday. Ohio State won 33-24. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
No. 20 Penn State gave freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson and No. 5 Ohio State’s star-studded offensive line everything they could handle in the first half of Saturday’s contest.
Henderson — who entered Saturday’s contest averaging 8.8 yards per carry — was largely bottled up in the opening half, rushing for just six yards on nine carries. As Henderson was shut down in the first half, junior wide receiver Garrett Wilson led Ohio State with seven rushing yards.
But, Penn State’s front seven could only contain Henderson for so long. After five carries, with none going for more than seven yards, to start the third quarter, Henderson took a hand-off up the middle and used a burst of speed to get past the Nittany Lions secondary for a 68-yard pick up.
“I think it was a great play, but I couldn’t have done it without my O-Line taking care of business up front, my tight ends and my receivers getting it done,” Henderson said. “It ended up being a long run. We finally got it going.”
Two plays later, The Hopewell, Virginia, native plunged through the Penn State defensive front for a one-yard touchdown. That third-quarter score pushed Henderson to eight-straight games with a touchdown to kick off his career.
The Nittany Lions entered the game with an unimpressive run defense — ranking 10th in the Big Ten while giving up 146.43 yards per game. Penn State’s problems in that area were greatly exposed against Illinois a week ago, when the Nittany Lions gave up 357 rushing yards against the Illini in their 20-18 upset loss that spanned nine overtimes.
The Nittany Lions’ run defense showed major improvements in the first half against the Buckeyes, holding Henderson to 0.67 yards per carry in the first 30 minutes. Penn State head coach James Franklin expressed pride at how his defense started the game, but admitted things could have gone better for his team in the second half.
“Defensively, I thought we did some really good things. Consistently stopping the run, especially in the first half,” Franklin said. “Obviously in the second half, we gave up some explosive plays.”
As the Nittany Lions largely slowed Henderson — a Heisman Trophy hopeful — he figured things out in the second half. The true freshman rumbled for 146 yards on 19 carries in the second half, including his lone score of the night.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he was pleased with the way his star running back bounced back from an adverse start.
“I was proud of him, proud of our guys for working through a gritty game like this,” Day said. “We kept swinging away, whether it was Tre or the offense or the defense, just across the board, I thought we were gritty.”
The Buckeyes entered the game with a depleted backfield as they were without graduate Master Teague III and sophomore Marcus Crowley, forcing Henderson to carry the load at the position.
Henderson’s 28 carries are now the most of his collegiate career. He said he needed a game as the team’s workhorse against an elite defense to prove to himself that he could continue his incredible stretch to state his career.
“It was tough, that defense is a great defense. One of the best defenses we’ve played all year,” Henderson said. “I needed that to prove to myself that I’m tough and I’m capable of doing what I did tonight.”
As the Nittany Lions forced Henderson to work for his yards all night, he emphasized patience as something that lifted him Saturday.
“That was a physical game,” Henderson said. “I stayed the course, we stayed the course and sooner or later, the run game got it going a little bit.”
