Redshirt freshman Evan Pryor (21) runs past his defender on the way to scoring a buckeye touchdown during the Ohio State Spring Game Saturday. Ohio State Scarlet team won 34-26. Credit: Zachary Rilley | For the Lantern
After sophomore running back TreVeyon Henderson’s record-breaking last season, the Ohio State football team is looking for other backs to step up and take the pressure off of him.
Both junior Miyan Williams and redshirt freshman Evan Pryor have emerged as running backs who head coach Ryan Day can rely on through the season.
Pryor had an excellent spring game where he accumulated 62 yards rushing on nine carries. This performance was highlighted by a 22-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
“He’s good out of the backfield,” Day said. “He gives us a little wiggle room there, which is nice because it’s a little bit of a change of pace with the offense. If he continues to grow and he can hang on to the ball, then he is going to have an impact on the offense this year.”
The Cornelius, North Carolina, native comes into his second full season with Ohio State with a lot to prove. He said he believes the running back room will be a problem for defenses next season.
“I felt like today was a great day for that,” Pryor said. “A lot of people see three running backs and wonder if there are enough carries for them. I feel like we all compliment each other well and all three of us are going to have a great season.”
On the other hand, Williams also had a standout performance during the spring game. Williams had 101 yards rushing on 15 attempts, seeing both backup running backs average nearly seven yards per carry.
The Cincinnati native will look for more playing time after playing scarcely his first season and having an up and down sophomore season. In the second half of last season, he carried the ball more than eight times just once, coming Nov. 13, 2021, against Purdue.
“Depth is very important,” Day said. “We’re looking for that all over the field in terms of different positions. There’s some positions I think are a little more deep than others but that’s the challenge we run into with the way college football is right now.”
With Day looking to strengthen each position on the field, it’s imperative for Ohio State to have depth across the board. Although it was a question mark earlier in the spring, both Williams and Pryor are showing the coaching staff that they have the potential to be third down backs to give Henderson a break.
While they both are looking for playing time, each back brings something different to the table for the Buckeyes. While Pryor is similar to Henderson in terms of speed and agility, Williams is a power runner, giving Ohio State flexibility to make decisions based on the situation.
“They’re playing with confidence and they’re aggressive,” Day said. “You can see the talent level. I think you saw some of that today.”
With the spring game finished and Day having a better idea of what he’s working with, he said he knows in order to have a potent offense you must have a balanced passing and running attack. While Ohio State led the Big Ten Conference with 380.9 passing yards per game, the Buckeyes hope the running game will emerge as equally as effective.
