Ohio State junior running back Quinshon Judkins (1) looks up at the crowd after scoring a touchdown against Marshall University Saturday. The Buckeyes went on to win 49-14. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
Not even a Thundering Herd could slow down Ohio State’s rushing attack, though the first quarter was no indication of that.
After the first 15 minutes of play, the Buckeyes had one rush for 2 yards.
But with 280 yards and five touchdowns in the final three frames — including an average of 9 yards per carry — the Buckeyes’ lethal duo of running backs in junior Quinshon Judkins and senior TreVeyon Henderson proved pivotal in Saturday’s 49-14 victory over Marshall University.
“That running game is starting to build an identity and I think some confidence up front, which was needed,” coach Ryan Day said.
Judkins led Ohio State with 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Henderson added 76 yards on the ground and two more touchdowns.
“We have [Judkins] and [Henderson], probably the best duo I’ve ever seen in college football,” senior wideout Emeka Egbuka said.
Egbuka said he knows the level of explosiveness the running backs provide for Ohio State’s offense.
“With the athletes that we have in the backfield, we can spring any run,” Egbuka said. “Even if it’s just an inside zone or a halfback dive, you never really know what’s gonna be up.”
And Judkins did just that.
He took an inside zone from his own 14-yard line and outran every Marshall defender en route to an 86-yard touchdown, marking the longest rush of his career.
Judkins said he had one thought when he saw 86 yards of green grass in front of him: “Score.”
Graduate quarterback Will Howard said it feels exciting to have an offense with so many explosive athletes who can turn any play into a home run, like Henderson did in the third quarter.
On what could’ve been a loss of yards, Henderson took a pitch 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, maneuvered through the defense, stiff-armed a Marshall defender, broke another tackle and punched in his second touchdown.
“You never know when [Henderson] is gonna go take a run that should’ve probably been tackled for an 8-yard loss and just stiff-arm somebody into next week,” Howard said.
Howard said the offensive line’s ability to move off their first blocks and get up to Marshall’s linebackers, paired with the running backs’ vision, played a crucial role in the rushing attack’s Saturday success.
“I think those guys were getting up to the second level well, and our running backs were doing an unbelievable job of reading things,” Howard said.
Day knows the schedule will get tougher as the team opens up Big Ten play next weekend at Michigan State, but said he’s proud of the foundation the offense — specifically the running game — has built.
“Bigger challenges ahead; we’re heading into conference play,” Day said. “But the identity is starting to build.”
