Ohio State third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud runs for a first down during No. 2 Ohio State’s (9-0) 21-7 win over Northwestern (1-8) on Saturday. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Another element of third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud’s game displayed itself in the Buckeyes’ latest victory.
Carrying a record-breaking arm, Stroud, whose 573 passing yards in the Rose Bowl last season set Ohio State’s single-game record, turned to his legs to help the No. 2 Buckeyes hold off Northwestern 21-7 Saturday.
“I’m just out there kind of playing with instincts,” Stroud said. “I kind of have an idea pre-snap what they could possibly do. They could possibly take away Miyan because a lot of teams probably think that I can’t run or I’m not willing to. So, I mean, I took that into my hands and tried to get a first down for my teammates.”
Stroud ran six times against the Wildcats for 79 yards, setting a new career high. Adverse weather conditions at Ryan Field featured gusting winds and rain, and it challenged both teams when throwing the football.
Only 76 of Ohio State’s 283 yards of offense came through the air Saturday. Head coach Ryan Day said he hadn’t experienced similar weather conditions before, and Stroud said the Buckeyes tried to strike a balance offensively when they could.
“Those conditions are tough,” Stroud said. “I felt like we did a decent job when we were trying to throw the ball.”
The longest run of the game for Stroud came in the fourth quarter. Ohio State led 14-7 and faced second down with nine yards to go, and Stroud used a read option alongside third-year running back Miyan Williams to take off to his right for 44 yards, ending at the Wildcats’ 5-yard line.
Second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who had 21 rushing yards and six receiving yards, said while Stroud may prefer to throw the ball at times, helping the Buckeyes against Northwestern Saturday showed a sign of leadership.
“That’s huge, and that just goes back to C.J. being a real leader and knowing what he needs to do in certain situations,” Egbuka said. “When the weather is permitting that, C.J. is able to run and gain us a lot of yards, so just being able to do that is just a testament to his leadership and knowing what his role is.”
Stroud’s previous season-best rushing total came against Toledo Week 3 when he had nine yards on two attempts. Through Week 8, Stroud had 13 carries this season but has 12 in the last two games combined.
No feelings of validation came after his best rushing performance Saturday, Stroud said. He doesn’t pay attention to skeptics of his ability to run and said he’ll “do anything to win.”
“I don’t play this game to please anybody,” Stroud said. “I’m here to win for my brothers in the locker room and my family back home, so in any way I can do that, then I’ll do such.”
Day said teams look for ways to avoid exposing quarterbacks to open field tackles where injury could occur, but said Stroud “wants to run,” and they’ve sought ways to take advantage when they can.
“We know how important it is to keep C.J. healthy, and he’s not going to take shots unless we need him to,” Day said. “We needed to today, and he did it.”
In 2021, Stroud had three games of more than 10 rushing yards whereas Saturday was his first in 2022. His previous career-high was 48 yards, which came on a single run — which resulted in a touchdown — at Michigan State in 2020.
Stroud may be a Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback who’s arm-first, but he flashed the ability to gain yardage with his legs to dispel critics.
“It felt good to get a couple of runs in today,” Stroud said. “Hopefully coach Day calls some more runs maybe. Everybody in the world will be happy with me then.”
