Ohio State Football: Losing Teague opens up opportunities for others

The Ohio State football team lost Master Teague to injury for the remainder of spring practices. This could lead to someone unexpected stepping up.

Coach Ryan Day’s worst fears became a reality on Tuesday when it was announced that running back Master Teague would be sidelined for the remainder of spring ball due to a lower leg injury. While we wish Teague a speedy and full recovery, this injury could lead to some more depth at the running back position.

As the Buckeyes are down to only two healthy scholarship running backs at this moment, if you include Demario McCall who has been in the receivers room as of late, coach Day seems to be content that everything will be okay when September rolls around, via Lettermen Row:

"“We’re going to get Marcus [Crowley] back before the season starts. And then we have Miyan [Williams] coming in. Once we get to the summer, we’ll be whole. … That position, when it comes time for the fall, is going to have to step up in a big way.”"

Day is correct in his assessment but the bottom line here is that we don’t know the full extent of Teague’s injury and were still not sure about the extent to Marcus Crowley’s injury that he suffered late last season. Both are significant enough in which both players are missing an extended amount of practice time.

While this injury is not good for getting Teague ready to go with the first team unit for the fall, it does give an opportunity to two Buckeye players who could use one.

Steele Chambers showed flashes last season of being an explosive back. The former four-star athlete turned running back will get every opportunity this spring to show that he can play with the first unit. And if he takes this chance and runs with it, then he could be in line to at least be the No. 2 running back behind Teague once the fall comes around.

Chambers finished with 135 yards rushing on the season last year in which he red-shirted. His best game was against Miami of Ohio in which he ran for 63 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.

And now that he is set to have every rep with the first unit this spring, Chambers must take advantage of this massive opportunity provided for him.

This injury also gives some life to the forgotten man in Demario McCall, who was in the receivers room this offseason, possibly looking to win the H-back position battle. The most experienced running back on the team, McCall could be pressed to see reps this spring and if he can impress coaches then who knows? Maybe he winds up back in the running back room and he can carve out a nice niche for himself in this offense next season.

The potential is there with McCall. The speed, agility and experience. Now is the time for him to put it all together as he could wind up being one of the spring’s biggest surprises.

Opportunity awaits these two Ohio State football players. Which one will be able to seize it? It’s just another thing to keep an eye on as spring ball continues to unfold.