Ohio State football: Running back battle will be wild

One of the battles to watch for the Ohio State football team is the running back battle, which will have six running backs vying for time.

The Ohio State football team is a run-first team. They have been for decades and will be so again this year. Even though they might pass the ball a bit more this year, running the ball is still extremely important to Ryan Day. They have the running backs to do that effectively this year.

Running backs Coach Tony Alford has indicated that while Master Teague is the incumbent, six running backs will be vying for time. The starting job is by no means locked up by Teague. He will have to compete hard to stave off other backs from taking that starting spot.

Besides Teague, Miyan Williams, Steele Chambers, TreyVeon Henderson, Evan Pryor, and Marcus Crowley will all be fighting for snaps. I don’t anticipate one running back taking all of the carries this season. In fact, there could be two or three backs who get significant snaps this year.

Teague will undoubtedly be one of those backs. He has proven his worth and will now be fully healthy off that Achilles injury. Williams showed some flashes in limited carries last season, as did Chambers. Both could push for time this Fall as well.

I think that besides Teague, Henderson and Williams will have the best chance to see snaps. Henderson is just so talented as a true freshman. It’s going to be hard to keep him off the field for too long, even if he hasn’t played football in a year.

Williams is the wildcard. I like his burst and his vision. He could set himself up with a good Spring Game. A good showing there would give him a good chance to run with the ones in the Fall in some practices. If he can do that, he has a shot to play on game day.

No matter who gets snaps, all of these backs are very talented. Ohio State has an embarrassment of riches at that position and they should feel confident with any of these backs out there on the field.