Ohio State football: The search for special at running back

The Ohio State football team has plenty of options to choose from at running back. Which of them is the most special though?

We know the names at running back. Master Teague, Marcus Crowley, Miyan Williams, Steele Chambers, Evan Pryor, TreVeyon Henderson. Except for the two true freshmen (Pryor and Henderson), we’re familiar with their running styles. However, what we don’t know is this: which, if any, can be Special. I capitalized that word for a reason.

Special is one of those things that is hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. Ohio State football running backs have always had it. Let me take a stab at describing a bit of what I think it is.

Special is making something out of nothing. It is having that extra burst when you see daylight. It is being able to turn the corner when it looks like you won’t be able. It is running with your eyes, not just your feet.

It is being elusive enough to make a defender miss in the open field, while also having the ability to be physical and run over a defender. It’s having comfort with being split out in the slot to create a mismatch on the defense. It is being as good of a receiver as you are a runner. It is all of those things and more. Special is the potential to impact the game every time you touch the football.

Special forces a defense to make choices. Do they walk a safety down near the box in run support or do they sit back and try to take away the passing game? The Buckeyes decided to play most of the Alabama game in a 4-4 defense to slow Najee Murray. We are all too painfully aware of what that allowed the Tide’s excellent group of receivers to do.

Carlos Hyde was special. Zeke Elliot and J.K. Dobbins were very special in their time with the Ohio State football program. Mike Weber had just enough Special. Trey Sermon went from disappointment to Special in just a few games. Are any of those six running backs I mentioned at the beginning of this article Special?

Unfortunately, I don’t think Master Teague is going to be that guy. Don’t get me wrong, I like him; he runs hard. But, when he replaced the injured Sermon very early against Alabama, the thing that struck me about Teague, after watching Sermon, is he’s very limited.

Take a look at the videos of Teague running against Indiana, and Sermon against Northwestern (you can click on each player’s name to see the videos). Pay attention to their cuts and acceleration out of them. I think you’ll see what I mean because the difference is stark.

On one particular carry in the third quarter against Clemson, Miyan Williams showed he may not be just a loveable bowling ball (227 pounds packed onto a 5’8” frame). When his path to the hole was disrupted, he cut to the middle of the line of scrimmage.

When the defensive end closed down to the inside, Williams made a quick, almost ninety-degree cut to his right that left the Clemson player flailing. He accelerated around the corner, made a defender miss in the open field, and then ran over another.

When you really watch the play and break it down phase by phase, it is one of the most impressive runs of the 2020 season by any Buckeye (you can watch the play by clicking here). On just that one play, Williams showed a large repertoire and a lot of potential.

The body of work for Steele Chambers and Marcus Crowley is so small, it is difficult to get an accurate read on them. Chambers has averaged nearly 8 yards per carry in limited attempts in two seasons, while Crowley has been working his way back from a 2019 knee injury.

Could it be one of the much-heralded true freshmen? TreVeyon Henderson, the top running back recruit in the country, has evoked comparisons to J.K. Dobbins. Evan Pryor was the second-rated all-purpose back nationally.

While I think the Ohio State football team can win a Big Ten championship without a running back who is Special, to make a real run at a national championship, they’re going to need one. Which of these six, if any, will it be? Buckeye fans hope the answer comes much sooner than later in the 2021 season.