Ohio State football’s run game must capitalize vs. Purdue

By the Ohio State football team’s standards, the run game has not performed at the level it should against Penn State and Nebraska over the last two weeks.

The subpar run-blocking from the offensive line generating little push is the primary reason for the sudden struggle to run between the tackles. Still, the Buckeyes managed to average 4.7 yards per carry against PSU, but vs. Nebraska, it only declined. OSU averaged a below-average three yards per run on the road against the Cornhuskers.

TreVeyon Henderson, the electric freshman running back, still totaled over four yards per run in the last two games. The run game has been productive at times, but it still is not acceptable if the Scarlet and Gray truly want to contend for a national title.

Due to the offensive line’s recent struggles, the Bucks’ rushing attack in short-yardage situations has simply been bad. On several occasions, Ohio State has been stuffed on 3rd and short in the last two weeks. With a back like Henderson behind a line that had dominated most of the season, this has been very frustrating.

This Saturday afternoon vs. Purdue, OSU has to take advantage of Purdue’s run defense that is mediocre at best.

Ohio State football must run effectively on Purdue’s run defense

Last weekend, Michigan State ran for 182 yards on 33 attempts (5.5 per rush) in their loss to Purdue. MSU lost because the Boilermakers’ offense lit them up with nearly 600 yards of offense and 40 points. At times, Purdue’s offense has been humming with plenty of explosive plays.

Ohio State’s defense has been much better, but keeping the Purdue offense off the field isn’t a bad idea—keeping your defense fresh is always a positive. If the Buckeyes can control the time of possession throughout the game and run effectively on a consistent basis, this could turn into a blowout.

In recent games, part of the Scarlet and Gray’s poor red-zone offense is due to a lacking run game. This is yet another reason why the run game needs to work.

This is not an unreasonable/impossible ask either with the Boilermakers allowing 146 rushing yards and 4.3 yards per carry this season. As mentioned, Michigan State is a run-heavy offense with Kenneth Walker and ran the ball at ease last week.

Ryan Day’s offense is dealing with a dropoff for numerous reasons, but the run game is the biggest worry right now. Progression from the offensive line needs to start now. If the run-blocking continues at this level, Ohio State will continue to narrowly escape games, or even lose.

Ohio State football must take advantage of Purdue’s lacking run game defense this weekend. It is time for the Buckeyes to begin to separate themselves from the traffic jam between the 2-7 spots in the College Football Playoff rankings. Beating No. 19 Purdue in an impressive fashion would be a great start, and that begins with the run game.