Ohio State football: Running game will rebound in a big way

The Ohio State football team is gearing up for a national title run in 2024. A ton of players are back on both sides of the ball. Their secondary is perhaps the best in the country, they have the best receiver room in the country, and they have a new starting quarterback. Everything is set up for the Buckeyes to be major contenders.

Adding Chip Kelly makes this team even more dangerous. That’s especially true in the run game. TreVeyon Henderson is still elite and the Buckeyes added Quinshon Judkins into the fold too. Those are two running backs who can easily run for 1,500 yards if they get the bulk of the carries. Kelly’s offense will only lift up those guys.

Chip Kelly’s offense makes the Ohio State football team a great running team

When Kelly was leading UCLA two years ago, the Bruins led the Pac-12 in rushing yards for the first time since the 1970s. He knows how to scheme open holes up front. All he needs is a quarterback that can somewhat take off and run. He has that in Will Howard. Howard can run the read-option and take off and scramble if no receivers are available.

The threat of Howard’s legs is going to be a big part of Kelly’s offense. He and Urban Meyer are one of the original coaches who ran spread read-option plays. With two dynamic backs flanking Howard, the run offense should take a major step forward from a year ago. The offensive line should be better too with a more creative scheme.

The Ohio State football team has failed to be able to run the ball when they’ve truly needed to in the last couple of seasons. The addition of Kelly should help them a lot in that regard. I’d expect this team to be a lot tougher in the trenches next season. There will be more instances of linemen being able to get to the second level too.

I can’t wait for Spring ball.