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LGHL Most Telling Stat: Ohio State needs a rushing duo to amass 2,000 yards
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Most Telling Stat: Ohio State needs a rushing duo to amass 2,000 yards
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
If the Buckeyes can get 2,000 yards rushing from James Peoples and CJ Donaldson, they’ll be in good shape this season.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the numbers that will be most important for the Buckeyes this college football season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Most Telling Stat” articles here.
There has been a common theme in Ohio State’s last three national championship seasons. The Buckeyes have been able to get close to or more than 2,000 combined rushing yards from a pair of running backs.
It has become obvious that not only does a potent rushing attack keep opposing defenses honest, when there are two threats sharing the workload in the backfield, the ground game is even more effective since Ohio State’s running backs tend to be fresher than the defenses that are trying to slow them down.
Even though college football is wildly different from what we saw even just a decade ago, there are many philosophies and strategies that will remain unchanged. Despite teams using their passing attacks in creative ways, there is no replacing a strong running game.
Teams that have success running the football wear on opposing defenses, and they also tend to keep control of the football longer, allowing them to keep the offenses of their opponents off the field. Just look at what Michigan did to the Buckeyes in Columbus in November. Despite throwing for just over 60 yards, the Wolverines rolled up double that yardage running the football, allowing them to shock Ohio State 13-10.
For the first part of the 21st century, Ohio State’s bread and butter during Jim Tressel’s tenure as head coach was running the football. Tresselball centered on holding onto the football, building a bit of a lead and then counting on the defense to protect the lead. Urban Meyer spread out the offense a bit but a lot of the ideas were the same.
The major difference under Meyer is he wanted the offense to play with more of a rhythm, and by spreading out the offense he gave the group more room to operate. Ryan Day has carried over a lot of those ideas, putting his own spin on what was run under Meyer.
This year there are going to be a lot of new faces on offense for the Buckeyes. Gone are quarterback Will Howard, running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, as well as offensive linemen Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin.
The best way for Ohio State to try and gain some early confidence with Julian Sayin taking the snaps at quarterback is to trust in running backs James Peoples and West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson. Let Peoples and Henderson tote the rock early on and it should not only open things up for Sayin, it will also give some confidence to an offensive line with a couple new starters.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26024399/1773114682.jpg "West Virginia v UCF")
Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
A goal for the running backs for the Ohio State offense this year should be 2,000 yards. The reason for that number is the Buckeyes have had a pair of running backs combine for at least 2,000 yards in their last two title seasons, and Maurice Clarett and Lydell Ross were close to that number during the 2002 season.
Clarett and Ross finished with 1,856 yards between them, but back then there wasn’t a Big Ten Championship Game or multiple playoff games like there have been over the last decade. Had Clarett not missed a couple games due to injury during the 2002 season, there’s no doubt the freshman sensation and Ross would have eclipsed 2K on the ground.
During the 2014 season, Ezekiel Elliott nearly hit 2,000 yards by himself, finishing with 1,878 yards rushing after finishing the year by rushing for at least 200 yards in wins over Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon. Even with Elliott shouldering much of the load, Curtis Samuel added 383 yards rushing.
Elliott shined even brighter following the injury to J.T. Barrett in the win over Michigan. With Elliott’s tough running in Ohio State’s biggest games of the year, backup quarterback Cardale Jones had a little more room for error in his first true action as a Buckeye. Ohio State played 15 games in the 2014 season in the first year of the 4-team College Football Playoff.
Last year the Buckeyes played in 16 games for the first time in school history as the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams. Ryan Day knew the expanded playoff was going to make the season a grind, which is why he dipped into the transfer portal and brought in Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss to share the load with TreVeyon Henderson.
When it was all said and done, Henderson ran for 1,016 yards and Judkins finished with 1,060 yards. The rushing combo did have to work through a couple injuries on the offensive line, but by the end of the season they were hitting on all cylinders. The mix of Henderson and Judkins on the ground and Will Howard throwing the football to Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka was nightmare fuel for the four teams the Buckeyes battled following the embarrassing loss to Michigan in late November.
Does a 2,000 yard rusher guarantee a national title? Unfortunately it doesn’t. Just look at what J.K. Dobbins and Master Teague did in 2019, with Dobbins rushing for 2,000 yards by himself. Ohio State’s season ended with a controversial loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, and even if the Buckeyes had beat the Tigers, they would have had a tough time slowing down Joe Burrow and the LSU attack in the championship game.
While having an effective running game doesn’t guarantee a title, it certainly increases the odds that a team can sit on the throne of the college football world.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25937276/usa_today_25006951.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Maybe I’m setting the bar too high for Donaldson and Peoples, but it’s not like running backs haven’t come to Ohio State and made an immediate impact. Clarett and Dobbins did so as freshmen, Trey Sermon set a single-game school record with over 300 yards rushing in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game, and Judkins ran for over 1,000 yards last season.
Donaldson has plenty of experience and a bruising rushing style that can wear down opposing defenses, while Peoples has big play ability. Plus, running backs coach Carlos Locklyn has already shown he can get the most of Ohio State’s running backs in the short amount of time he has been on Ryan Day’s staff in Columbus.
The key for both running backs will be getting off to a strong start in the season opener since the Buckeyes have a rematch of last year’s CFP semifinal with Texas. Since the game against the Longhorns will be Sayin’s first start at quarterback at the college level, having a reliable rushing attack will do wonders for an Ohio State team that has to replace a lot of starters on each side of the football.
If the running backs can come out of the gates hot, they should be able to gain momentum in the following games since the non-conference schedule eases up following the clash with Texas.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
If the Buckeyes can get 2,000 yards rushing from James Peoples and CJ Donaldson, they’ll be in good shape this season.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the numbers that will be most important for the Buckeyes this college football season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Most Telling Stat” articles here.
There has been a common theme in Ohio State’s last three national championship seasons. The Buckeyes have been able to get close to or more than 2,000 combined rushing yards from a pair of running backs.
It has become obvious that not only does a potent rushing attack keep opposing defenses honest, when there are two threats sharing the workload in the backfield, the ground game is even more effective since Ohio State’s running backs tend to be fresher than the defenses that are trying to slow them down.
Even though college football is wildly different from what we saw even just a decade ago, there are many philosophies and strategies that will remain unchanged. Despite teams using their passing attacks in creative ways, there is no replacing a strong running game.
Teams that have success running the football wear on opposing defenses, and they also tend to keep control of the football longer, allowing them to keep the offenses of their opponents off the field. Just look at what Michigan did to the Buckeyes in Columbus in November. Despite throwing for just over 60 yards, the Wolverines rolled up double that yardage running the football, allowing them to shock Ohio State 13-10.
For the first part of the 21st century, Ohio State’s bread and butter during Jim Tressel’s tenure as head coach was running the football. Tresselball centered on holding onto the football, building a bit of a lead and then counting on the defense to protect the lead. Urban Meyer spread out the offense a bit but a lot of the ideas were the same.
The major difference under Meyer is he wanted the offense to play with more of a rhythm, and by spreading out the offense he gave the group more room to operate. Ryan Day has carried over a lot of those ideas, putting his own spin on what was run under Meyer.
This year there are going to be a lot of new faces on offense for the Buckeyes. Gone are quarterback Will Howard, running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, as well as offensive linemen Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin.
The best way for Ohio State to try and gain some early confidence with Julian Sayin taking the snaps at quarterback is to trust in running backs James Peoples and West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson. Let Peoples and Henderson tote the rock early on and it should not only open things up for Sayin, it will also give some confidence to an offensive line with a couple new starters.
A goal for the running backs for the Ohio State offense this year should be 2,000 yards. The reason for that number is the Buckeyes have had a pair of running backs combine for at least 2,000 yards in their last two title seasons, and Maurice Clarett and Lydell Ross were close to that number during the 2002 season.
Clarett and Ross finished with 1,856 yards between them, but back then there wasn’t a Big Ten Championship Game or multiple playoff games like there have been over the last decade. Had Clarett not missed a couple games due to injury during the 2002 season, there’s no doubt the freshman sensation and Ross would have eclipsed 2K on the ground.
During the 2014 season, Ezekiel Elliott nearly hit 2,000 yards by himself, finishing with 1,878 yards rushing after finishing the year by rushing for at least 200 yards in wins over Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon. Even with Elliott shouldering much of the load, Curtis Samuel added 383 yards rushing.
Elliott shined even brighter following the injury to J.T. Barrett in the win over Michigan. With Elliott’s tough running in Ohio State’s biggest games of the year, backup quarterback Cardale Jones had a little more room for error in his first true action as a Buckeye. Ohio State played 15 games in the 2014 season in the first year of the 4-team College Football Playoff.
Last year the Buckeyes played in 16 games for the first time in school history as the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams. Ryan Day knew the expanded playoff was going to make the season a grind, which is why he dipped into the transfer portal and brought in Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss to share the load with TreVeyon Henderson.
When it was all said and done, Henderson ran for 1,016 yards and Judkins finished with 1,060 yards. The rushing combo did have to work through a couple injuries on the offensive line, but by the end of the season they were hitting on all cylinders. The mix of Henderson and Judkins on the ground and Will Howard throwing the football to Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka was nightmare fuel for the four teams the Buckeyes battled following the embarrassing loss to Michigan in late November.
Does a 2,000 yard rusher guarantee a national title? Unfortunately it doesn’t. Just look at what J.K. Dobbins and Master Teague did in 2019, with Dobbins rushing for 2,000 yards by himself. Ohio State’s season ended with a controversial loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, and even if the Buckeyes had beat the Tigers, they would have had a tough time slowing down Joe Burrow and the LSU attack in the championship game.
While having an effective running game doesn’t guarantee a title, it certainly increases the odds that a team can sit on the throne of the college football world.
Maybe I’m setting the bar too high for Donaldson and Peoples, but it’s not like running backs haven’t come to Ohio State and made an immediate impact. Clarett and Dobbins did so as freshmen, Trey Sermon set a single-game school record with over 300 yards rushing in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game, and Judkins ran for over 1,000 yards last season.
Donaldson has plenty of experience and a bruising rushing style that can wear down opposing defenses, while Peoples has big play ability. Plus, running backs coach Carlos Locklyn has already shown he can get the most of Ohio State’s running backs in the short amount of time he has been on Ryan Day’s staff in Columbus.
The key for both running backs will be getting off to a strong start in the season opener since the Buckeyes have a rematch of last year’s CFP semifinal with Texas. Since the game against the Longhorns will be Sayin’s first start at quarterback at the college level, having a reliable rushing attack will do wonders for an Ohio State team that has to replace a lot of starters on each side of the football.
If the running backs can come out of the gates hot, they should be able to gain momentum in the following games since the non-conference schedule eases up following the clash with Texas.
Continue reading...
2028 OH DL Jameer Whyce (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
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Class: 2028
Position: DE
School: Trotwood(OH)Trotwood Madison
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 270lbs
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Class: 2028
Position: DE
School: Trotwood(OH)Trotwood Madison
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 270lbs
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2026 MS LB Theron White (Verbal Offer)
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Class: 2026
Position: LB
School: Jackson(MS) Jackson Academy
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 220lbs
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Class: 2026
Position: LB
School: Jackson(MS) Jackson Academy
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 220lbs
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LGHL BOOM! Ohio State gets commitment from four-star edge rusher Khary Wilder
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BOOM! Ohio State gets commitment from four-star edge rusher Khary Wilder
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Khary Wilder | @WilderKhary
The California native becomes the first defensive lineman in the Buckeyes’ 2026 class.
It took a little longer than many likely would have liked, but Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson got his first BOOM of the 2026 cycle on Tuesday as four-star edge rusher Khary Wilder pledged to play his college football for the Buckeyes.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound d-lineman from Junipero Serra High School in California visited Columbus over the last weekend in May, and following a trip to UCLA this past weekend, committed to the Buckeyes when Johnson and new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia visited his home while on a recruiting trip in California.
Wilder had previously planned to visit Notre Dame and Washington during the second half of June, but has canceled those visits since committing to Ohio State.
Currently, Wilder is rated as the No. 242 prospect in the 2026 class and the 23rd highest rated edge rusher, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Wilder selected the Buckeyes from over two dozen other offers, including schools like Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, USC, Utah, and Washington. Earlier this year, 247Sports’ national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins noted that Wilder has continued to improve throughout his high school career, but projects to be a three-tech or traditional tackle at the collegiate level, although Bucknuts’ Bill Kurelic notes that Ohio State has him slotted in at his current edge rusher slot.
“He shows off natural pass rush skill and can beat an opposing guard or tackle with quickness and power,” Biggins said. “He plays with grown man strength and can toss an opposing lineman aside and gets a solid push even against a double team. He has a relentless motor as well and one of those players that just keeps coming.”
Wilder becomes the 15th member of OSU’s 2026 class, joining defensive players, safeties Blaine Bradford and Simeon Caldwell, cornerbacks Jordan Thomas and Jakob Weatherspoon, and linebacker CJ Sanna.
Ohio State currently has the second-rated class in the cycle behind only USC. However, the Trojans have amassed a sizeable lead thanks to the fact that they have collected 28 total commitments to OSU’s 15. Ryan Day and company have moved up the rankings this past week with the commitment of Wilder and four-star running back Favour Akih over the weekend. As of today, the Buckeyes are the only program in the country with multiple five-star prospects in their class.
Hopefully, the fireworks continue to light up Columbus and the recruiting world throughout the summer as the Buckeyes bring more and more high-impact prospects to town.
Check out some highlights from Wilder’s junior season:
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Khary Wilder | @WilderKhary
The California native becomes the first defensive lineman in the Buckeyes’ 2026 class.
It took a little longer than many likely would have liked, but Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson got his first BOOM of the 2026 cycle on Tuesday as four-star edge rusher Khary Wilder pledged to play his college football for the Buckeyes.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound d-lineman from Junipero Serra High School in California visited Columbus over the last weekend in May, and following a trip to UCLA this past weekend, committed to the Buckeyes when Johnson and new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia visited his home while on a recruiting trip in California.
Wilder had previously planned to visit Notre Dame and Washington during the second half of June, but has canceled those visits since committing to Ohio State.
Currently, Wilder is rated as the No. 242 prospect in the 2026 class and the 23rd highest rated edge rusher, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Wilder selected the Buckeyes from over two dozen other offers, including schools like Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, USC, Utah, and Washington. Earlier this year, 247Sports’ national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins noted that Wilder has continued to improve throughout his high school career, but projects to be a three-tech or traditional tackle at the collegiate level, although Bucknuts’ Bill Kurelic notes that Ohio State has him slotted in at his current edge rusher slot.
“He shows off natural pass rush skill and can beat an opposing guard or tackle with quickness and power,” Biggins said. “He plays with grown man strength and can toss an opposing lineman aside and gets a solid push even against a double team. He has a relentless motor as well and one of those players that just keeps coming.”
Wilder becomes the 15th member of OSU’s 2026 class, joining defensive players, safeties Blaine Bradford and Simeon Caldwell, cornerbacks Jordan Thomas and Jakob Weatherspoon, and linebacker CJ Sanna.
Ohio State currently has the second-rated class in the cycle behind only USC. However, the Trojans have amassed a sizeable lead thanks to the fact that they have collected 28 total commitments to OSU’s 15. Ryan Day and company have moved up the rankings this past week with the commitment of Wilder and four-star running back Favour Akih over the weekend. As of today, the Buckeyes are the only program in the country with multiple five-star prospects in their class.
Hopefully, the fireworks continue to light up Columbus and the recruiting world throughout the summer as the Buckeyes bring more and more high-impact prospects to town.
Check out some highlights from Wilder’s junior season:
Continue reading...
2026 FL DB Danny Odem (Verbal Offer)
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- Football Recruiting
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2027 GA S Ta'Shawn Poole (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
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Class: 2027
Position: S
School: Macon(GA) Howard
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185lbs
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Class: 2027
Position: S
School: Macon(GA) Howard
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185lbs
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2027 GA DL Waylon Wooten (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
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Class: 2027
Position: DT
School: Loganville(GA) Grayson
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 300lbs
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Class: 2027
Position: DT
School: Loganville(GA) Grayson
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 300lbs
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