2009 tOSU Running Backs discussion (official thread)

[Taosman]

It's interesting that the Aggie coach mentioned Martin as the back he didn't want to see more of! But, the coaches see these guys every day so we must trust their judgement on who gets the most touches.

 

[Oh8ch]

It's interesting that the Aggie coach mentioned Martin as the back he didn't want to see more of! But, the coaches see these guys every day so we must trust their judgement on who gets the most touches.

Martin has a large, punishing body. I think NM just didn't want to get beat on any more.

 

[jwinslow]

Doesn't NMSU have a 229 lb DT? I can see why they wouldn't want to face Jermil, even if he's not better (for the b10 stretch run) than the other 3.

 

[Taosman]

Who is hot and who is not?

Jordan Hall is definitely hot!
Saine looked off his game. Better in another week?
Herron looked like himself.
Martin......Hmmmm. Not getting enough carries to fully judge his performance. But has shown some potential.
Berry? Can't stay healthy enough to see the field. Maybe he just needs to get in the weight room and get stronger/flexible.

 

[cbrian815]

I really like how explosive Hall is, he gets through the hole quickly and seems to run with good power for his size. I think he`s already very even with the upper classmen and he looks hungry. It will be nice to have him for 3 more years with the talent we have now and talent coming in. Go Bucks

 

[HineyBuck]

Who is hot and who is not?

Jordan Hall is definitely hot!
Saine looked off his game. Better in another week?
Herron looked like himself.
Martin......Hmmmm. Not getting enough carries to fully judge his performance. But has shown some potential.

Saine did look off his game a bit. Residual from concussion? He's got great speed when he gets in gear, and he doesn't go down easy. Not sure how great his vision is.

Boom has great vision, and also runs with heart, but gets tripped up easily.

Gotta wonder how many carries Jordan Hall and Jermil Martin take from their elders these last three games. Hall is definitely hot and, though we haven't seen him against a fresh, strong defense, Martin seems like the big back option we need at least occasionally.

 

[NightmaresDad]

The problem with playing Hall and Martin alot, is that a defense like PSU will blitz alot more. They will put the pressure on the younger RBs to pick up the blitzes, make the correct reads, run into an outmanned front, etc.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I wonder when was the last time that we had seven different tailbacks with carries in a game.

1. Saine
2. Hall
3. Herron
4. Martin
5. Delande
6. Christian
7. Gantz

 

[jazzman]

I wonder when was the last time that we had seven different tailbacks with carries in a game.

1. Saine
2. Hall
3. Herron
4. Martin
5. Delande
6. Christian
7. Gantz

Add in Terrelle, Bauserman and Ray Small.....and we had 10 different guys carry the football! That must be some record at tOSU.

 

[BrutusBobcat]

The problem with playing Hall and Martin alot, is that a defense like PSU will blitz alot more. They will put the pressure on the younger RBs to pick up the blitzes, make the correct reads, run into an outmanned front, etc.

This is almost certainly what Bollman's rather quick response about running backs meant. He knows that Hall has played primarily in garbage time and against vanilla defenses. Blitz pickup has always been a major determining factor of RB playing time here.

 

[pnuts34]

Its a shame that we've had so many injuries at this key position, makes you miss not having Hyde and Berry available. Herron and Saine aren't looking like the best options at RB, they're looking serviceable. There used to be a time when we pretty much knew we had at least 1 RB that could go for 100yds/game, and now it seems like our only solid runner is Pryor. Our best RB is looking like Jordan Hall, maybe he might not be the best at picking up blitzes right now, but we don't know that yet. He's looking like the hungriest guy who fights for yards every play.
Not trying to be a downer, just admitting what many of us are seeing out there each Saturday. Hopefully it gets better

 

[BB73]

I wonder when was the last time that we had seven different tailbacks with carries in a game.

1. Saine
2. Hall
3. Herron
4. Martin
5. Delande
6. Christian
7. Gantz

I don't know - there were 6 against Kent State in 2007.

Saine, Brandon..... 9 .69 .0 .69 0 29 7.7
Christian, K.C..... 4 .30 .0 .30 0 13 7.5
Williams, Marcus....7 .20 .1 .19 0 6 .2.7
Wells, Chris....... 4 .17 .0 .17 1 7 .4.2
Hartline, Brian.... 1 .7 ..0 ..7 0 7 .7.0
Wells, Maurice..... 5 .5 ..1 ..4 0 3 .0.8
Gantz, Joe......... 2 .2 ..0 ..2 0 2 .1.0
Schoenhoft, Rob.... 3 .4 ..8 .-4 1 2 -1.3
Boeckman, Todd......1 .0 ..6 .-6 0 0 -6.0
Totals............ 36 154 16 138 2 29 3.8

 

[Buckskin86]

Football: Buckeyes tailbacks sharing the load
Thursday, November 5, 2009
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Two years ago, Jim Tressel was at a Jeanette (Pa.) High School boys basketball game, watching prized prospect Terrelle Pryor run and dunk.

But the Ohio State football coach also couldn't help noticing Jeannette's small point guard.

Afterward, Tressel said to Jayhawks coach Jim Nesser, "Man, that point guard is really good; he's just got eyes everywhere. He dished the ball off, he hit threes,' and (Nesser) said, 'Yeah, that's that tailback,' and I said, ' That's the tailback?' "

That tailback is Jordan Hall, and while most of the attention this week is on the sophomore Pryor returning to his home state for a game Saturday at Penn State, the freshman Hall has made an increasing impact for the Buckeyes.

It has hardly been a typical season for the running game. The departure of Chris "Beanie" Wells to the NFL left a void, and to this point, no one has stepped up to fill it.

Much of that has to do with injuries: Opening-day starter Daniel Herron has missed about half the season because of a high ankle sprain, and No. 2 back Brandon Saine has not been himself the past two weeks because of a mild concussion.

Increasingly, Pryor has shouldered the load. He averaged 10 carries through four games and 14 carries the past five games.

He leads the team with 554 rushing yards and is tied with Herron with six touchdowns. Pryor could become the first quarterback to lead Ohio State in rushing since Les Horvath in 1944.

"We have great runners, and I have running ability," Pryor said. "It makes the defenses think a little bit more. I'm going to run the ball -- 'Boom' Herron, whoever is in there with me, and now you've got to guard three different things: I can throw the ball, run the ball or hand it off."

BuckeyeXtra - Football: Buckeyes tailbacks sharing the load

 

[Buckskin86]

Buckeyes' Saine, Herron save best for last
November, 19, 2009 Nov 19
By Adam Rittenberg

As they do every season, Ohio State fans had plenty of burning questions about a Buckeyes running back this fall.

Jaamal Berry.

They wondered when Berry would see the field, how his injured hamstring was progressing and whether head coach Jim Tressel would end up redshirting the highly touted freshman from Miami. These questions peppered Tressel at his weekly news conference and filled up my inbox.

As the wait for Berry continued, it was clear that many Buckeye fans had seen enough of running backs Brandon Saine and Dan Herron. Chris "Beanie" Wells was sorely missed, and for the first time since 2004, when Lydell Ross and Antonio Pittman shared the carries load, Ohio State lacked a dominant runner.

Could the Buckeyes win the Big Ten without a bell cow in the backfield? The answer arrived last Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

Saine and Herron turned in their best performances of the season in the biggest game of the season. The two backs combined for 200 rush yards and three touchdowns against a stout Iowa defense as Ohio State rode a run-heavy offense to a 27-24 overtime victory.

"Those are two tough kids and the seniors mean a lot to those two," Tressel said after the game. "They were not going to let those seniors down."

Buckeyes' Saine, Herron save best for last - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN

 

[Buckskin86]

Seven may be a crowd among OSU runners
Thursday, December 24, 2009
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

IN THE FOLD: After a one-season stint at Fork Union Military Academy, running back Carlos Hyde, of Naples, Fla., will join a well-populated OSU backfield in 2010. (Greg Kahn, Naples (Fla.) Daily News)

For as much as Ohio State runs the ball, one would think the Buckeyes could never have too many running backs.

Next year, they might.

In 2010, OSU will return four experienced tailbacks: Brandon Saine, Daniel Herron, Jordan Hall and Jermil Martin. Saine and Herron split starting duties, Hall was a solid contributor as a true freshman, and redshirt freshman Martin looked good in spot duty.

That would be more than enough for a full cupboard, but the Buckeyes will somehow need to make room for three more backs:

Jaamal Berry, a highly recruited Florida product, who redshirted this season because of persistent hamstring troubles.

Carlos Hyde, a 2009 recruit out of Naples, Fla., who failed to get the required ACT score and spent the fall at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. He has since qualified and will enroll at OSU in January.

Roderick Smith, an incoming freshman from Fort Wayne, Ind., whose size (6 feet 3, 220 pounds) and speed has drawn comparisons to former OSU stars Chris "Beanie" Wells and Eddie George.

Coach Jim Tressel always talks about his preference to have a "pair and a spare" at running back. It appears that next year, OSU will have a pair, two spares and three heirs.

"They've got a pretty good nice mix," Smith said. "For me, saying I wanted to go there wasn't about that - about the running backs they have or are going to have. I just felt like that's where I needed to be."

Smith is confident in his ability to earn playing time right away. He just completed a dazzling high school career in which he rushed for 6,620 yards.

"I think I'm ready to compete," he said. "I'm pretty confident, knowing I've got good talent. I'm ready to show them what I can do."

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