Ohio State's Run Game Needs to Take a Major Step Up in Wake of Sayin Injury

It's going to be a really tough stretch of football for the Ohio State Buckeyes' offense going forward. The news broke on Tuesday that the Buckeyes will officially be down their quarterback, Julian Sayin, indefinitely, but Ohio State is preparing for life without Sayin for the rest of this year.

There will be a lot of players who have to step up in Sayin's absence, but one unit is, without question, going to be the Buckeyes run game. 

Ohio State's rushing attack has been a main storyline at the start of the year as they have been trying to get it going. It was a big reason why they lost the Texas game in week two, but it finally started to pick up over the last month.

Then, last week, they got some tough news that running back No. 2 Ja'Kobi Jackson sustained a significant injury that is going to cost him some time and maybe even the length of the season.

Last week against Indiana was something that is a major concern. The Buckeyes rushed for just 78 yards. That figure also accounted for all of the sack yardage that Sayin took in the game. Removing those figures, the Buckeyes ran for 109 yards on 28 carries, which is a bit better. The final number is a 3.89 yards-per-carry average, which was okay at best. 

The major positive on the day was Isaiah West's 45 yards on six carries. This production came as a major surprise, as West stepped up in Jackson's absence, and he has been trying to establish a role for himself all year.

The major question mark still to this day has been Legend Bey. Bey has been an incredible disappointment on and off the field this year. He has yet to make any meaningful impact on the field, and off the field, he has allegedly been in a lot of trouble in multiple areas. People continue to call for the Buckeyes to use him, but he has a lot of growing up left to do before there is anything that he can do on the field.

The final, and most important, piece of the puzzle is the upfront Buckeyes. The Ohio State offensive line needs to flip the switch and somehow become that dominant group that it was two seasons ago. 

They are a veteran group that should get one of their best players, Austin Siereveld, back after the bye. There is no other way around it. They have to be great if the Buckeyes won't do anything at all.

If there is one area that can steady the ship for the Buckeyes, it is the run game. They haven't been able to be consistent up to this point in the season, but there are no more excuses. It is time for them to step up.