It was clear why the Ohio State Buckeyes' offense regressed this season, despite having multiple talented playmakers.
After a heartbreaking end to the 2025 college football season, the Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day must go back to the drawing board for the 2026 season.
The Buckeyes’ high-power offense may have looked incredible on paper this year, but it was clear from the beginning of the season that the unit lacked the juice from pervious seasons.
One of the major reasons Ohio State’s offense was successful in 2024 was due to the program’s lethal one-two punch in the run game, featuring TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. While Henderson showed great promise for most of his college career, Day made the wise decision to land Judkins in the transfer portal to complement his senior back.
This move would ultimately pay off for the Buckeyes in 2024.
The combination of Henderson and Judkins turned into one of, if not the best, rushing duos in college football, with both players reaching the 1,000 rushing-yard mark. Judkins ended the year with 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns on 194 attempts, while Henderson finished with 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns on 144 carries.
In addition to possessing two NFL-caliber running backs, the Buckeyes’ offense in 2024 also featured quarterback Will Howard, who was a dynamic runner. Howard finished with 227 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, and his ability to use his legs at any given moment kept opposing defenses on their heels.
While the blueprint seemed clear for Day and Ohio State regarding the team’s run game, this would not be the case in 2025.
Prior to Week One of the most recent season, the Buckeyes were set to roll out a combination of former West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson and sophomore James Peoples. However, the plan did not go as expected, with both running backs combining for 87 rushing yards on 29 carries against the Texas Longhorns.
The struggles between Donaldson and Peoples would continue for a majority of the 2025 season, which led to the emergence of true freshman Bo Jackson. The Cleveland, OH native would eventually take over as Ohio State’s lead back, ending his first year with 1,090 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 179 carries.
Even with the sudden rise of Jackson in the backfield, it was clear to fans that this year’s rushing attack would be far worse than last season's. In 2024, the Buckeyes averaged 166.4 rushing yards per game, which was the fourth-most in the Big Ten Conference. But this season, the run game regressed, and Day’s group finished with an average of 154.4 yards per carry.
With an inexperienced quarterback at the helm for Ohio State this season, the run game needed to play at a high level to take pressure off Julian Sayin. And when Sayin struggled against the Miami Hurricanes, the run game managed to tally 86 net yards on the ground.