COLUMBUS -- The glimpse of Miyan Williams back at his best was ultimately fleeting.

But it at least served as a strong reminder of just how significant his hard-charging, tackle-breaking rushing style had been missed by Ohio State -- and now will be for the rest of the season.

The Buckeyes confirmed on Tuesday that the veteran tailback had undergone an undisclosed medical procedure that will sideline him for the remainder of the year. It's less clear if that means it could also end his career at Ohio State, but if it does, his critical early touchdown two weeks ago against Penn State will be a fitting tribute to the tough work he did for the program.

"Just feel really bad for Miyan," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "He's not going to be able to play, he had a procedure done and they let us know that he's going to be out for the season.

"Miyan has done a lot of great things for us. That's a big hit for that room and for our team. But the good news is we have some good depth in that room, and Tony [Alford] has done a good job of building it."

The Buckeyes had to put that full group to the test late in the season a year ago, and once again they're facing a similar challenge as the running back room continues to work through injuries.

With Miyan Williams now definitively out of that picture, Dotting The Eyes is taking a closer look at two more ways this impacts him and the Buckeyes moving forward.

There's perhaps never been a moment where Miyan Williams has been truly healthy this season, and the setbacks actually started in training camp as he missed practices in August for unspecified reasons.

But even though it's felt like he had clearly faded into the third spot in the pecking order while missing a couple games and only getting a single carry in another, there wasn't a huge statistical disparity in the overall workload to this point between Williams, TreVeyon Henderson and Chip Trayanum. In fact, two weeks ago in the gritty win over Penn State, Williams answered the call to action with 24 carries and showed flashes of the short-yardage success that the Buckeyes had been looking for more of out of the tailbacks.

But Williams wasn't able to follow that up at Wisconsin on Saturday. And while Williams was unavailable, the Buckeyes did get Henderson back in the fold to set the tone alongside Trayanum in one of the most impressive ground-game outings this season. So, the top of the lineup is unlikely to change -- but there is now more onus to get Dallan Hayden prepped and ready as the third option, and it feels even more unlikely now that Ohio State can try to redshirt him.

The option to return is on the table for Miyan Williams.

In fact, thanks to the Covid eligibility rule enacted during his first season on campus, Williams actually has the option to play two more years with the Buckeyes if he wants.

Going into the season, it felt highly unlikely that Williams would return after his fourth year in the program no matter how it played out for him. And maybe he still will elect to try his luck at the next level once his rehabilitation process is done, but it's certainly possible this abbreviated campaign might alter that thinking with the possibility of Ohio State could have to replace Henderson and/or Trayanum in the offseason.

For now, though, Day indicated those conversations will have to wait -- and there isn't a rush for a decision.

"I'm sure that he's considering what his next steps are here," Day said. "But I think it's all so new that he's still trying to just focus on his rehab.

"We'll kind of address that as we get closer to the end of the season."