COLUMBUS, Ohio - One of the early surprises from this season has been the emergence of Master Teague III in a larger capacity than we thought we may see him, at least early on in the season.

Recovering from an injury this offseason, Teague was out for most of the spring and saw limited action as the season approached. During his time being sidelined by injury, it was assumed that Demario McCall would act as the No. 2 running back behind J.K. Dobbins. Running backs coach Tony Alford even said during fall camp that behind McCall would be true freshman running back Marcus Crowley, placing Teague further down the depth chart than he or anyone else anticipated due to his injury.

Early on, however, it appears that those roles have been flipped, as McCall has been relegated mostly to kickoff and punt returns. It can’t go without mention that McCall has excelled in the role, nearly taking a couple of his six returns to the house.

The depth charts so far have not designated a distinct No. 2 behind Dobbins, and Alford has not yet named a definitive backup, but when you look at the amount of carries each player has gotten so far this season, things become more clear.

McCall has only received seven carries, Crowley has only ran it five times, Steele Chambers got the ball twice against Cincinnati, and Teague has 19 carries, second most behind Dobbins, so it seems fair to say that Ohio State views Teague as the backup, at least for right now.

Against Florida Atlantic, Teague’s carries were limited to the second half after the game was out of reach. He gained 49 yards on eight carries including breaking free for a 21-yard pickup. Ryan Day acknowledged that Teague’s progress has been stunted by injuries, but commended how he performed against the Owls.

“But that being said, when he was in the game, I thought he ran hard. I thought he saw stuff, it wasn't always perfect, but he took care of the ball, and he was physical and he carried some defenders with him, there was contact at three,” Day said. “He was finishing them at six and seven. I thought that was a good start and that was definitely flash for us on offense."

Against Cincinnati last week, Teague again did not receive any carries until the second half, but they increase his load to 11 carries where he picked up 60 yards on the day. As they continue to increase his snap count, Teague has shown promise running the ball, and Day is beginning to feel more comfortable giving him more snaps, potentially even before the game starts to get out of hand for Ohio State.

“He didn't practice all that much this pre-season. It was hard for him to get into a rhythm. He has run hard on film the last two weeks,” Day said. “If he can continue to practice the way that he has the last couple weeks, I think he's going to only improve as he goes on. We'll feel more comfortable with him handling more snaps in the game.”

Though Alford was initially the one that placed McCall and Crowley in front of Teague, he has been impressed by the redshirt freshman and the running ability he has showcased so far and seems open to Teague getting more carries.

“Well, he runs really hard. Tell him does a great job. The kid, the kid is a powerful kid. He can run, he's big and strong, he attacks defenders. When he makes the decision, I think we're becoming more and more comfortable every single day with him,” Alford said. “You know we missed the better part of...missed a lot of training camp. And so, so the evaluation process is still ongoing. But what he's doing right now he's earning himself more playing time.”

It remains to be seen how Teague will be used as the season progress. As the Buckeyes prepare to start Big Ten play this weekend against Indiana, things could change for Teague and the running backs as game plans are updated against higher quality opponents. For now, however, he has shown the skills the coaching staff has needed to see to keep him on the field.

“You asked about Master,” Day said after the Cincinnati game. “I thought Master ran hard again today. And if he can continue to practice the way that he’s been the last couple of weeks, I think he’s going to have a good season.”