Although redshirt freshman Miyan Williams kicked off the night with a 71-yard touchdown run on the Buckeyes’ opening possession, No. 4 Ohio State opted to play depth at the position throughout Thursday’s contest. Four separate running backs saw the field in Ohio State’s first four possessions against the Golden Gophers and none of them reached double-digit carries.
Williams said he wasn’t deterred by the coaching staff’s decision to play depth following his long touchdown run.
“I feel like that’s with everybody. If you get a big play, you will want to go back in,” Williams said. “But I was really just like wanting to see everybody else play and how they play. I was just trying to get the win.”
The Cincinnati native made the most of his carries Thursday night and was clearly the most productive with the ball in his hands out of the four backs who carried the rock.
Williams finished the night with 125 yards on nine carries, including his 71-yard touchdown run — which he said he ran the wrong way on.
“To be honest, it was actually the wrong play. It was the wrong play, but it was just crazy. I was supposed to go the other way,” Williams said. “I was actually supposed to go to the left, and I ended up just going to the opposite side. There wasn’t nobody over there.”
Williams wasn’t the only running back to break free for a 70-yard score Thursday.
Early in the fourth quarter with Ohio State clinging to a seven-point lead, true freshman TreVeyon Henderson caught a screen pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud and used a burst of speed to fly past the Minnesota defense en route to his first-career touchdown as a Buckeye.
The touchdown, coming on a pivotal 3rd-and-5 from the Ohio State 30-yard line, gave the Buckeyes a two-score lead and kept Minnesota at arm’s length for the rest of the night.
Stroud praised the freshman running back, as well as the play call, for making the huge play in a clutch situation.
“That was a great call by coach. On third down, they had funky looks,” Stroud said. “I just had to get the ball over the defensive end. Tre made a great play, a great cutback. He’s going to be a hell of a player.”
On the ground, Henderson collected 15 yards on two carries in his debut.
Rounding out the running back rotation were veteran Master Teague III and sophomore Marcus Crowley, who each received six carries on opening night.
Teague, known for his power and size, picked up 29 yards in his limited carries while Crowley finished with 19 yards on the ground.
As Day rotated running backs throughout the night, Williams led the way for the Buckeyes on the ground. Despite getting minimal carries, Williams said he was happy with the end result Thursday.
“I’m actually fine with how it went tonight,” Williams said. “As long as we got the win, I’m good.”
