After three straight Big Ten conference victories, the NCAA community can agree on one thing: the Ohio State Buckeyes are rolling. During the winning streak, the Buckeye offense, which was earlier viewed as a non-factor by the multitudes, has come alive,
[caption id="attachment_121" align="alignright" width="273" caption="Since his return, Boom Herron has been an intimidating presence in the Buckeye Backfield."]
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putting 84 points on the board against their opponents. The main source of success in the past weeks has been the running game, where the Buckeyes have put up 211, 268, and 351 rushing yards respectively. These successes have not gone unnoticed by beat writers and fans alike. However, we have yet to hear the insider thoughts and opinions from the players. He is what the players had to say about the imposing Buckeye rushing attack last weekend against the Hoosiers.
The Buckeyes executed a tremendous rushing attack, having three players topping the century mark for only the fourth time in program history, with Boom Herron gaining 141 yards, and Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde both netting 105 yards, for a grand total of 351 yards on the ground.
When Hyde was asked about the record setting performance, the sophomore responded by saying, “Our confidence is really high. To have three guys go over 100 yards in the same game is huge. We did a great job running the ball today.” The sophomore running back ended the game with 105 yards and a touchdown.
In his 105-yard performance, freshman quarterback Braxton Miller broke the longest run by an Ohio State quarterback, an 81-yard scamper that resulted in the first Buckeye touchdown of the game. Miller said, “It was a QB draw. I took advantage of the offensive line’s blocking. It was real good. It’s great to be in the Ohio State record book, but I keep striving toward the next game.” Miller ended his historic day with two scores, the second
[caption id="attachment_122" align="alignright" width="210" caption="Braxton Miller has been lethal using his feet this year."]
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being the game deciding score. Miller’s progression and growth have not gone unnoticed. After the game, senior running back Boom Herron was quoted with, ““It was a good job by him and the offense as a whole. He’s definitely getting better every week. You can see in practice he’s a guy wanting to get better and willing to do anything to improve.” The maturation and growth of the young quarterback has been astounding, and the team is getting behind the confidence with which has been instilled in Miller.
The final member of the 100-Yard Club last week, Boom Herron, has been running extremely well since coming back from his suspension. In three appearances, he has racked up 415 yards on 70 carries, for an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Last week, he led the team with 141 yards and found the endzone on one of his 14 carries. When asked about his performance, Herron replied, “I was very happy to get it going today. The offensive line made it happen. They opened holes for me which I found and just went.”
The final piece of the impressive running game is the offensive line. Herron credited his success to the effectiveness of the line, and Carlos Hyde also lauded the line, remarking that, “There were big holes out there.” Senior offensive lineman Michael Brewster understands the necessity of the line working well and springing the backs free. Brewster said, “People know we can run and that’s what we did today. If we have to put the game on our shoulders we can do that. When we get down to the red zone we have to score a touchdown.” The line has been working extremely well in recent games, and the entire team is crediting the successes to not only the backs, but the men in the trenches as well.
This Saturday, the Buckeyes roll into West Lafayette to take on the Boilermakers of Purdue. Last week, the trio of Monte Ball, Russell Wilson, and James White of Wisconsin embarrassed the Boilermakers, putting up 349 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. The Buckeyes look to put up similar numbers this week in their March to Indianapolis.
It has now been 2909 days since M!ch!g@n has defeated THE Ohio State Buckeyes.
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