Dallan Hayden doesn’t shy away from the big stage.
Ohio State’s true freshman running back had a career day in the 43-30 win against Maryland on Saturday.
He ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries (26 in the second half). He averaged 5.4 yards per carry and had 96 yards after contact, the second most by an Ohio State player this season. He had 50 yards before contact, sixth most by a Buckeye this season.
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It was an impressive performance and one Ohio State needed to ice Saturday’s game.
His “next play” mindset kept him from being nervous, he said.
“You’re going to have good plays and bad plays. You just can’t think about the last play,” Hayden said.
And his play came at the perfect time.
The Buckeyes have been moving TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams in and out of the lineup due to injury. The question became: Can Ohio State win with Henderson and Williams hurt? It was a fair question and cause for concern.
But Hayden put it to bed.
In one of the biggest moments of the season, coach Ryan Day leaned on him. And he may need to again against Michigan.
As a four-star recruit from Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tenn., Hayden got the ball often. He had back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons in his junior and senior years of high school.
But he’ll admit, a heavy workload in college is different than high school. The hits are harder, the players are more athletic and the holes shrink faster.
Still, he’s been able to adjust quickly.
He arrived at Ohio State in June as a summer enrollee. Usually, those recruits are behind, but Hayden immersed himself in the playbook right away.
He credits running backs coach Tony Alford for helping him get up to speed so quickly.
“I feel like I have the best running backs coach in the country,” Hayden said. “Coach (Reilly) Jeffers too, they helped me with the learning curve.”
Hayden immediately impressed in practice. One of his strengths is his ability to be a one-cut back. He’s always been that way. Even in high school, he never really danced in the backfield. He hit a hole and was gone.
“I’ve always naturally been a guy to hit the hole, get downhill and get vertical,” Hayden said.
That’s what Ohio State needs right now. The Buckeyes have struggled to run consistently this year. The first half against Maryland was a good example.
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With Henderson battling injuries, Ohio State ran for 28 yards on 13 carries. In came a healthy Hayden and all of that changed.
“There were a couple guys in the hole that were extra guys who he made miss and kept the chains moving,” Day said. “He got us on schedule and I thought it was well done.”
What happens against Michigan is still unknown. Day said he’s hopeful Williams can play Saturday and added Henderson was held out of the second half against Maryland for health reasons.
“It got to the point where we weren’t going to play him,” Day said.
If Ohio State does need Hayden, he’ll be ready.
Protecting C.J. Stroud is crucial
Ohio State is preparing to play the best defense it’s seen all season.
The Michigan defensive line is no joke. That unit starts everything for the top-ranked defense in the country.
The Wolverines are 19th nationally with 31 sacks, the same as Ohio State. They are No. 2 in rushing defense, giving up 79.5 yards per game. They thrive on getting offenses into second-and-long and third-and-long situations and then getting off the field. Michigan holds teams to just a 30 percent conversion rate on third down.
All of that is to say, Ohio State is going to need C.J. Stroud at his best.
Last year, Stroud was 34-for-49 with 394 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan, but his defense couldn’t buy a stop. The Buckeyes defense, however, is better this year.
Yes, Ohio State has to run the ball. To me, the most important thing Ohio State can do is keep Stroud’s pocket as clean as possible.
Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy candidate has been terrific this season. He’s thrown 35 touchdowns, tied for the most in the country, completed 66 percent of his passes and has just four interceptions. But the one place he’s been a bit inconsistent is against pressure.
Against Maryland, he was 3-for-7 for 27 yards against pressure. For the season season, he ranks 29th nationally when pressured — he’s completed 43 percent of his passes for 261 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
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Michigan is going to find ways to pressure Stroud and he’s going to have to make a few throws under duress. He can and has done that this year.
But Ohio State has to make sure those pressures are few and far between.
College Football Playoff implications
A few days ago, it seemed like the winner of The Game would go to the College Football Playoff and the loser would head to the Rose Bowl.
I don’t think that’s the case anymore.
Tennessee’s loss to South Carolina took another team out of the running, which means there’s one spot up for grabs. Georgia is basically locked in as long as it doesn’t lose twice in the next two weeks. If TCU wins the Big 12, it’s locked in, along with the winner of Ohio State-Michigan.
That leaves the final spot for USC, Clemson or the loser of Saturday’s game. If USC wins the Pac-12, it will be hard to justify Ohio State or Michigan jumping the Trojans with one loss and no conference championship.
But if USC loses to Notre Dame or in the conference title game, that spot could go to the Big Ten. Clemson, even as a conference champion, likely would have a weaker resume than a one-loss Ohio State.
Saturday’s game has been hyped up as win or go home for the last month. The winner is guaranteed a top-four spot — assuming it doesn’t slip up in the Big Ten Championship Game — while the loser will still have a path. That team will just be a little nervous on selection day.
(Photo of Dallan Hayden: Tommy Gilligan / USA Today)
