[ad_1]
COLUMBUS – After a week of hearing what was wrong, TreVeyon Henderson gave Ohio State players, coaches and fans something very, very fair to say.
The first-year running back ran for 277 yards and three touchdowns on his first start in college football when OSU beat Tulsa 41-20 on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Henderson had 52-yard, 50-yard, five-yard touchdown runs and two more 54-yard, 48-yard touchdowns.
“He’s someone who can hit home runs and that’s special. He has this special talent, ”said Ohio State coach Ryan Day.
Henderson’s 277 yards broke Archie Griffin’s Ohio record for a 239-yard freshman, set against North Carolina in 1972.
“I have a lot of goals and I hit one today,” said Henderson. “But I can’t let it be a unique thing. I must stay hungry.
Quarterback CJ Stroud said, “We already knew he was special. He has a talent given by God. He exposed it to the whole nation today. It was amazing to see him do what he did today.
Without Henderson’s heroism, the Ohio State number 9 could have had an incredible day for the second straight Saturday after losing 35-28 to Oregon last Saturday.
Ohio State (2-1) started slow and only had a 13-6 halftime lead over Tulsa (0-3).
After increasing their lead to 20-6 on Henderson’s 48-yard touchdown run in their first possession in the second half, Ohio State saw the Golden Hurricane narrow the lead to a single touchdown twice in second half at 20-13 in the last minute of the third quarter and at 27-20 with 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
But a 12-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to Garrett Wilson with 3:07 to play and a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown from Cameron Martinez with 1:50 to play allowed the Buckeyes to stretch the final score. at 41. -20.
“Overall it was great to get a win and get out of our system last week. There is certainly a lot to work on. There is a lot to work on on both sides of the ball. It was great to start the racing game today, ”said Ohio State coach Ryan Day.
The Ohio State defense, which had come under heavy criticism since the loss to Oregon, allowed 428 passing yards but limited Tulsa to 73 rushing yards.
Defensive back coach Matt Barnes returned to calling defensive play on Saturday and defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, Kerry Coombs, has been working from the press box in what can only be called a demotion.
Day said he expects this to be a long-term change. “We’re going to watch the film and rate it. It’s (today’s change) kind of how I see it in the future. The way things went today was pretty smooth.
Asked about Coombs’ reaction, he replied, “He’s a professional. He’s a guy from Ohio, he’s from the state of Ohio. He just wants to win. He’s still a big part of that defense.
While the running game made its way with Tulsa’s defense, OSU’s passing game had a tough time.
Stroud finished 15 of 25 for 185 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once and his longest achievement was 20 yards. And Chris Olave has been held without a grip for the first time in the last 23 games he’s played, dating back to the Rose Bowl at the end of his first season in 2018.
Stroud, a red shirt freshman with three career starts, apparently heard some of the criticism of his game last week.
“I feel like I’m improving every week. I know a lot of people probably disagree with me, but that’s okay. I’m not worried about negativity, I’m all about positivity, ”he said.
Stroud played with a sore shoulder but said it wasn’t too painful to play.
“It hurts but life hurts. Winning is difficult. I just have to go through it. It’s just playing football. You’re never 100 percent after that first game. It’s tough but I’m a badass. I just have to keep going and keep playing, ”he said.
Day said he saw progress in the Buckeyes’ pass defense despite Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin, who had 31 of 54 passes for 428 yards and two touchdowns.
Ronnie Hickman and Martinez had interceptions and Denzel Burke withdrew one on a replay.
“You start to see guys (in the defensive backfield) challenge the ball,” Day said. “But we have to do a little better to make the quarterback uncomfortable.
Deneric Prince of Tulsa is arrested by Cody Simon (30) of Ohio State and Tyleik Williams during Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
The Ohio State Master Teague III overtakes Travon Fuller of Tulsa in Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Ohio State’s Garrett Willson celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown in Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Ohio State’s Denzel Burke, left, breaks a pass to Sam Crawford Jr. of Tulsa during Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson gets rid of Travon Fuller of Tulsa, left, and LJ Wallace in Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. See more Ohio State football photos at LimaScores.com.
Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams sacks Davis Brin of Tulsa during Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Contact Jim Naveau at 567-242-0414.
[ad_2]
Source link