A Pair And A Scare: Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson Running Wild

The Buckeyes played on Saturday, which meant that Ohio State running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins were once again on center stage.

To no surprise, they delivered a hell of a show.

In the Buckeyes’ 49-14 win over Marshall, Judkins rushed for 173 yards on 14 carries, scoring twice. One of those carries was an 86-yard jaunt that matched the third-longest run in OSU football history.

In case you were wondering, Ohio State football has been around since 1890. Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, on the other hand, has only been around since January.

Meanwhile, senior starter TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 76 yards on just six carries. He also scored twice, including a 40-yarder that featured him high-stepping down the left sideline.

Together, Judkins and Henderson were planting Marshall defenders like it was Arbor Day and they had a quota to meet. Dig and plant. Dig and plant.

The duo was expected to be the best in the nation and they have lived up to the hype over the Buckeyes’ first three games.

This is not the “Thunder and Lightning” moniker that gets thrown around to a big back paired with a smaller back. Both of these backs are powerful and they are both fast as hell.

This is more of a “Thunder and Lightning and Thunder and Lightning” situation.

They are the Swiss Army knives of weather phenomenon analogies.

Henderson and Judkins are not just a 1-2 punch. They’re a 1-1 punch. They are a left hook thrown at the same time as a right uppercut.

You know that scene at the end of Rocky III when Rocky and Apollo Creed connect on a punch simultaneously? Now imagine those punches being thrown by a two-headed monster in shoulder pads.

“Ding. Ding.“

Quinshon Judkins has rushed for 336 yards on 36 carries through three games. TreVeyon Henderson has rushed for 207 yards on 24 carries. Combine them both and you have what science calls a slippery slope.

“No one team should have this much running back.“

Former Ohio State head coaching legend Woody Hayes once said the Buckeyes needed “a pair and a spare” at running back. Judkins and Henderson are a pair and a scare.

They are the perfect cure for hiccups. Defensive coordinators hold their breath and await the terror. Every time they touch the ball there’s a chance they could end up in the end zone. Of their 60 total carries this season, nine have gone for touchdowns.

Four of their 20 carries on Saturday went for scores.

Judkins has now had back-to-back 100-yard rushing days. His last 23 carries have netted 281 yards. He is averaging 9.33 yards per carry this season. Only four Big Ten teams (Penn State, Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon) are averaging more yards per pass attempt than Judkins is averaging per rush attempt. He’s even averaging more yards per carry than Michigan and Iowa are averaging per completion.

Henderson’s 8.63 yards per carry have also been a mark of consistency throughout his 24 carries. He is probably the best-rested starting running back in the nation, and he’s made the most of his limited opportunities.

Despite being 36th in the Big Ten in rushing attempts, he is tied for eighth in number of rushes of 10+ yards (8).

Everything Judkins and Henderson have done this season has been impressive, but — as any hater will tell you — this was just the non-conference portion of Ohio State’s schedule.

The Big Ten schedule starts now and the running game is going to be more important than ever. The numbers will likely decline because the talent across the line of scrimmage will be better. That’s just how football works.

But don’t expect any opposing defensive coordinators to look at what TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins have done and say, “Pfft. Those were non-conference games. That doesn’t even apply to us.”

Instead, those coaches are looking at all of it and seeing exactly how it applies to them.

Yes, Judkins and Henderson will now have to “pick on somebody their own size.” But that’s why they’re at Ohio State. They are not afraid of the challenge.

The challenge is the point.

They are not bullies, they are bulls.

And the Big Ten is about to be Pamplona.

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