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Ohio State football running back Quinshon Judkins is still getting acquainted with the home crowd at Ohio Stadium. The new-look offense was a clear success in Week 1, and it truly set the tone for what kind of year that head coach Ryan Day and Co. are going to have.
Judkins, a star transfer from Ole Miss, was enamored with the reception from the Buckeyes fans last week, as the team dominated the Akron Zips 52-6.
“A one-of-a-kind experience. Definitely a one-of-a-kind experience,” Judkins said on Wednesday, per Chase Brown of Eleven Warriors.
“Over 100,000 (fans in the stadium). Being at Ole Miss, I only got to see that at away games.”
Ohio State football's Quinshon Judkins and Treveyon Henderson are a MVP duo
The Buckeyes backfield combined for 154 yards on the ground, and they likely could've gone for more if the game wasn't so lopsided. Judkins took 13 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown, while Henderson was a dual-threat with eight for 65, and caught two passes for 18 yards.
This type of performance could soon become commonplace. Judkins is coming off two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, and Henderson with 926 rushing yards on 156 attempts and 11 touchdowns in 10 appearances last season.
New Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly noted how he'd like to utilize the star RBs in 2024, via AZ Sports.
“I feel like the two of those guys can both run inside the tackles,” said Kelly, who took over Ohio State football play-calling from head coach Ryan Day this offseason. “They’re both tough, hard-nosed, physical runners, but they both have speed and athletic ability to get to the perimeter. So they both had perimeter sweep runs called for them that they ran. They both ran inside the tackles and inside zone and counter.
It can be expected that for now, according Kelly, it will be Judkins handling the downfield rushing attack more frequently, and Henderson will continue to be viewed as the tough-yardage and receiving back. Either way, Ohio State has a quality offense that also features Kansas State transfer QB Will Howard, and they will have to find creative ways each week to get the ball successfully to their RBs. They have a bye week ahead in Week 3, so that should be adequate time before they are back at home to face Marshall and then on the road against Michigan State.
Ahead of another easy home affair against 0-1 Western Michigan on September 7, Judkins can go into the game knowing what to expect from his new and thunderous fanbase.
