Julian Sayin's injury has dominated the conversation over the bye week, and for good reason, but Ohio State's backfield took a hit too.
Ja'Kobi Jackson had Lisfranc surgery on his foot after getting hurt against Maryland, and Ohio State is hoping to have him back for the Michigan game and the postseason. That's a big loss.
Jackson had run for 354 yards and six touchdowns on 59 carries, six yards per attempt, and had started the two games before he got hurt. Ryan Day repeatedly praised how hard he ran.
With a freshman quarterback taking over, Ohio State is going to lean on their run game more than at any point this season, which makes this question even more important.
Bo Jackson is the clear No. 1 back. The question is who's No. 2, and how the carries get split.
For me, the answer right now is Isaiah West.
West came into the season expected to compete with Bo for the starting job after running for 310 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman. Instead, Ja'Kobi took over the No. 2 role, and West was mostly an afterthought. He had just 22 carries for 80 yards through the first six games and played one snap against Maryland.
Then Indiana happened. With Ja'Kobi out, West played 14 snaps, twice as many as Legend Bey, and made the most of them. He ran six times for 45 yards, 7.5 yards per carry, caught a 10-yard pass, and picked up key first downs in the fourth quarter.
That came against one of the best run defenses in the country, on the road, in a one-score game.
What stood out most was how he ran. West showed good vision, made people miss, and ran with the kind of physicality that made Ja'Kobi so valuable. That's exactly what Ohio State needs right now.
Bo can't carry the ball 25 times every week. He played a career-high 52 snaps against Indiana, but the Buckeyes need a second back who runs with that same edge, and West showed he can be that guy.
The more interesting question might be what Ohio State does with Legend Bey.
The true freshman arrived as one of the most exciting players in the class. He accounted for more than 4,000 rushing yards and 94 total touchdowns in high school, and he caught a touchdown pass in his debut against Ball State.
Bey hasn't fully earned the coaching staff's trust yet. Day called him out for taking kickoffs out of the end zone in the opener, and he didn't play at all against Iowa while Day talked about wanting him to build trust in practice.
Bey was technically the first running back off the bench at Indiana, but he finished with only three carries for six yards on seven snaps. So far, he's been used mostly as a change-of-pace back, getting the ball in space and in specific packages.
I'm very curious whether that changes. Does Ohio State keep Bey in that scatback role, using him on screens, outside runs, and special situations, or do they trust him to take on more of a traditional role, running between the tackles on first and second down?
I think the answer for now is the former. Bey's explosiveness is a real weapon, but asking a freshman, with his build and frame, to handle tough inside runs in games like USC and Oregon is a lot.
With a freshman quarterback, Ohio State's backfield is going to be even more important. Here's how I'd handle it.
Bo Jackson should get about 60% of the carries. He ran for 1,090 yards as a freshman last season and has been Ohio State's most reliable back. West should be the clear No. 2 and handle around 30% of the carries, especially in short-yardage situations and to keep Bo fresh late in games.
Bey should then get a handful of touches each week in specific packages. A couple of screens, a jet sweep, maybe an outside run or draw play when the defense is spread out.
That approach keeps the offense from becoming too predictable and gives Ohio State a back who can run with physicality on every snap. The good news is that this doesn't have to be permanent.
If Ja'Kobi returns for Michigan, Ohio State could have four running backs they trust heading into the postseason. Until then, though, West has the opportunity to prove that Indiana wasn't a one-time performance.
With Ohio State's quarterback situation, a reliable RB2 might matter more than ever.
