Brian Hartline Says Ohio State Buckeyes 'Need To Be Better At Running The Football'

The Ohio State Buckeyes have had issues in the running game so far this season. But can they be fixed?

One of the main issues that has plagued the Ohio State Buckeyes this season has been the running game.

Offensive coordinator Brian Hartline shared his thoughts on the struggles, saying the team simply needs to be better in that area if the team is going to be successful going forward. 

“You are evaluated when you need it most," Hartline said. "When they know you’re gonna run it, how do you run it? When they know you’re gonna pass it, how do you pass it? That’s a good indicator… We need to be better at running the football.”

Offensive line coach Justin Frye also added his two cents to the running game struggles, specifically on stretch and outside zone concepts. 

“There’s a lot of pieces that go into that," Frye said. "If it’s just a five-man open stretch, then there’s a component to that. Then you’re going to add a tight end or a fullback. Are you just going to cut it away? No, because we’ve (used) a lot of reps, a lot of time and we’ve run it really well, too.”

While the Buckeyes have struggled in those areas so far this season, Frye believes that it can and will be fixed. 

According to Frye, that starts with himself. 

“I’m looking at how hard I’m coaching them, what I’m coaching, what details I’m giving to them," Frye said. "Making sure I’m not spread too thin, and then we’ve got to put them in the right schemes to go execute.”

As it stands, junior running back TreVeyon Henderson and senior back Chip Trayanum are leading the rushing offense this season, but neither has eclipsed 300 yards for the year. Granted, Henderson missed the Maryland game but Trayanum only had 61 yards out of 62 total Saturday.

And as a team, the Buckeyes rank No. 98 in the country, rushing for just 131.6 yards per contest.

Suffice it to say, the Buckeyes must figure out how to improve the rushing attack, with a tricky Purdue Boilermakers squad up next, followed by No. 6 Penn State on Oct. 21.