Ohio State Buckeyes' TreVeyon Henderson Stresses Faith in Impressive Return

After missing three straight games with an injury Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson blamed on "a cheap shot," the junior made his return and instantly made an impact, which he credits to his faith.

As Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson walked into a room full of reporters at Camp Randall Stadium, one thing sat in the minds of almost all of them. 

The Buckeyes had just won their eighth straight game — including two against top-10 opponents — and were well on their way to an 11-0 face-off against Michigan in the last week of the season, but they weren't focused on that. 

In fact, nobody in the room was. 

All of the attention was on Henderson, who sat to the left of Marvin Harrison Jr. at the players' podium. Together, the pair was responsible for all three of Ohio State's touchdowns against Wisconsin, but the difference between them lay in the amount of games they'd played. 

To that point, Harrison Jr. had appeared in every game of the season for the Buckeyes, and Henderson just five, but the junior had missed the last three games due to what he described as "a cheap shot" at the beginning of Ohio State's bout with Notre Dame.

In his return, Henderson picked up right where he left off, notching a game-icing 33-yard touchdown for the Buckeyes on the road against the Badgers to keep their perfect record intact. 

"That felt great," Henderson said. "It took a while, but it felt great. We just had to keep swinging. We knew one of [the runs] was going to pop out, and one of them did."

Naturally, it didn't take long for Henderson to be asked about his performance. He did go for over 200 all-purpose yards, after all. 

His answer was unique, however. Because he didn't take any credit. 

"I thank God," Henderson told reporters. "He's helped me and allowed me to come back out here and give my team everything I've got. Me being out here is all because of Him. I give all of my glory to Him."

Oct 28, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium / © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Henderson went on to outline his relationship with his faith, but even without his words, the importance it held in his life was visible, primarily through his face tape, which featured a single bible verse: 2 Corinthians 5:7

"I will walk by faith even when I cannot see," Henderson explained. 

Despite missing the previous three games for the Buckeyes, Henderson remained steadfast and "patient" in his return, even when it meant missing games on end before making a comeback. That, he said, was difficult for him. 

"It's been rough these past games not being able to be out there for my teammates," Henderson said. "[But] I feel like God kept having me look back at least year. ... I kept trying to go out there [with my injury] instead of trusting Him, but this [year], I put my trust in Him." 

Henderson's on-field success varied greatly from a year prior, however, during a year in which he tried to "go off on his own." 

"Last year, I kept going out there knowing I wasn't healthy," Henderson said. "I knew I wasn't ready."

Still, the then-sophomore insisted on playing. Ohio State even catered to his wants, implementing a system where Henderson wouldn't practice, but would play in-game. 

While that system allowed him to see the field on game days, it significantly decreased his potential production, as Henderson is already eyeing the numbers he tallied last season with double the amount of games. 

And the reason for Henderson's more efficient season? Again, faith-based.

"God told me this year to stay patient," Henderson said. "I knew He was leading me somewhere special, and today, it showed."

Henderson's impact on the Buckeyes is apparent. His explosiveness, grittiness and even leadership have made that abundantly clear, especially when a Buckeyes squad with as much talent as it has struggled without him, which Day acknowledged.

"I thought he ran hard tonight," the Buckeyes coach said. "He's a weapon out of the backfield. He can see down a sideline. ... You can just see when he's out there, the impact he has on our offense." 

Safe to say, his teammates wholeheartedly agree.

"Having him back was great," Harrison Jr. said of the junior. "He's the most explosive back in the country. Any time he touches the ball, he can take it for six. That definitely puts a lot of pressure on [opposing] defenses.

"When you have a dynamic back like that, you can't not load the box with numbers."

As Ohio State continues its trek toward what it hopes will be another CFP berth, it will look to remain perfect, which includes an upset on the road against Michigan. That won't be an easy task, but the Buckeyes also have to make it there. 

Three straight games against unranked opponents stand between the Buckeyes and their matchup against the Wolverines and serve as a chance for Day's squad to assert their dominance, and now that Henderson is back in the fold feeling "very healthy," he'll play a large role in that. 

But if you ask Henderson, he'd tell you something else. It isn't him playing a large role in Ohio State's offense. It's God. And that's something he's unapologetically proud of.

"I don't pay attention to any [social media] comments, or any of that stuff," Henderson said. "I don't even see them, most of the time. I'm living to please the Lord and not anybody else."