Chip Kelly shares initial thoughts on TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins workload

Ohio State running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson recorded 13 and eight carries, respectively, in a 52-6, season-opening win over Akron.

Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly wants both of those totals to increase.

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“43 and 40 would be better,” Kelly said when asked Tuesday about the split between Judkins and Henderson, “but I don’t think we’re going to get that many snaps in the game.

“[Running backs coach] Carlos [Locklyn] does a great job of just keeping those guys fresh and who’s in and who’s out. There wasn’t a set plan, but hopefully we run the ball a little bit more, and those numbers are up for both of those guys.”

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Although Judkins piled up five more carries than Henderson, Judkins finished with only 55 rushing yards as opposed to Henderson’s 65 rushing yards. So while Henderson averaged 8.1 yards per tote with three runs of 10-plus yards, Judkins averaged 4.2 yards per tote with two runs of 10-plus yards, not to mention Judkins’ goal line touchdown.

It’s worth noting that Judkins’ breakaway percentage (27.5%) and yards after contact per attempt (3.21) from last season weren’t particularly high, per Pro Football Focus, but it’s possible the sheer volume of carries (271) he amassed with the Rebels was a contributing factor there.

“I thought Q did a really nice job in terms of what we had designed,” Kelly said. “Obviously, he’s not blocking for himself. So sometimes if something breaks down before he gets an opportunity to make a read, he has to adjust and work off that.

“But I think there’s a point to that of getting the chemistry, getting the feel — is our scheme slightly different than what he ran at his other school? You know, there are some nuances to that, being behind the quarterback and not offset from the quarterback, how much stack did they run at his other school? So just getting comfortable in that, and I think that’s the process that will continue to go on here at the beginning of the season.”

Judkins eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in both of his seasons at Ole Miss. He was a two-time first-team All-SEC honoree. A chains mover at Ole Miss, Judkins churned out four first downs in his Ohio State debut, plus his touchdown run.

Kelly said Tuesday that he doesn’t call the game differently when Henderson is in the game versus Judkins and vice versa.

“I feel like the two of those guys can both run inside the tackles,” said Kelly, who took over Ohio State 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.

“The unique thing about both those guys is sometimes you have two different type backs. I think with both those guys you can call a similar game plan. I think James Peoples fits into the same category. So when James got in there, I thought he was really productive in the small amount of snaps that he had. For a true freshman to come in here and play like James did, we think he’s got a really bright future here, but it doesn’t change with him in there, either.”

Peoples carried the ball six times for 30 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State finished with 170 rushing yards, but Kelly has his sights on even more for his run game.

That starts with an even bigger workload for the Buckeyes’ two-headed monster of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.