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Miyan Williams 'pretty much' 100 percent, set to lead Buckeyes on ground in Peach Bowl

Spencer-Holbrookby:Spencer Holbrook•12/14/22•

SpencerHolbrook

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Ohio State running back Miyan Williams is the Buckeyes' second-highest PFF graded offensive player after the regular season. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Miyan Williams didn’t begin the season as the go-to rushing option for Ohio State.

He certainly plans to end the season in the coming weeks as the clear-cut leader of the Buckeyes backfield.

Williams didn’t play against Maryland due to an ankle injury he suffered a week prior in a win over Indiana. TreVeyon Henderson took over for Williams against Maryland but struggled. Williams saw limited action and limited results in the loss to Michigan because he simply wasn’t healthy enough to be a major factor.

But with five weeks after rolling his ankle and being severely slowed down, Williams will be back on the field in the Peach Bowl semifinal, leading the Ohio State backfield. While Henderson is now officially shut down for the rest of the season, it’s officially Miyan Williams tailback spot.

“I wasn’t all the way healthy,” Williams said. “But I needed to play in that [Michigan] game. So I just kind of just took it on the chin, just do what I could as much as I could. … It was still lingering around. So I wasn’t able to be at 100 percent that game.”

Is he healthy now? And if so, is he at 100 percent for the Buckeyes?

“Pretty much there, really.”

Williams is one of two Ohio State offensive skill players with College Football Playoff experience. Quarterback C.J. Stroud played one snap in the Sugar Bowl semifinal win over Clemson two years ago. Williams had three impressive carries in that game, running for 21 yards on those three totes.

The fact that Williams will be healthy to play in another CFP semifinal gives him a chance to take on a leadership role for the rest of the offense, a group that has no further experience in a semifinal matchup.

“It’s definitely like ‘being a leader’ moment, leading the team,” Williams said. “A lot of people don’t have experience in playing in a playoff game. So me and C.J., we just have to kind of take that leadership role.

“It felt so unreal. I just looked back. I was like ‘I really did that.'”

Since then, Williams has become a go-to option for the Buckeyes rushing attack. He had 508 rushing yards a year ago and 817 yards on the ground this fall. Those impressive numbers came despite his absence from two games: wins over Michigan State and the aforementioned Maryland victory.

Being forced out of the lineup certainly wasn’t easy for him.

“I definitely had to keep my mindset strong and just try to stay focused and try to stay engaged,” Williams said. “Because when you get injured, you separate from football because you’re not able to like practice be around the team. So you kind of separate sometimes.”

But Miyan Williams no longer has to separate. No, he can train to be ready for Ohio State in the College Football Playoff. He’s nearly at 100 percent health, and he still has more than two weeks until game time.

Without TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State will need the best version of Miyan Williams — a go-to weapon in the running game. That’s exactly what Williams plans to provide on New Year’s Eve.

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