A full-house backfield at Ohio State could happen

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Some.random.old.guy asks: Will we see more full house backfield this year? If so, who are the 3 backs?

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has the talent and coaching skill to do anything it wants to do this season.

That’s the blessing — and the curse — of having this talented of an offensive core assembled together.

And when the Buckeyes opened the spring game by spinning into the ‘T’ formation with Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson and glorified fullback Patrick Gurd behind quarterback Will Howard, it certainly turned heads and caused Buckeyes fans to wonder if that power formation was a glimpse of what’s to come — or just a blast from the past in a ‘Block O’ clad hat top to legendary coach Woody Hayes.

Let’s call it a little bit of both.

“Mr. Hayes,” Kelly said, smiling, after the Ohio State spring game. “There’s a looming figure around this whole program. We get to go to work every day in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. So if it was good enough for Woody, we’re going to steal it. We’re going to do it.”

Ohio State could use the full-house backfield at any time. It’ll never be a bad option, considering it would allow TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to be on the field together. It also allows the Buckeyes to get big in short-yardage situations to muscle out tough yards — something they haven’t been particularly good at during the last few seasons.

The downside? Well, if Henderson, Judkins and Gurd are all on the field together, at least one of the wide receivers — or a receiver and a tight end — must come off the field. Which receiver would be pulled for the full-house formation?

Those scenarios shouldn’t happen often. That’s why Ohio State doesn’t plan to be in the ‘T’ or ‘full house’ more than a few short-yard times per game — or even per season.

“It’s a small part of our offense,” Kelly said. “We will not be in the ‘T’ 21 times in one game. But we may get it in some short-yardage situations. And I think it’s come back. There’s a lot of schools right now that are starting to do that.

“It’s really just you’ve got a half a yard to get, and you’re trying to get your big guys in the game.”

Ohio State can get those tough yards through one-off formations like the ‘T.’

Chip Kelly, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes staff will do whatever is needed in order to move chains, score touchdowns win games and, ultimately, national titles. If that’s with the full-house, then so be it.

But expecting to see it often from the Buckeyes would be folly. That’s not going to happen. If anything, it will be sprinkled in to the elite offense Ohio State will field this fall.

The post A full-house backfield at Ohio State could happen — sparingly appeared first on On3.