Buckeyes star running back TreVeyon Henderson will play in Cotton Bowl
ARLINGTON, Texas — The heartbeat of the Ohio State rushing attack will be pounding the rock in the Cotton Bowl. TreVeyon Henderson is playing for the No. 7 Buckeyes against No. 9 Missouri Friday night.
The Buckeyes’ star running back was asked Wednesday in AT&T Stadium why he’ll be suiting up for the top-10 showdown.
“Because I haven’t made my decision yet,” Henderson said, in reference to what’s next for him in 2024. “So I’m not sure what I’ll be doing. But, really, I’ve just been praying on it.
“Of course, you’ve got all these worries that come up: What if I get injured? What if this happened? But I gave all those worries to God. And he led me to make that decision to play in this game to glorify him and to be out there for my brothers.”
Henderson missed three games this season after taking what he called a “cheap shot” at Notre Dame in Week 4. When he came back in Week 9 at Wisconsin, he immediately provided Ohio State with more offensive balance. Henderson piled up at least 200 yards from scrimmage against not only the Badgers but also on the road versus Rutgers the following week.
The junior found the end zone in each of his final eight games of the regular season. He’s logged more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage (854 rushing yards and 229 receiving yards) and 11 touchdowns, all on the ground, in only nine games.
2023 has been a bounce-back year from his injury-riddled sophomore campaign, during which he dealt with a fractured sesamoid bone in his foot from Week 3 on and ultimately missed four of the final five outings of the season, including the Buckeyes’ Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game.
“TreVeyon looks fast, as we always know,” Ohio State offensive coordinator/wide receiver Brian Hartline said. “Having him out there, it’s been different in the run game. He’s a major impact player. When he has the ball in his hands, he’s always a weapon to take it to the house.
“We are definitely a better team running the ball when we have Tre in there.”
Henderson is one of several third-year Buckeyes players who will be playing in the Cotton Bowl. His class, once ranked second nationally the 2021 recruiting cycle, is committed to finishing what it started in 2023.
That commitment could even carry over to the 2024 season.
For now, though, it’s showing up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“It means a lot. It speaks a lot about the players we have on this team,” Henderson said. “But, at the end of the day, man, everyone’s got to do what’s best for them.”
Henderson realized what’s best for him is to play in the Cotton Bowl. And that’s music to the ears of the Buckeyes.
