Scarlet Sunrise: TreVeyon Henderson earns praise for pass pro, improvement as an all-purpose back

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TreVeyon Henderson earns praise for pass pro, becoming an all-purpose back

Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson might have recorded 200-plus yards from scrimmage for the third game in a row had he played the second half against Michigan State.

Before the Buckeyes sat Henderson — and a handful of other starters — for the final two quarters of the blowout win last week, the junior piled up 77 total yards (63 rushing, 14 receiving) against the Spartans. In the process, he found the end zone for the sixth straight game he’s played in.

But two plays arguably stood out more than Henderson’s nine-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and neither of them saw him log a statistic.

“TreVeyon stepped up in a big way and helped in protection,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said this week. “He did a nice job on two or three of the plays, actually two of the touchdown passes to Marvin [Harrison Jr.] he did a really nice job in protection.

“And he was the most excited guy on the field, which goes to show you his unselfishness and how he’s getting better every game as an all-purpose player.”

Henderson was in for six pass blocking snaps against Michigan State, according to Pro Football Focus, two off his season high despite him not seeing the field in the back half of the game.

He thrived in those opportunities, notching a PFF pass blocking grade of 76.1 and giving quarterback Kyle McCord a clean pocket on two of his three first-half touchdown passes.

“That won’t go down in the stat sheets, him stepping up and making two really big blocks in pass protection there,” McCord said this week. “The first one to Marvin was a really good block, I think it was the nose guard or the three-tech came free. He stuck his nose in there and stuffed him and allowed me to get that pass off.”

Henderson’s second noteworthy block came at the start of the second quarter when McCord delivered a slant pass to Harrison for six.

After the play fake, Henderson picked up the blitzing Michigan State defender and prevented him from disrupting McCord’s passing lane or pocket on his quick strike to the end zone.

“I think those are things that may go unnoticed,” McCord said. “But I think that’s just Tre really showing that he’s a complete back. There’s not a situation where you have to take him off the field. He’s a three-down back.

“He’s done a great job of doing that, catching the ball as well, and obviously you see what he does in the run game.”

Jim Harbaugh accepts three-game suspension, will officially not coach against Ohio State

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh went from citing his senior year high school civics class on Monday and his opportunity to show that he’s “innocent until proven guilty” to accepting his three-game suspension from the Big Ten on Thursday.

That means no court appearance for Harbaugh on Friday, and, more notably, no Harbaugh on the sidelines for Ohio State-Michigan on Nov. 25.

In turn, according to a statement from Michigan Thursday, the Big Ten will end its investigation into Wolverines’ sign-stealing operation, which centered around former staffer Connor Stalions.

“Today’s decision by the University of Michigan to withdraw its legal challenge against the Conference’s November 10th Notice of Disciplinary Action is indicative of the high standards and values that the Conference and the University seek to uphold,” the Big Ten said in its statement Thursday. “The University of Michigan is a valued member of the Big Ten Conference and the Conference will continue to work cooperatively with the University and the NCAA during this process.”

For the full story, go here.

Parker Fleming: ‘There’s stuff that needs to be improved’ on special teams

Even without Harbaugh, No. 3 Michigan will be tough to beat in Ann Arbor next week. The Wolverines, after all, took care of then-No. 10 Penn State on the road last weekend without their head coach.

No. 2 Ohio State will have to play a clean game in all phases, including special teams, a weak point for the Buckeyes this season.

Special teams coordinator Parker Fleming met with the media this week to address special teams miscues that have held Ohio State back in 2023.

“Clearly, we haven’t done a good enough job,” Fleming said. “And so that’s the thing I try and learn from, and we continually evaluate how we’re doing certain things. Some of them are vetted, and they work themselves out. Obviously, some of them don’t. And that’s something that, anytime something goes wrong, whether it’s this or that, I look myself and say, ‘Hey, did I prepare us? Did I prepare myself? Did I coach it well enough?’ And when it doesn’t show up? No. The answer’s no.

“So there’s stuff that needs to be improved.”

Head on over here for the full story.

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Buckeyes vs. Minnesota: 1 day
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 8 days

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