No one expected Week 1 to be perfect for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they figured out their deep running back rotation. In fact, few would've looked twice at Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combining for 21 carries against Akron in Week 1. 

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has a tough but desirable task to split their touches without compromising the unit's flow. This week, he finally made his expectations known for both Judkins and Henderson as the season progresses. The key part is increasing the volume for both.

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When asked about splitting reps between Judkins and Henderson, two of our top backs in the 2025 NFL Draft, Kelly said, “43 and 40 would be better, 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 Henderson carried the ball five times fewer than Judkins, he managed to amass 65 rushing yards compared to Judkins' 55. 

Consequently, Henderson boasted an average of 8.1 yards per carry, including three occasions where he rushed for more than 10 yards each time, whereas Judkins averaged 4.2 yards on each carry, achieving over 10 yards on just two runs, but did score a touchdown at the goal line.

It's also important to mention that according to Pro Football Focus, Judkins' statistics from the previous season—like his breakaway percentage of 27.5% and an average of 3.21 yards after contact per attempt—weren't exceptionally standout. 

However, the substantial number of carries he had while playing for the Rebels, totaling 271, might have been a significant reason for this.

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"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."

In both of his seasons at Ole Miss, Judkins surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground. He earned first-team All-SEC honors twice. As a reliable player for Ole Miss, Judkins managed to secure four first downs in his debut against Ohio State, in addition to scoring a touchdown.

Kelly mentioned on Tuesday that his approach to calling the game doesn't change whether Henderson or Judkins is playing.

“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.

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Knowing this, if Ohio State's offensive line complies, the rushing totals could be impressive. The line must improve, though, as neither back had huge lanes to find against Akron. That in itself is the top concern for the entire Ohio State football program.