By Jim Naveau

jnaveau@limanews.com

COLUMBUS – The state of Ohio State’s running game was the subject of the first question of Ryan Day’s weekly press conference on Tuesday. The final question of the day also was related to the Buckeyes’ running game and so were several others in between the first and last inquiries.

This came three days after No. 3 OSU (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) rushed for a season-low 62 yards in a 37-17 win over Maryland.

The lack of production in the running game is more than a one-game situation, though. Ohio State is averaging only 131.6 yards a game on the ground, which is nearly 95 yards less than it was averaging after five games last season.

Day said OSU’s coaches have been searching for answers. “Just like anybody in any other line of work, if there are areas where you have to improve you have to look at everything – what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, how we’re preparing, how we’re practicing, how we’re calling it. That’s going on,” he said.

“I watched the film (of the Maryland game) and I think we have the personnel to do it. We have to coach them better and that starts with me. I think we have the right guys,” he said.

Day said getting the running game working is necessary if the Buckeyes are going to accomplish what they want to do in the second half of the season.

“At the end of the day you’ve got to move the ball. There are games coming up when it’s going to be raining, it’s going to be windy and you’re not going to have an opportunity to go five wide and throw it all over the yard.

“Throwing for 450 yards in a game is great but it’s going to catch up with you late in the season if you can’t run the ball. I learned my lesson on that,” he said.

“The other thing is this year we have a good defense and a young quarterback and maybe we’re less likely to take as many chances. Our No. 1 goal is to win games. We’ve got to keep building and getting better. We know we’re going to need both sides of the offense, both running and passing.”

Day said changing the lineup on OSU’s offensive line is not under consideration. The starters in the first five games – Josh Simmons and Josh Fryar at the tackles, Donovan Jackson and Matt Jones at the guards and Carson Hinzman at center – will start at Purdue (2-4, 1-2 Big Ten) on Saturday.

None of the Buckeyes’ second-team offensive linemen have made a case for becoming a starter at this point in the season, he said.

“We’ve looked hard at it. We don’t see any of those guys pushing right now. I don’t see them pushing on the door enough to say someone deserves 20 or 30 snaps just yet,” Day said.

Some other thoughts from Day:

EGBUKA’S INJURY NOT LONG TERM: Day described the knee injury wide receiver Emeka Egbuka suffered against Maryland last week as “not long term,” which is the same way he described it after OSU’s 37-17 win over the Terrapins.

“One thing I can tell you is it’s not going to be a long-term issue. We’ll probably have a better idea how he’s doing later in the week. The good news is it’s not a long-term issue and we’ll kind of evaluate it as the week goes on.” Day said.

WHERE’S HAYDEN?: Sophomore running back Dallan Hayden is healthy but has not played in a game yet this season after playing in 10 games and rushing for 553 yards last season. He had three games of more than 100 yards – 146 against Maryland, 108 against Toledo and 102 against Indiana.

With TreVeyon Henderson, Chip Trayanum and Miyan Williams dominating the playing time at running back this season, the plan is to redshirt Hayden, Day said.

“What we didn’t want to do was put Dallan in a situation where we were going to use up a year of eligiblity with three running backs (ahead of him). He’s ready to go, he’s been practicing. If appropriate we will put him in a game,” he said.

“We also don’t want to have him play in five or six games without getting a lot of work in. We don’t think that’s the right thing to do for Dallan. We think he’s a really good player.”

Hayden can play in four games this season and still keep the possibility of redshirting open.