The Maryland game had its headline moments: Jeremiah Smith’s two touchdowns, Nate Roberts’ 68-yarder, Julian Sayin’s four touchdown passes. But two of the plays that helped decide it were smaller, and they were connected. One was a 2-yard run, and the other was the block that made it possible.
Mason Williams threw that block. Bo Jackson ran through it. And the same Mason Williams had already scored the first touchdown of his Ohio State career. Here’s the story of two players who turned a sloppy afternoon into a comfortable one.*
Mason Williams: The Ohio Kid Who Waited
Williams is from Mogadore, Ohio, and he came to Ohio State as a transfer from Ohio University. He wasn’t a headline name. But he impressed this spring, enough that the tight end room became a real competition instead of a one-man show.
Against Maryland, his moment came right before halftime. Ohio State had just stopped a Maryland fake punt, and the offense drove 44 yards. Sayin found Williams from one yard out with 24 seconds left, giving the Buckeyes a 31-10 lead. It was Williams’ first touchdown as a Buckeye. It also made six games in a row in which Ohio State has scored in the final 30 seconds of the first half.
Williams finished with two catches and that touchdown, and Roberts called him a smart, gritty player. Those words describe a lot of Ohio State tight ends who never get the credit they deserve.
Bo Jackson: The Game Fans Were Waiting For
Jackson came into this season carrying real expectations. As a freshman he ran for 1,090 yards and six touchdowns. This year had been slower. He’d found the end zone once before Maryland, and Ja’Kobi Jackson had been taking carries.
Against Maryland, Jackson answered. He ran 23 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns, a career high in carries and his first 100-yard game since last November against Michigan. Ryan Day had challenged the backs to run angry before the Illinois game, and Jackson has raised his carries, yards and touchdowns in each of the last three games.
Two runs stood out:
- The fourth-down touchdown. On fourth-and-2 from the Maryland 25, Jackson went up the middle through a big hole and into the end zone, making it 38-16 late in the third quarter. It came right after Maryland’s pick-six had made things tense.
- The closer. His 2-yard score with 4:52 left came behind Williams’ block, and it capped a long second-half drive in which the two Jacksons chewed up more than nine minutes of clock.
His season line now sits at 89 carries for 460 yards and four touchdowns, 5.2 yards per carry. Ja’Kobi Jackson added 76 yards on 14 carries, and the Buckeyes ran for 207 yards as a team, their first 200-yard game since the season opener.
Who Do They Remind Fans Of?
Bo Jackson reminds people of Quinshon Judkins and Beanie Wells. Day compared Jackson to Judkins last season, citing his physical running and his ability to finish through contact. Cardale Jones later compared him to Wells, and Wells himself said Ohio State should hand the backfield to Jackson. Jeremiah Smith said Jackson is “the next great running back to come through” Ohio State.
You can see why in the 25-yard run. Jackson wasn’t flashy. He read the hole, hit it and finished.
Mason Williams reminds me of Cade Stover. That comparison is mine, not a coach’s. Stover was an Ohio kid, physical, and willing to do the dirty work. He was known for his toughness as a blocker, and he made the plays that counted when his number was called. Williams has the same feel: an Ohio native who blocks first, catches when needed, and scores when the moment arrives.
Why This Duo Matters Against Indiana
Indiana is a harder test. Sports Illustrated reports the Hoosiers allow just 2.3 yards per carry, and they held Ohio State to 2.2 in last year’s title game. For the run game to work, Ohio State needs backs who finish and tight ends who win blocks. Jackson and Williams showed they can do both.
There’s good news on the injury front too. Day said a bunch of the missing starters should return, but even then, this pairing has earned a bigger role.
My Take
Big games aren’t only decided by the stars. They’re decided by a tight end who wins a block and a back who finishes the run behind it. Williams and Jackson did that against Maryland.
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