There’s another gear when Bo Jackson breaks through the line of scrimmage.
It’s easy to spot. Just watch his 64-yard run from Saturday against Ohio, the longest jaunt by any Buckeye this season. He zips through an arm tackle on a simple inside zone play, cuts around one diving defender before slipping through another’s grasp and dashes all the way down to the Bobcats’ 11-yard line before being escorted out of bounds, while tossing that defender aside with a stiff arm.
Bo can go
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 14, 2025
Bo Jackson breaks free for a big @OhioStateFB run.
: Peacock pic.twitter.com/layC5RLlyT
Ryan Day isn’t committed to making Jackson Ohio State’s feature back yet. But after far outperforming the rest of the room running the ball in the past two games, it feels like Jackson should be RB1 for the Buckeyes.
“Bo has some home run-hitting ability, which is a weapon for us and we’ll figure out how that fits in moving forward,” Day said. “And the more he plays, the more he’s gonna learn. But you can see the vision and you can see the explosiveness.”
Ohio State’s brightest star saw the light on Jackson long before any media pundit.
“I’ve been saying it. Like I said, Bo Jackson is that guy,” wide receiver Jeremiah Smith said after the game. “You’re gonna be seeing that throughout the rest of the season.”
It’s not just Jackson’s ability to hit the home run, either. His burst between the tackles or on the edge wipes out angles for defenders. He turns 6 yards of space into an 11-yard gain, just by dashing past that one extra man with his incredible burst.
Jackson did that multiple times during his 109-yard performance against the Bobcats, a mark he achieved in just nine carries. Through two appearances, he has 18 carries for 217 yards and one touchdown, an average of 12.1 yards per carry. CJ Donaldson has 33 carries this year and James Peoples has 25, and across those 58 rushes, they have only outgained Jackson by 20 yards at 237.
Still, Day felt Ohio State’s running game took strides as a whole against Ohio, not just Jackson. Peoples turned in a solid seven-carry, 47-yard outing, and Donaldson picked up some key first downs in short yardage. As a team, the Buckeyes rushed for 225 yards on 31 carries, an average of 7.3 per attempt. Where they struggled was in the red zone, though, a major reason why they only scored two touchdowns on six trips inside the 20-yard line.
“I don't know if (rushing strugglles are) so much the story as it is just not converting in the red zone,” Day said. “When you have, on 63 plays, just under 600 yards, I think it's more about, when we got down to the red zone, we weren't able to execute. And those runs were not efficient. So I'm going to obviously watch the film and figure out if it was scheme, if it was coaching or if it was personnel.”
Day also complimented the efforts of Peoples and Donaldson. It’s clear the plan is to continue involving all three in the offense. Peoples and Donaldson are both more refined in pass protection than Jackson and Donaldson has made plays as a receiver out of the backfield, with two receptions for 13 yards against Ohio.
“I thought James had some runs in the second half that were better from him,” Day said. “I thought CJ ran hard on a couple good runs, especially on the 3rd-and-1 with the big grouping in the game. There was a big guy in the hole and that’s short-yardage running, you’ve gotta run and be your own blocker. And he did, he ran through contact. So, there were some good things there.”
Even Buckeye defenders are noticing Bo's acumen running the football.
"He's a good player, I feel like he's flashing, making the plays that I expect him to make because I see it every day in practice," Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain said.
“I’ve been saying it. Like I said, Bo Jackson is that guy.”– Jeremiah Smith on Bo Jackson
When the rock is in any of their hands, Jackson is the most likely to make something big happen. And even the most likely to turn a modest run into a chunk gain. Ohio State’s best offense might just be when he’s getting the most carries – as he did on Saturday.
“When we’re firing on all cylinders, you can see how explosive we can be,” Day said. “But if we’re not gonna score touchdowns in the red zone, we put ourselves at risk. That was a really long answer to say, there’s a lot more to it than just the rushing attack, I think.”
