Why Carlos Hyde's Suspension Isn't Hyde's Fault

By Joseph Barry on July 31, 2013

The casual observer reading about the latest Ohio State slip-up, Carlos Hyde allegedly hitting a girl in Columbus’ Sugar Bar 2 earlier this month, might view the incident as just another in a long line of legal troubles for Urban Meyer-coached players. Meyer has released a statement citing Carlos Hyde’s punishment, despite the case being closed and the charges dropped. Many would say that Meyer had to give some punishment due to how the media has seemingly held him responsible for Carlos Hyde allegedly hitting a girl and Aaron Hernandez allegedly killing a man (both of which are ridiculous to blame Meyer for) in the recent months.

While it definitely saves a little face for coach Urban, I believe he has an ulterior motive in his suspension of Hyde.

A huge grievance of non-Buckeyes this summer has been how weak of a schedule Ohio State will play this upcoming season. Not only do they play in the down Big Ten Conference, but Ohio State’s non-conference schedule is simply a cakewalk (or at least it should be). With games against Buffalo, San Diego State, California, and Florida A&M, it is hard to say the Buckeyes are exactly challenging themselves when you see Week 1 match-ups including Clemson-Georgia, LSU-TCU, and Alabama-Virginia Tech.

Sophomore Bri’onte Dunn will be one of a few talented but unexperienced running backs who will fill in while Carlos Hyde is suspended; photo from buckeyeempire.com

However, without a notable non-conference game (California being the most threatening), Urban Meyer is killing two birds with one stone by suspending Carlos Hyde. Behind Hyde, Ohio State boasts a talented, but very, very unproven, group of running backs. Senior Jordan Hall (the starter going into last season) is back from injury, but has been switched to more of an all-purpose role in the offense. Therefore, the talent behind Hyde on the depth chart is simply unproven at this point.

Due to Hyde’s troubles, Meyer is able to improve his perceived image (that he recruits troublemakers and is to blame for their mistakes) a bit by showing he will not tolerate “conduct not representative of this football program or this university.”

Simultaneously, he can get the younger guys some much needed experience, adding depth to the running back position. Junior Rod Smith and sophomore Bri’onte Dunn will be looked to to take the bulk of the load while Carlos Hyde sits; however, don’t be surprised to see true freshman Ezekiel Elliott (4-star according to Rivals and ESPN) thrown in the mix. Elliot has a lot of potential, and I’m sure Urban is excited to be able to get Elliot some game reps with some space vacated in the crowded backfield thanks to Hyde’s brief absence.

The physical Rod Smith should get a good amount of experience in the first three games with Carlos Hyde on the sidelines; photo from espn.com

However, Elliot will definitely have to earn his reps as he’ll likely be behind Smith and Dunn on the depth chart, at least initially. Smith is a bruiser of a back, having carried the ball 61 times in is career and never having been tackled for a loss. Dunn is the quicker of the two backs, seeing action in eleven of the twelve games last season, only carrying the ball 25 times but averaging 5.3 yards per carry for the season.

Urban likely isn’t looking for one of the young backs to distance himself as the clear #2. He will want the players to gain experience so that, once Hyde returns, they can make the Ohio State offense even more explosive as a whole when they give Carlos Hyde a breather.

In the long run, this suspension should help the Buckeyes in the long run as they look to win the BCS national championship.

 

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