TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins could both reach 1,000-yard rushing seasons during the CFP title game

Despite being a 7.5- to 8.5-point favorite, depending on the oddsmaker, Ohio State appears to be taking nothing for granted as it prepares for a chance at a victory that will define its legacy.

Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is expected to have a comprehensive game plan in place to give his team a fighting chance, and therefore the Buckeyes will need a complete performance to lift the CFP trophy.

And while much of the talk specifically about Ohio State’s offense vs. Notre Dame’s defense has focused on whether/how the Irish can slow down Jeremiah Smith, Will Howard and the rest of OSU’s vaunted passing attack, the Buckeyes could also be on ground that would seemingly help open up passing lanes against the Irish’s second-best pass defense (165.3 ypg).

Of course, that means two-headed tailback monster TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins will be called upon in some way to keep Notre Dame’s defense honest. This gives both boys a chance to not only help win a national championship game, but also make some history in the process.

Through 15 games, Henderson has 967 rushing yards while Judkins is at 960, meaning TreVeyon needs 33 yards each and Quinshon needs 40 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards this season.

If they can reach those marks, it will be only the third time in Ohio State history that two offensive players have reached the 1,000-yard mark in the same season.

The last time tailback Carlos Hyde (1,521) and quarterback Braxton Miller (1,068) achieved the feat was in 2013, while they played 11 and 12 games, respectively, this season. The only other time this happened in school history – including the only time two running backs did it – occurred in 1975, when Archie Griffin (1,450) and Pete Johnson (1,059) in a 12-game season did the trick.

Back to Henderson and Judkins: They have each played 15 games this season. Henderson is averaging 64.5 rushing yards per game while Judkins is averaging 64.0 yards per game. In three CFP games, Henderson exceeded his season average with 9.0 yards per carry while averaging 72 yards per game (24 atts, 216 yards). Judkins actually averaged fewer yards per game in CFP play (51.7), but is gaining 5.96 yards per attempt. In other words, Henderson’s 33 yards needed and Judkins’ 40 to break 1,000 yards each are well within reach.

It won’t be easy, however, as the Irish are ranked 28th in the country allowing just 3.67 yards per carry and 41st allowing 133 rushing yards per game. Notre Dame swallowed the rushing attacks of Indiana and Georgia in CFP contests, holding them to 63 and 62 yards, respectively. Nonetheless, Penn State had its share of success in the CFP semifinals last week, rushing for 204 yards on 4.9 per attempt. Tailbacks Nick Singleton (15 for 84, 3 touchdowns) and Kaytron Allen (19 for 82) each had some advantage, if not overwhelming success, leading to a 27-24 victory for the Irish.

Here too, the only goal next Monday in Atlanta is victory. The. Damned. Game. but if Ohio State can run too. The. Damned. Ball. If successful, Henderson and Judkins could make cool school history by joining Archie and Pete as the only running back duos to each reach 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.