With Ohio State facing 4th-and-1 from the 37-yard line late in the second quarter of Saturdays 21-7 win at Northwestern, redshirt sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud did something unexpected. Instead of handing the ball off to redshirt sophomore running back Miyan Williams up the middle, where Miami Heat Hats a host of defenders were waiting, he pulled the ball back on a read-option and scrambled 16 yards for a first down.It was a welcomed sight for fans, who have been clamoring for Stroud to run the ball more during his first 20 starts. It also set up the tying touchdown just two plays later after the Buckeyes went scorele s for more than 27 minutes to open the game.We have a couple of those in our back pocket if we need them, head coach Ryan Day said after the game. We dont like to go there if we dont have to, but we did C.J. wants to run, but we know how important it is to keep C.J. healthy. Hes not going to take shots unle s we need him to.Stroud Meyers Leonard Jersey completed just 10-of-26 pa ses for a career-low 76 yards on Saturday afternoon as Ohio State battled heavy rain and blustery winds .However, he made the play of the game with his legs when he took a read-option keeper 44 yards down the sideline to the Wildcats 5-yard line. Williams then punched it two plays later for the two-score lead with 4:21 remaining in the game.We needed him to (do it) today, and he did it, Day said. You can see what hes capable of, and when we need him to do it, hes there for us. He is a weapon. Hes got good feet. You can see him running down the sideline, he almost took that one all the way to the house.That marked the second-longest run of Strouds career, bested only by his 48-yard touchdown run in the 52-12 win at Michigan State in 2020, when he played the final two drives in relief of starter Justin Fields during his true freshman season.The Buckeyes learned first-hand the importance of keeping their quarterback healthy that fall, though, as Fields whose dual-threat abilities made him a first-round pick the following spring got banged up in the postseason.Stroud even entered the 49-28 Sugar Bowl victory over Clemson for one play after Fields took a shot to the ribs in the second quarter. It then hampered his play in the College Football Playoff National Championship lo s to Alabama two weeks later.That affected Justin a little bit, especially in the national championship game, Day said. With C.J., hes such a weapon in Denzel Curry Jersey the pocket with what he can do, weve got to be smart about when we put him in those situations. But that has nothing to do with C.J. He wants to compete and he wants those opportunities, so when the time was right today, he did it to win the game, and thats whats most important.Thats the balance you try to find. Is it worth it to get the quarterback involved and expose him to shots that could potentially put him out of the game or do you need those yards? I think thats where you have to make good decisions.More News From Sports Illustrated: | | | Of course, Stroud isnt Fields, J.T. Barrett or Braxton Miller, so its Tim Hardaway Jersey unlikely the Buckeyes will suddenly draw up quarterback runs now. But much like Dwayne Haskins did in the 52-51 overtime win at Maryland in 2018, when he rushed for three touchdowns, Stroud showed on Saturday he can impact games with his legs, even if his and the coaching staffs preference is to beat teams with his arm.Scroll to ContinueWe had to find another way to win, Stroud said. Im like that every game, though. Im willing to do anything to win, (whether) thats throwing the ball or running the ball It felt good to get a couple runs in today. Hopefully Coach Day calls some more runs, maybe everybody in the world will be Josh Richardson Jersey happy with me.-----Get your Ohio State football tickets from . Also, be sure to check out our new me sage boards, . We'd love to have you part of the conversation during the season.-----You may also like:-----Be sure to stay locked into all the time!Follow Andrew Lind on Twitter: Follow BuckeyesNow on Twitter: Follow BuckeyesNow on Instagram: !