When Ohio State coach Ryan Day met with the media for his weekly Tuesday news conference, one topic was clearly at the forefront of the conversation: the Buckeyes’ running game.
With TreVeyon Henderson sidelined by a minor injury, Ohio State ran for just 62 yards on 33 rushes in its 37-17 win against Maryland — its fewest rushing yards in a game since 2011 against Michigan State. Chip Trayanum led the way with 20 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown, and Miyan Williams chipped in just six carries for 23 yards.
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So before we look ahead to Purdue on Saturday, let’s take one more look at Ohio State’s biggest weakness: the offensive line, which will be especially pivotal in upcoming showdowns with the stingy defenses of Penn State and Michigan.
Ohio State rushing by the numbers
It’s one thing to use the eye test to say that the running game is struggling. It’s also easy to see that it ranks 98th in rushing yards per game (131.6).
Let’s go deeper. According to TruMedia, Ohio State running backs averaged just 1.29 yards before contact against Notre Dame and followed that performance with 1.42 yards before contact against Maryland. For the season, Ohio State ranks 62nd with an average of 1.97 yards before contact on running back rushes — a mediocre number dragged down by two of the worst rushing performances in the Day era in the past two games. On the ground, the Notre Dame game was saved only by Henderson’s 61-yard big play. Only three of the 20 other running back rushes gained more than four yards. Against Maryland, just six of 26 running back rushes gained more than four yards.
The run game can be hit-or-miss at times depending on matchups, but the past two games show it’s an ongoing problem for the Buckeyes, not just a matchup issue. Though Notre Dame especially has talent defensive, neither the Irish nor Maryland has a dominant defense at the level of what Ohio State will see from Penn State and Michigan.
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I asked Day if there was a common theme in the Notre Dame and Maryland games that he saw on film. He echoed a lot of what I talked about in Monday’s film review.
“I think we can do a better job of getting movement up front, getting to the second level. We can do a better job of the running backs seeing it,” Day said. “So it’s a little bit here and there. It’s not just one or two things. It’s sometimes how the run game goes, you have to keep working to get better at it.”
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On running backs rushes, Ohio State is tackled at the line or for a loss only 11.1 percent of the time, which ranks 14th. In other words, the running backs aren’t wasting time in the backfield and putting the Buckeyes in a hole. But they aren’t getting to the second level, either, with just 35 percent of their runs going for five yards or more, which ranks 81st.
As for short yardage, Ohio State running backs have converted just seven of their 13 runs on third or fourth down with three or fewer yards to go.
So if Ohio State is struggling in the run game, how it can it turn things around? For example: Should it get rid of short-side zone stretches?
Day said there are constant conversations regarding scheme and game plan.
“Schematically you’re trying to figure out what you do well,” Day said. “The stretch play gets guys out in space, it’s not just a bunch of guys in a small area. When you’re in the pistol, you don’t give away running one way or the other and you’re running downhill. We are looking at all those things to make sure we are finding the right mixture for these guys.”
Chip Trayanum led Ohio State with 61 yards against Maryland. (Joseph Maiorana / USA Today)Will Ohio State shuffle its offensive line?
We spent much of the offseason hearing how well Tegra Tshabola, Enokk Vimahi, Zen Michalski and others were coming along. That the competition in the offensive line room was making everybody better. There was some truth there, but not enough for Day to seriously consider a lineup change.
On Tuesday, he said he “looked hard” at whether the Buckeyes have enough depth to make a change. The short answer is they don’t.
“I don’t see any of those guys pushing,” Day said. “I’d like to see that, but I don’t see the pushing enough to say somebody deserves 20 or 30 snaps yet.”
Josh Fryar, Matthew Jones, Donovan Jackson, Josh Simmons and Carson Hinzman have played 303 offensive snaps apiece, per TruMedia. No other Ohio State offensive lineman has played more than Luke Montgomery’s 19 snaps.
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Depth is a problem that goes back years, even before current offensive line coach Justin Frye held the job. Now, it’s coming back to bite the Buckeyes, who are being held back by an offensive line that can’t execute in important situations.
Should Ohio State just pass more?
Kyle McCord looked great in the second half against Maryland, once Ohio State let him throw the ball around the field, completing 11-of-14 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns to finish with 320 yards for the game.
With a stout defense and a new quarterback, the Buckeyes have been trying to ease McCord in before putting the entire offense’s hopes on his shoulders. But Day said adding more to McCord’s plate could help.
“When you have a good defense and a young quarterback, you’re less likely to take as many chances early on, but there comes a time when you can’t beat your head against a wall either,” Day said. “So finding that rhythm is important.”
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McCord has struggled at times, but that should be expected for a first-year starter. Overall, he’s thrown for 1,375 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception, ranking second in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally in passing efficiency. He’s taking care of the ball despite an offensive line that can struggle in pass protection, too.
Ohio State has one game, Saturday against Purdue, to iron out the kinks before Penn State comes to town. The Nittany Lions are seventh in the country in rushing defense, giving up just 74 yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry, and also lead the nation in pressure rate, per TruMedia.
Purdue is no slouch and Ohio State has lost three of its past four games in West Lafayette dating back to 2009, so in many respects, it needs a good performance to build confidence going into next weekend in what should be a top-10 showdown that will help decide the Big Ten title race.
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Will Henderson play against Purdue?
Yes, Day said he will play, giving Ohio State a better chance to find a spark on the ground.
No word yet on wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, though. Day said it’s not a long-term injury for Egbuka.
(Top photo: Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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