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Ohio State Football: Soon Urban Meyer will have to weigh his ‘options’

By Charlie Lockhart

LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches player warm up before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches player warm up before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Urban Meyer’s option offense has varied over the years, even since he took over the Ohio State football program. Which version will he go with this season?

Everyone is well aware the most important battle on the Ohio State football team this year is the one that will determine who will lead the offense. Three talented quarterbacks are competing for  the starting spot and each brings a different skill set to the position. That means the option game will vary depending on which player is behind center.

The quarterback run has always been a part of Urban Meyer’s offense and that isn’t going to change regardless of who wins the starting job. If the QB competition is extremely close, it could just come down to which version of the option coach Meyer chooses to run.

All three players are similar to quarterbacks who have run Urban’s offense at Ohio State and / or others who have at his previous coaching stops. Each of those players gave the offense a different look but all of them were successful.

Let’s first take a look at the perceived frontrunner Dwayne Haskins.

While pro-style quarterbacks like Haskins aren’t normally associated with a zone read offense, two of coach Meyer’s three national titles have been won with a starter who was a pocket passer. Chris Leak in 2006 and Cardale Jones during the Buckeyes’ remarkable run during the 2014 season.

The best comparison for Haskins (3.8 yards per carry last season} is with Jones (4.1 in 2014) as each are better runners than Leak who only averaged 0.4. Tim Tebow carried the QB run game for the Gators in 2006.

Jones couldn’t repeat his success during the 2015 season so some may think coach Meyer wouldn’t want to go that direction with his offense again. However, the situation for a pro style quarterback to succeed this year is much better.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson coached two such players at Oklahoma, Sam Bradford and Landry Jones, to Heisman Trophy seasons. QB coach Ryan Day also worked with Bradford in 2015 with the Philadelphia Eagles and revitalized his NFL career. And that was in a Chip Kelly spread offense.

Also the Buckeyes have a stable of backs to carry much of the load in the running game and two are proven 1,000 backs. Take a look at the success coach Wilson had with a pocket passer and two excellent running backs.

In 2015, with Wilson as head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, Devine Redding and Jordan Howard each rushed for over 1,000 yards. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld only rushed 46 times for 61 yards and 5 touchdowns, but he threw for 3,573 yards and 27 touchdowns. With the talent at Wilson’s disposal this year, just how successful could the Ohio State offense be with the big-armed Haskins running the show?

The quarterback run won’t be left out of the offense, I’m sure of that. However, there will certainly be less emphasis on the zone read if Haskins is behind center. Designed carries by running backs and run-pass options will probably be the norm.

If Urban Meyer is leaning towards moving his spread offense to more of a pro-style attack, this would seem to be the year to do so. He has a gunslinger competing for the starting quarterback position and it appears all of the other pieces of the puzzle are in place.

But Urban may think back to a quarterback who really put his offense on the map. The next guy has a similar skill set to him.

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