Ohio State rushing and scoring D ready for improvement
There is no doubt the rushing game and defense will have to improve for Ohio State to make it back to the College Football Playoff. Expect that to happen.
Ohio State has been in the College Football Playoff invitational discussion every season. Barring two embarrassingly bad blowout losses to Iowa and Purdue and a head-scratching home loss to Michigan State, the Buckeyes would have been included all five years.
Of course, the reasons do not matter. You cannot rewrite history or absolve the team of those losses.
None of the reasons will matter in 2020 either, except maybe the psychological hurdle of avoiding a collapse against an inferior team. Given the yearly pressure of playing for Ohio State, I do not think that factor will be on the players’ minds.
Besides, Ryan Day has a strong team mixed with star power and fresh faces ready to make their impact.
Obviously wins and losses ultimately determine who gets into the playoff. I do believe you can look at key stats from the 2018 season to gain insight into where Ohio State needs to improve in 2019 to earn its third playoff berth.
The Buckeyes finished last year ranked No. 63 in the NCAA in rushing averaging 171.3 yards-per-game and No. 51 in scoring defense and gave up 25.5 points-per-game.
By comparison, Clemson finished No. 10 in rushing averaging, 248.2 yards-per-game, and No. 1 in scoring defense allowing just 13.1 points-per-game.
Notre Dame and Alabama had favorable statistics on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma’s offense was outstanding, but the Sooners defense was even worse than the Buckeyes.
Realizing last year’s dramatic shift to a pass first scheme caused much of the dip in rushing for the Buckeyes, so I am less concerned about the offense improving the ground game. The offensive line is less experienced this year, but has considerably better depth and much higher upside from the younger players.
Coupled with J.K Dobbins and Master Teague’s one-two punch and Justin Fields’ dual-threat abilities, I am comfortable in predicting a rise in production closer to 220 yards-per-game.
Where the bleeding needs to stop is on defense which has been trending downward for two-straight seasons.
Giving up more points per game is not unexpected considering the rapid advancement of offensive firepower over the last five years. Even the 2014 team allowed 22.0 points-per-game.
Dropping to 25.5 points-per-game is inexcusable though. Getting carved up on the ground is even more alarming.
The average needs to drop closer to 18 points-per-game which would put them back in the top 15. Talent is not the issue to make it happen, this defense has plenty.
The question is whether or not the new coaches can get better and more consistent production from both the 10 returning starters and the 2018 class which was loaded with elite defensive players. I would be shocked if the new coaches did anything this offseason except hammer home the fundamentals of gap assignments, techniques and proper depth.
If there are improvement in these areas, the defense will return to its Silver Bullet days.