Ohio State Football: New Buckeye head coach an old school guy
Ryan Day has proven he believes in old school football as the Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the most physical teams in the country.
Ryan Day has let everybody know he wants his Ohio State football team to be considered a tough, physical one. With the way the Buckeyes have played through six games there is no doubt he means what he says.
Coaches have always said to be considered a physical team there are things you have to do well. Have a strong rushing attack and play strong defense, with an emphasis on stopping the run.
That’s old school football and Ohio State has excelled in those areas the first half of the regular season. First a look at the offense.
The Buckeyes are averaging 289 yards per game on the ground with J.K. Dobbins leading the way with 826 yards and Master Teague has rushed 416. Freshmen running backs Marcus Crowley (102 yards) and Steele Chambers (79) have also performed well in limited playing time.
When defenses pay too much attention to the running backs, Justin Fields can pull the ball out of their stomachs and take off. He has 283 yards rushing so far and has scored 8 touchdowns.
On defense Ohio State is only allowing 234.7 yards of total offense, 82.7 rushing yards and have only given up 8.8 points per game. The Buckeyes are ranked among the top teams in the country in those categories.
Last Saturday was the biggest test this season for Ohio State. Would coach Day continue with his concept? Nobody believes in old school football more than Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio.
He was an assistant under Jim Tressel who was an assistant under Earle Bruce who coached under Woody Hayes. How more old school can you get?
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It was obvious coach Day would attempt to shut down the Spartans’ ground game but would he try to pound the rock against one of the best run defenses in the country? He certainly did, and even stayed with it after the Buckeyes had little success running the football the first 15 minutes of the game.
After the slow start, Ohio State got on a roll scoring 24 points in the 2nd quarter and J.K. Dobbins took off on a 67-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes left before halftime. The Buckeyes defeated the Spartans 34-10 at their own game playing the best brand of old school football.
Ohio State had 323 rushing yards on 49 carries vs. Michigan State’s 67 yards on 27. The Buckeyes led in total yards 529 to 285 and Justin Fields only attempted 25 passes.
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That’s old school football like I watched decades ago when a legendary head coach walked the sidelines wearing a short sleeve shirt in cold weather. I’m sure Woody would approve of the way Ryan Day has this year’s Ohio State team playing old school football.