Ohio State football: Can the offense be as good as previous years?

The Ohio State football team has had some exciting offenses in the last few years. Can their offense be that good in 2021?

I’m going to throw out some numbers for you. 41, 47, 42, 41. Any guess as to what those are? How about these? 519,530,535,506. How about now? Any guesses? One last set for you. 7.3, 6.9, 6.6, 6.9. Nope, not playing Bingo.

Rather, these are the points per game, total yards per game, and yards per play averages of the Ohio State offense over the last four seasons. What do all of those numbers have in common? Ryan Day had a hand in coaching all four of those offenses.

From 2017 when Day first joined the staff through last year, his second as head coach, the Buckeyes’ offense averaged 43 points and 522 yards per game, and 6.9 yards per play. Who will be the starting quarterback is the foremost question in the mind of most Ohio State football fans. But, the bigger question is can this offense be as good as the previous four?

Football at the NFL and college levels is a quarterback-driven game. The combination of rules and types of offenses has led to this. Obviously, the level of success for the Ohio State offense in 2021 is going to hinge largely on the performance of whichever of those young quarterbacks is the starter. Equally important in my view is the offensive line.

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Providing adequate protection is going to take on extra added importance this year. Young quarterbacks may take an extra second or two to read a defense. This offensive line is going to have to give that extra bit of time. You also don’t want your young quarterbacks getting beaten up or pressured constantly.

Pressure can lead to bad decisions and mistakes. Ryan Day wants his quarterbacks to take care of the ball, so pass protection is paramount. The Buckeyes are going to have a veteran group up front, but they’ll be tested right from the get-go. Minnesota feels they’re talented and deep along their defensive line.

Another way for offensive line coach Greg Studrawa’s group to help out the young quarterbacks is to turn into the usual road graders we’re used to seeing. Run the ball effectively, avoid third and long yardage to stay out of blitz situations, and wear down the defense. Those things go a long way in taking the pressure off any quarterback.

A few weeks ago I wrote how the Buckeyes are searching for that special running back (read that here). I still believe that type of player is necessary for them to make a real run at the national title, but if the offensive line shoves around opposing defenses again this year, Master Teague and his backfield mates will put up a lot of yards.

Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave may be the best receiving tandem in the country, but the offense needs more production from other members of this group. Part of that issue has been addressed by moving Wilson from the slot to the X-receiver (read about it here).

That opens up a spot for Jaxon Smith-Njigba to step into. With the addition of the talented sophomore Smith-Njigba to the lineup, it puts the team’s three best wide receivers on the field. Add in glue-fingered tight end Jeremy Ruckert and you have a nightmare situation for defensive coordinators to deal with. There is certainly not a lack of targets for the young quarterbacks.

So, what about those young quarterbacks? I’m not going to choose between C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller, and Kyle McCord and anoint one the starter right now like others are doing. What I will say is this. Regardless of who leads the offense onto the field for the first time on September 2nd against Minnesota, they are a Ryan Day quarterback.

That means they will be very well-prepared for whatever the Golden Gophers throw at them. The moment will not be too big and they will not panic if something goes wrong. They will improve each week, become a more dangerous weapon, and a stronger leader.

They will make mistakes and suffer growing pains but will learn and get better because of those missteps. I’m not too worried about how the starting quarterback is going to perform over the course of the season. Whoever it is will be just fine.

Can this offense reach the level of what we’ve seen the past four seasons? Yes, it certainly can. All of those preseason polls which don’t have this team ranked near the top four have not been paying attention the last few seasons.

Ryan Day is a difference-maker for an offense. I have no doubt he will turn this group into the high-powered unit we’re used to seeing. It’s going to be another fun year for Ohio State football fans.