Ohio State football: 3 Questions about the offense

As we inch closer to the start of another Ohio State football season, we take a look at some questions the offense has to answer.

We’re just a few away from the Buckeyes opening fall camp in preparation for the 2021 season. So, I think this is a good time to ask three questions each about the offense, defense, and special teams. Today we’ll start with the offense. I’m not claiming these questions are the most burning and important, and the fate of Ohio State’s season rests on these issues. I’m not that pretentious. These are just three questions that come to mind when I think of Ryan Day’s offense.

Will more of an effort be made to get the ball to receivers not named Olave or Wilson? – Last season Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson combined for 93 catches. That’s nearly 60% of the team’s receptions. Olave had 50 catches. Wilson had 43. Jeremy Ruckert was next with 13.

I think you’ll see that change this year, because of Wilson’s move to the outside from the slot. Jaxon Smith-Njigba moves into Wilson’s old position and I expect him to be very productive. With Olave and Wilson stretching the field on one side or the other, Smith-Njigba is going to have a lot of room to work.

When he is not in the game, I don’t think you’ll see much drop off, if any at all, to Emeka Egbuka. I think the slot receiver position is going to be very productive again this season. My hope is tight end Jeremy Ruckert becomes more involved in the passing game.

At 6’5”, 253 pounds he is a matchup nightmare for defenses. Think Rob Gronkowski/Travis Kelce here. I think Ryan Day absolutely must make Ruckert a bigger part of the offense. In order to get a receiver involved in the passing game, he needs to show the ability to get open. I think this group is well equipped this year with multiple guys who can do that. The more the ball is spread around, the more pressure it puts on defenses.

If Master Teague begins the season as the starter, will he end it that way? – I’ll say upfront I like Master Teague. He’s a physical, no-nonsense runner, but I think he’s limited in what he brings. When he replaced Trey Sermon against Alabama, the difference between them was stark.

I’m not convinced Teague is the kind of feature back that is needed in what can be an elite offense. As last season progressed, Miyan Williams began to show an impressive skillset. The type of skills that can make him a very productive feature back.

The wildcard in the backfield situation is TreVeyon Henderson. The true freshman was the number one running back recruit in the country and was very impressive during spring drills. I expect him to turn into something special far sooner than later. I get the feeling Teague will not be able to hold off one of these two for an entire season.

Is Kyle McCord closer to C.J. Stroud than we think? – This one is actually not my idea, but it intrigues me so much I thought I’d mention it here. It was a topic of discussion on the Bucknuts’ Morning Five podcast between hosts Dave Biddle and Matt Baxendell.

Their thinking is the Ohio State staff is about 80% sold on Stroud being the starter. But, with the impending arrival of Quinn Ewers, McCord is feeling the urgency to win the job and is going to make a real push to do so.

I was impressed in the spring to see how well he picked up the offense in such a short period of time. His talent is obvious. Ryan Day had his pick of a lot of quarterbacks in last year’s recruiting class and he wanted McCord. Others, like J.J. McCarthy who went to Michigan, were rated higher, but McCord was Day’s guy. As talented as he is, I’m not convinced McCord is going to be able to overcome Stroud’s experience, but I think he’ll push him throughout the season.

Just three questions that came to mind. Things to think about on the offensive side of the ball as the season approaches. I’ll do the same with the defense tomorrow.