Ohio State football: Ryan Day’s nightmare

Way back in March of 1975, Alice Cooper released his iconic concept album Welcome to My Nightmare that featured a monologue by famed horror actor Vincent Price. The subsequent concert tour featured a stage show that was considered over the top even by 70’s performance rock standards. So, why am I telling you this? Because now that his offense is hitting on all cylinders, Ryan Day is saying “Welcome to My Nightmare” to opposing defensive coordinators.

TreVeyon Henderson is a special running back. The receivers are the best in the country, while the offensive line is one of, if not the best in the country. Combine all of that and the Ohio State football team’s offense is a nightmare to handle, but it is C.J. Stroud that makes the nightmare what it is for defenses.

Since having a week off to mend his shoulder, Stroud has looked like a different quarterback. He is the one who makes this nightmare a reality because he is accurately delivering the ball to that three-headed receiving monster, so they can make something happen after the catch.

Each week we see something Stroud has added to his game. This past week he showed the ability to climb the pocket, throw the ball away when instead of forcing it into coverage, and even taking off and running a few times. His emergence has allowed this nightmare for defensive coordinators to flourish.

The way Rutgers and Maryland tried to defend the Buckeyes is a prime example of what I mean. Rutgers played a lot of man-to-man coverage while they tried to pressure Stroud. The OSU line did a great job of protecting their quarterback and giving him time. The trio of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba ran past the Rutgers cornerbacks all day. They combined for ten catches for 256 yards and three touchdowns.

After seeing Rutgers shredded for trying to be aggressive, Maryland decided to concentrate on stopping the run, and sit back in a two-deep zone. That proved to be an even worse strategy. That scarlet and gray three-headed monster combined for 22 catches for 307 yards, and four touchdowns.

The Ohio State football team also made Maryland pay for concentrating on stopping Henderson from running all over them. Since there wasn’t a lot of running room for the true freshman phenom, Day decided to have Stroud throw it to him. Henderson finished with four catches for 67 yards, and a touchdown-44 of those yards came after the catch.

Sitting back in coverage is obviously not a good strategy either. By the way, even with that slow start, Henderson finished with over 100 yards rushing for the day. He and Master Teague have combined to average 6.7 yards per carry the last two weeks.

Ryan Day has created an absolute nightmare of an offense to defend. Sit back in coverage and it will pick you apart. Try to pressure and play man-to-man, and its receivers will run by you. Same with loading up to stop the run-its receivers will burn you. Back off and commit to stopping them from throwing the ball, and they’ll run all over you. This is the definition of a nightmare for defensive coordinators.

I don’t doubt upcoming opponents are going to do everything they can to disguise coverages and blitz players from every possible angle. It may work for a while, but what happens after the Buckeyes adjust? What you’ll have is Ryan Day standing on the other sideline, smiling and thinking, “Welcome to My Nightmare.”