Ohio State Football: Buckeye offensive line needs to step up

The Ohio State football team had a lackluster performance against Indiana yesterday. The offensive line needs a wake-up call.

The Ohio State football team went into Bloomington, Indiana yesterday looking for an easy win. They got one, but the overall offensive performance was pathetic at best. As the Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day try to break in a new starting quarterback, it’s imperative that the offensive line plays well. That did not happen yesterday, which is extremely concerning.

Josh Simmons did not play particularly well yesterday at left tackle. He got pushed back in the run game and on a few occasions lost his battle in pass protection. I think Kyle McCord was quick to go to his check-down reads in the passing game because he did not believe in his protection in the pocket.

But the most concerning aspect of all this is that it happened against Indiana. No offense to them, but they don’t exactly have the most skilled defensive line in the world. And if they can generate that type of pressure against this Buckeye offensive line, then just imagine what Notre Dame could do in three weeks.

Offensive line coach Justin Frye needs to figure this out fast. Kyle McCord or Devin Brown needs to be able to have time to look down the field for Marvin Harrison and Emeka Egbuka. They were nonfactors in this game because the quarterbacks didn’t have the time to throw the ball downfield. Maybe Donovan Jackson needs to be slid over to tackle or Luke Montgomery needs a chance to play.

I was concerned all offseason about the offensive line, and it looks like my fears are true. They need to do better in the upcoming weeks or that Notre Dame game is going to be difficult to win.