Perhaps we've been looking at the Ohio State Buckeyes' 14-7 win over the Texas Longhorns during Week 1 of the 2025 season all wrong. Perhaps OSU's performance wasn't actually one worth celebrating all that much beyond Matt Patricia's defensive dominance.
As Saturday Tradition's Cory Nightingale noted, Brian Hartline's offense, despite having Heisman candidate Julian Sayin under center, and with elite wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate lining up on the outside, produced two scores in 60 minutes at the "Shoe."
Infamously, in losses against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship and against the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl Classic in their elimination game, that offensive malaise happened again.
What that says for new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's offense is unclear. Nightingale sounded guarded about promising that the long-time NFL play-caller will spruce up an offense that may have a reputation that exceeds its production.
"The Buckeyes’ supposedly high-octane offense fell flat on its face after a 12-0 regular season, and Ohio State‘s repeat national title hopes went with it. Perhaps the problems were hidden by a schedule that, shall we say, didn’t exactly test the Buckeyes on a week-to-week basis the way SEC teams are. But there was that Week 1 victory over preseason No. 1 Texas that left Arch Manning with all the question marks when perhaps we should’ve been asking about Ohio State only managing 14 points on its home field. But the defending champs got the benefit of the doubt, until those offensive woes showed up again at the very worst time, when OSU managed just 10 points in the Big Ten title game loss to Indiana and 14 points in the Playoff quarterfinal exit against Miami," Nightingale wrote.
"Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith return, and that’s a very nice start for first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, but it must translate into a whole lot better against the best competition in 2026."
Smith has plenty of talent in the offense he's inheriting. He just may not have a 2019 LSU Tigers-esque artillery at his disposal, as evidenced by a few duds over the team's 14-game, one-and-done CFP finish last year.
Ohio State had No. 13-ranked offense in 2025 and could get even better
Smith could make one small adjustment from the fairly short-lived Hartline era of Buckeyes play-calling and likely make a massive difference: get the running game more involved with Bo Jackson and Isaiah West leading the way.
OSU ranked No. 13 nationally on the offensive end last season, leaving open the possibility of improvement and setting the bar pretty high. The Buckeyes scored on a little over 45% of their drives last season. That number can go up with more field goals as a result of better field position from frequent chain-moving, which results from a smash-mouth run game.
Smith isn't reinventing the wheel in Cbus and doesn't have to. He just needs to show Sayin and the RB room what an effective pro offense looks like. Do that well, and he may be looking at head coaching offers in the offseason.