The Bye Week

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes reach the halfway mark of the season with one of the most prolific offenses in school history. In fact, it is hard to find fault with any aspect of this team as the Buckeyes have been the most dominant and complete team in the nation, ranking in the top 15 nationally in all the major statistical categories on offense and defense while leading the nation with an average victory margin of 33.2 points per game.

C.J. Stroud is the clear Heisman favorite at this point in the season as the most efficient quarterback in the county, leading the way with 10.9 passing yards per attempt, 24 touchdowns, and a 207.6 passer rating. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams, when healthy, are the most effective one-two punch at RB in the B1G. Together, they have managed 933 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 133 attempts. Freshman Dallan Hayden has appeared as a very promising backup and shown he can carry the load as he did in the second half against Michigan State. The concern has been nagging injuries to Williams and Henderson. If both can get healthy and stay that way, then look for them to be used in more diverse ways and formations. Marvin Harrison Jr. And Emeka Egbuka have emerged as Ohio State’s newest superstar receivers and Julian Fleming has stepped up. Harrison leads the nation with nine touchdown catches. The question is when will Jaxson Smith-Njigba be able to return from his nagging hamstring injury? When he does, the Ohio State receiving corps will be unstoppable. Cade Stover has emerged as a pleasant surprise at TE, catching 16 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns and excelled as a run blocker as has Mitch Rossi from his hybrid tight end-fullback role. Gee Scott Jr has been reliable as a third tight end, giving the Buckeyes depth and be able to utilize multiple tight end packages. The offensive line has all five starters with experience who have been there since the season started. They have been noticeably better at run blocking than at this time last year and managed to control the line of scrimmage against teams like Notre Dame and Wisconsin, noted for their tough defensive lines. The backups have played extensively in the second half, so this bodes well for depth.

There is no question Ohio State’s defense has gotten better under new DC Jim Knowles. They have not allowed more than 21 points in a game and currently rank seventh in the nation allowing only 253.5 yards per game. That is almost 120 fewer yards per game than last year. Of course, they have yet to face an elite offense as none of their first six opponents rank within the top 60 nationally in total offense. Penn State, Maryland, and Michigan could test that top-ten defensive ranking. No question the defensive line has been playing well, led by Zach Harrison, J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, and Javontae Jean-Baptise on the edge. DT Mike Hall has enjoyed a breakout season thus far with 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Taron Vincent, Jerron Cage, Tyleik Williams, and Ty Hamilton have all rotated in and have made solid contributions. Tommy Eichenberg has been the defense’s most improved player, recording 50 tackles, six TFLs and a pair of sacks. Together he and Steele Chambers have turned Ohio State’s weakest position last year into a strong contributor. Although the secondary ranks in the top ten in pass defense, it has been against less than prolific pass offenses. Denzel Burke and Cam Brown have, at times, been burned on the deep throws. To be fair, both have been sidelined with nagging injuries and JK Johnson and Jyaire Brown have done a good job while filling in for them. Getting healthy could result in Burke and Brown playing better and Jordan Hancock could give the secondary a boost when he is able to play. But the secondary remains the biggest concern going forward.

Jesse Mirco has been rock-solid as punter, averaging 44.8 yards per punt while downing 10 of his 18 punts inside the 20-yard line. Noah Ruggles has gone two of three on his field goal attempts.

 

 

The second half of the season will present challenges. Obviously the two biggest ones are a road game at Penn State in two weeks and the annual rivalry game against Michigan, which has put itself as the biggest challenge between the Buckeyes and another trip to Indianapolis. So, getting everybody healthy is key. Ohio State, with everybody healthy, will be more than a match for any of the remaining teams on their schedule.