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2020 tOSU Offense

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KEVIN WILSON, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
  • Wilson said leadership is the area where he believes Justin Fields has grown the most. Fields is on a vegan diet now, which Wilson said has made him leaner and faster.
  • Wilson said offensive game planning and play calling is very collaborative between him, Ryan Day and the rest of Ohio State's offensive coaching staff. They don't talk a lot during drives because they're a no-huddle team, but they are usually on the same page because they often see things the same way.
  • Wilson said Master Teague and Trey Sermon have split the running backs reps with the first-team offense, and he thinks they'll split snaps about 50/50 to start the season. Wilson said he would “anticipate Coach Alford getting to the point where three guys are playing” at running back; Steele Chambers is currently leading the second-team running backs.
  • Wilson said Ohio State has moved walk-on Xavier Johnson to running back and that both he and Demario McCall are functioning as hybrid backs/receivers.
  • Wilson said Ohio State has to be careful about how they ramp up practice over the next couple of weeks because of how long it's been since the Buckeyes have practiced in pads. Said the biggest thing they've missed this offseason is young players not getting those reps in pads.
  • On Ohio State's tight end unit: “I think it's got a chance to be the best we've had since we've been here.”
  • “We had a lot of guys opt in. The key is we need to make sure guys keep buying in.”
  • “I think the tight ends are very, very undervalued by a lot of people.”
  • Wilson said the coaches need to be careful not to overthink their offensive game planning with how much talent they have to work with. Want to keep it simple so those talented players can “cut it loose.”
 
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“I think it'll be a 50-50 ballpark (split between Teague and Sermon) as we start,” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said on Friday afternoon.

Had the season started on Aug. 31 as originally scheduled, Sermon perhaps would have held a stranglehold on the starting job, taking the majority of carries as Teague worked his way back to the field from an Achilles injury. The later-than-usual opening kickoff plays in Teague’s favor, however.

All indications have been that the third-year running back, who suffered his injury during Ohio State’s first spring practice in March, has steadily healed over the course of the past six months. Teague did what Ryan Day once predicted, attacking his rehab to get himself to the point where he’s fully involved in practices. Wilson said Friday that Teague is “doing everything and looks really good.”

With Teague’s health no longer in question, he and Sermon will take relatively equal snaps and carries when the season begins.

“We've got five guys who are getting a lot of work, the bulk of it being split between Master and Trey with the ones and then Steele (Chambers) and the other guys are managing our second team right now,” Wilson said.

Just sayin': It's great to hear that Master Teague is fully recovered.
 
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Hartline was asked to run down which of his talented wide receivers are practicing at the X and which are practicing at the Z. Hartline immediately harkened back to his former head coach, Jim Tressel, and launched into an explanation as to why it wouldn’t be in his best interest to really answer that question. He did, however, impressively channel his former head coach and delivered a Tresselesque monologue of coach-speak as to why it it a good idea for players to practice at both positions. He did so without once ever hinting at who is practicing where, making it an outstanding piece of Tressel-talk.

One thing that Hartline did confirm is that the freshman wide receivers all have a chance to play. “The film doesn’t lie” Hartline said when asked if would have any reservation playing the freshmen but quickly added that the best way for the freshmen to get on the field is to willing to play multiple roles, be that different positions, as a blocker at the point of attack, and on special teams. Also critical to freshmen getting playing time is the ability to not make silly and critical mistakes. It is expected that they can make plays. Avoiding mistakes is another story, and something that almost all young players need to learn.

Hartline coaches what is undeniably a skill position, the wide receiver position, but steadfastly asserted that the best football team is the one that blocks, the best, tackles the best and is the toughest. Those are the qualities he’s looking for in his players even though they play a skill position.

There was a lot of discussion regarding the rise of second-year wide receiver Jamison Williams. Williams is one of the fastest Buckeyes on the team. Speed has never been an issue for Williams, but Harline said that Williams has improved because he is doing all the things to improve as a player who might not have that speed. He is becoming a better route-runner and blocker and has improved his overall consistency. That improvement is not limited to on-field improvement. Harline said Williams has improved as a leader and is the classroom as well.

There is a lot of excitement over the move of Garrett Wilson to the slot receiver position. While most people are focused on Wilson’s role in the passing game, Hartline is just excited about his role in the running game. Wilson will be called on to block linebackers from his slot position “and he can” said Hartline. Hartline also called him a nightmare matchup and a very dynamic inside receiver. Hartline is also excited about slot receivers Demario McCall and Mookie Cooper. McCall has versatile skills as both a receiver and runner at the H-back position, and Hartline is very pleased and surprised at the progress Cooper has made, saying that he is “much further along that I anticipated”, particularly in view of the fact that Cooper missed his senior year of high school football and also spring football due to the pandemic shutdown. “He has natural ability to play football” said Hartline of Cooper.
 
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“Am I supposed to do that?” Hartline said Tuesday when asked if he could give a rundown of where his receivers are lining up. “I kind of like that no one knows right now.”

“I have no issues moving anybody to any position if it gets the right people on the field,” Hartline said. “No qualms with moving anybody anywhere if they’re able to play at a high capacity, a high level, at different spots.”
 
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This is premium (ESPN+) article; however, you only need to read the free preview:

College football's 20 best QB-receiver combos

1. Ohio State: QB Justin Fields & WR Chris Olave

In terms of PFF wins above average (WAA), only 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow was worth more wins than Justin Fields was in 2019. He lit up defenses both inside and outside of structure, recording the third-best big-time-throw rate among college quarterbacks and putting the ball in harm's way at the 16th-lowest rate nationwide.

Wide receiver Chris Olave will team up with Fields once again as the Ohio State Buckeyes set their gaze toward the College Football Playoff. Olave created separation on 82% of his targets last year, leading all FBS wide receivers, while his 3.38 yards per route run ranked 11th among receivers who saw at least 50 targets.

Fields has the ability to put up impressive numbers without a receiver who can separate at an elite level, but Olave just makes life much more comfortable, and this offense that much more dangerous.

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/college-footba...8/college-football-20-best-qb-receiver-combos
 
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A season after J.K. Dobbins became the first Buckeye to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season, the Ohio State running backs are looking to pick up where he left off.

Although Dobbins got the bulk of the carries a season ago, the Buckeyes are looking to establish a two-running back system with redshirt sophomore Master Teague and graduate transfer Trey Sermon as the primary backs. Running backs coach Tony Alford said that he’s confident in both Teague and Sermon to lead the Buckeye backfield this season.

“People always say, ‘How are we gonna fill this guy’s shoes?’ and ‘How are we gonna fill that guy’s shoes?’ But that’s college football, right?” Alford said Tuesday in a Zoom call. “I am comfortable and confident in Master and obviously with Trey as well.”

The last time the Buckeyes turned to a running back-by-committee system was 2018, when Mike Weber and Dobbins shared ball-carrying responsibilities. Both Dobbins and Weber received over 170 carries and each rushed for over 950 yards.

Alford said that if the coaches are honest with the players about their reps, then the system normally works well.

“I think if you’re forthright and honest with what you’re doing and everybody knows — right on the front end — that this is what we’re doing and here’s why, it usually works out,” Alford said. “It just depends on your approach to things and my approach has always been to be as honest and forthright as I can.”

In terms of swift operation of the running back-by-committee approach, Alford said that it’s key that there is stability in the play of the two backs.

“It goes back to consistency and how many guys we feel can really play at the level that we feel is necessary to win games at a high level,” Alford said. “A lot of it depends on the consistency of practices and the things the game plan lends itself to and how those guys fit into it.”










Both Teague and Sermon faced uncertainties throughout the offseason as Teague rehabbed from an Achilles injury and Sermon transferred from Oklahoma into a new situation at Ohio State. Both players also dealt with the Big Ten’s postponement of the football season.
 
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I keep reading that Hoak has been passed on the depth chart by the two freshmen because of the second team practice reps they're getting. I don't understand how people who follow and report on football for a living keep writing this. The freshmen need college practice reps. Hoak is a fifth year senior. The freshmen are getting reps because they will play in the blow-outs to come, especially with the Covid future eligibility rule, but this doesn't mean either of them is the back-up. If Fields goes down, Hoak is the guy. We have the horses on offense to control the game in that worst of circumstances with a game manager. In my humble estimation, there's no reason to throw a freshman in there to throw a pick-six and possibly throw a game that shouldn't be close.
 
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RugbyBuck said:
I keep reading that Hoak has been passed on the depth chart by the two freshmen because of the second team practice reps they're getting. I don't understand how people who follow and report on football for a living keep writing this. The freshmen need college practice reps. Hoak is a fifth year senior. The freshmen are getting reps because they will play in the blow-outs to come, especially with the Covid future eligibility rule, but this doesn't mean either of them is the back-up. If Fields goes down, Hoak is the guy. We have the horses on offense to control the game in that worst of circumstances with a game manager. In my humble estimation, there's no reason to throw a freshman in there to throw a pick-six and possibly throw a game that shouldn't be close.
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Outside of Ped St, id have no problem with either frosh playing. The B1G honestly doesn't have any other team with close to enough talent to beat our 2nd team and im not speaking in hyperbole. Stroud or Miller with the talent along the OL, at RB and WR(not to mention TE) would be fine. Especially with no fans in the stadium, that will aid in young players more than most will realize. Because now you're dealing with straight talent vs talent and I'd take OSU all day. No matter how much piped in sound you want, you can't have the same affect as having fans
 
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FILM STUDY: FORGET TRICK PLAYS OR TEMPO, IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT DEFINE RYAN DAY'S OFFENSE

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Ryan Day has become so synonymous with the Ohio State Football program that it's easy to forget that he's entering just his fourth season in Columbus. In that short time, however, he's rewritten Buckeye record books, with the top mark in nearly every passing category belonging to one of his pupils.

Throughout the program's vaunted history, it's never seen an offensive explosion quite like the one seen during this period, finishing in the top seven in total offense nationally during each of his three seasons with the team. Of course, it was that success that led to him taking over the entire program following Urban Meyer's, a move that saw no drop-off in the team's output during his first year in charge.

This quick rise from relative obscurity to national prominence has led many to believe Day is some kind of genius who completely rewrote the Buckeye playbook upon his arrival. But Day is not some kind of mad scientist who created a new concept, redesigned the way offenses practice and gameplan, or even simply found a new way for speed and tempo to be used as a weapon.

When he joined Meyer's staff in the spring of 2017, Day didn't throw out the playbook. In fact, the Buckeye offense looked largely the same with J.T. Barrett under center for the fourth year that autumn. But somehow it just looked, well, better.

Since that first season, though, the offense has adapted to the strengths of its personnel, specifically the quarterback. With Barrett, it largely remained built around the zone-read game and RPOs, using his proficiency in making quick decisions as a weapon to move the ball. The following season, with Dwayne Haskins taking snaps, the offense depended on spreading the field horizontally with multiple receivers and attacking through the air.

Last year, with Justin Fields capable of incorporating the best of both of the QBs that came before him, the system melded a number of new concepts in with the old, adding an NFL-style, wide-zone running game with deep, play-action passes built off it to the existing shotgun spread looks that had been in place since Meyer's hiring in 2012.

But the result was far from a predictable "run, run, pass" setup that could easily be sniffed out by opponents. Day and coordinator Kevin Wilson were lauded for their creative play calls which kept defenses on their heels, such as this screen pass to J.K. Dobbins on the first play of the game against Indiana.



It's easy to notice how the Orbit motion from K.J. Hill attracts attention away from Dobbins as he leaks out in the opposite direction. But what's less noticeable is the way each of the receivers is lined up before Hill ever goes in motion.

The concept is actually a double-screen, as tight end Luke Farrell and receiver Austin Mack set blocks for Hill should he catch it on a bubble action. But back to the left, receiver Binjamin Victor is lined up in a short split inside and appears to take off on a short crossing route back to the right, signaling a flood concept in that direction.

Instead of looking for the ball, however, Victor runs straight at the middle linebacker - the player most likely to have eyes on Dobbins in man-coverage - and seals him off to allow the back to make a play in space. When Fields sees the entire defense following Hill's motion, he simply looks back the other way and lofts an easy toss to his running back and moves the chains.

The subtlety of Victor's alignment was just as critical to the play's success as was the motion from Hill, and those little details are the secret to Day's success. Every formation, every motion, every read - each serves a distinct purpose and is included for a reason, as the concepts that the Buckeyes are actually running aren't very unique in and of themselves.

Like pretty much every other team in the country, Ohio State will have zone runs, gap runs like Power and Counter, and a couple of sweeps to get the ball outside in every weekly game plan. There is nothing unique or novel about that.

“We’re not running a new run scheme, we’re coming up with a new way to run Power, and that’s how we get creative," Day said at the 2019 OSU coaching clinic. "So, it can be the same thing for the guys up front, the guys who are blocking it, and the same thing for the quarterback."

Going back to that same contest in Bloomington, Day showed exactly what he meant.


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Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...e-little-things-that-define-ryan-days-offense
 
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OHIO STATE TRADING IN EXPERIENCE FOR EXPLOSION AT WIDE RECEIVER IN JUSTIN FIELDS’ SECOND SEASON

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Some version of the exact same question has gotten asked frequently over the past nine months.

How will Justin Fields be different in Year 2 as Ohio State’s starting quarterback?

It’s only natural to ponder, considering what he did on the field in 2019, though the answer doesn’t appear obvious.

As a first-time starter last year, the 6-foot-3, 228-pounder had a 41-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio with 10 rushing touchdowns. He led his team to the College Football Playoff, was a Heisman Trophy finalist and finds himself now viewed as a likely top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. How can he get much better?

Fields’ teammates and coaches have harped on his improved leadership throughout the offseason, so perhaps what changed about him between 2019 and 2020 largely lies within intangibles. Maybe he becomes a quicker decision-maker in the pocket or gets better at avoiding sacks in his second year leading the offense.

Or, quite possibly, the biggest difference in Fields might have less to do with him and more to do with the weapons surrounding him.

Last year’s crop of wide receivers featured a trio of seniors – K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor and Austin Mack – along with two underclassmen in then-sophomore Chris Olave and then-freshman Garrett Wilson. The upperclassmen were experienced, fairly reliable pass-catchers and solid blockers. Along with J.K. Dobbins in the backfield, they provided Fields with enough talent to power an offense that ranked seventh nationally with 6.94 yards per play.

But the three outgoing upperclassmen – who ran 40-yard-dash times of 4.59, 4.60 and 4.60 seconds at the 2020 NFL Combine – weren’t game-breakers. They weren’t big-play threats whose speed kept defenses on their toes. Hill’s biggest strength was his hands, Mack’s was his physicality and route-running and Victor’s was his length. What they could do worked out just fine for the Buckeyes. Collectively, though, they didn’t play similarly to the receivers in line to replace them in Columbus.

The next wave of wideouts to take over spots in Brian Hartline's room lacks game experience. As many as five underclassmen and three freshmen might be part of a six-man rotation. But as a whole, they should offer the type of explosiveness that quarterbacks dream about.
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Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...-wide-receiver-in-justin-fields-second-season
 
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  • Fields said there will be some new plays in the offense this year, but he didn't want to reveal to the public what those new plays will be.
  • Fields said he and Day got together for meetings every weekday Monday through Friday during the offseason when he was in Columbus.
  • Fields said this year will be his first time voting, and the football team realizes how important it is for them to vote this year.
  • Fields said he's asking Day more questions this year about why he's calling certain plays and why the Buckeyes do certain things in their offense. He's trying to become “a coach on the field,” and he feels he has more confidence to ask those questions now than he did in his first year at Ohio State a year ago.
  • On freshman quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller, Fields said he believes they're great players and great people and he's looking forward to seeing how they continue to grow over the course of the season.
  • “I know I've said it 10 times, but y'all don't know how excited I am to play.”
  • On the Fiesta Bowl loss against Clemson: “I feel like everything happens for a reason ... we're all human, and we all mess up, so at the end of the day, it is what it is, but the way it ended, I feel like it fueled our team in the offseason.”
  • “I think all the guys on our team are ready to go now, so I'm not doubting that, but we're just going to use these next two weeks to focus on Nebraska.”
  • “I think Coach Day's the best quarterback coach in the country. I might be biased, but that's just truly coming from me. He's just one smart guy ... Coach Day, he's second to none.” Fields believes having Day's experience as an NFL quarterbacks coach has helped prepare him to not only succeed at Ohio State but prepare for the next level.




 
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