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2020 tOSU Offense

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OHIO STATE'S GROUND GAME VS. PENN STATE LB MICAH PARSONS
Trey Sermon? Marcus Crowley? Master Teague? Tony Alford's backfield has some questions thanks to some unfortunate injuries, but Justin Fields will obviously be a major part of the Ohio State ground attack. We'll see what Master Teague's status is come Oct. 24, but someone will likely have emerged by the time the Buckeyes head to Happy Valley for the seventh game of the season.

J.K. Dobbins led the way last year as the Buckeyes ran for 229 yards and two scores. Micah Parsons and the PSU defense won't have to deal with Dobbins this go around, and the junior linebacker is being viewed as the team's best defender since LaVar Arrington. Parsons was dominant in the Cotton Bowl win over Memphis as he recorded 14 tackles, two sacks, forced a pair of fumbles, and broke up two passes.

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Just sayin': This guy is really good, damn you Herbstreit....:no:
 
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H-back role evolving as Ohio State keeps enhancing passing attack

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Start with the obvious: Ohio State is always going to play to the strengths of its personnel.

Both Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson have proven repeatedly over the years that they aren’t locked into just one system. Part of what has made those coaches and the Buckeyes so successful is their willingness to be flexible and find the best way to utilize every player on the roster. And while that generally puts the spotlight on the quarterback, the way the H-back role continues to evolve might really be the best glimpse at their creativity.

Certainly the Buckeyes could reverse course at some point if a player like committed tailback Evan Pryor emerges down the road as a multipurpose threat who needs both extensive playing time and receptions and rushing attempts. But the odds are that Ohio State is moving away from using converted running backs like Curtis Samuel in the Pivot to give them a relatively even split of catches and carries the way that Urban Meyer favored. That trend was already apparent when Parris Campbell was barely used as a threat on the ground, and it has only ramped up with K.J. Hill playing in the slot last year and Garrett Wilson sliding to that position at the start of spring practice.

Throw in the multiple-tight end sets that have become staples in the playbook, the dynamic stable of running backs in the fold for the foreseeable future and the caliber of passers Ohio State is attracting and it all points to favoring true wide receivers at H-back moving forward. Obviously the Buckeyes have had success transitioning versatile guys like Samuel or Campbell or even Braxton Miller into that spot, but it seems clear that it prefers to have more natural receivers playing there if possible.

Entire article: https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-buckeyes-football-h-back-offense-ryan-day/
 
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Projecting production for loaded Ohio State wide receivers

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Ohio State knows what it takes to replace three NFL wide receivers in one offseason.

The Buckeyes did it last year, and now they’re tasked with doing it again after six receivers have departed in the last two years. Luckily for them, they have two superstars set to return for their biggest years yet and a four-man freshman class that set the mark as one of the top recruiting units ever assembled.

It all starts with junior Chris Olave and super sophomore Garrett Wilson, trickles down to potential playmakers and continues to the freshmen who will have to step up and make plays in the fall.

Olave is the key, and he’s more motivated than ever following last season.

“Chris is the ultimate competitor,” coach Ryan Day said in January. “I love Chris Olave. I’m not sure he ate solid food for about three or four days after [the Fiesta Bowl]. He was crushed. But that’s not the reason why we lost the game. He threw his heart on the field, and he thought Justin was scrambling. When you play in games like that, things like that happen. Unfortunately that happened.

“But nobody cares more than Chris, and I know he’s going to come back even more hungry. And I think he’s going to be a leader in that room.”

He’ll lead with Wilson, who seems ready to be an even larger part of Justin Fields’ Heisman Trophy campaign than he was a season ago as a freshman. And they’ll both be counted on to put up huge numbers in a pass-friendly offense that enters summer lacking a true starting running back or pecking order in the backfield.

Of course, Jameson Williams, Jaylen Harris, Kamryn Babb, Elijah Gardiner and others have the potential to break out and become playmakers, but all eyes will be on the four freshmen who will push for early playing time.

In just three spring practices, all four — Mookie Cooper, Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Gee Scott — flashed and impressed.

“The biggest impression is how competitive they are, how much they care about it, how much it matters to them,” wide receivers coach Brian Hartline said. “Those are the things that jumped out. They have an uncanny ability to make plays, and they want to help their teammates. They’re very coachable, very positive. But again, it was only three practices.”

Entire article: https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state...eiver-depth-chart-chris-olave-garrett-wilson/
 
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“As an offensive line unit, we were taking huge steps this spring,” Myers said. “Even just through the first week, through the first few practices, our young guys were taking huge steps. I could tell that we have some young guys that were going to get better this spring. I think the competition for those two spots, there isn’t a clear-cut answer as to who’s going to start. I think the competition of that was driving all of them so far striving for that spot.

“They were getting better and it was fun to watch. As to who will start, I don’t think any of us know right now, but time will tell.”

It’s still unclear how much time will pass before any of the questions along the offensive line can be sorted out. As the Woody Hayes Athletic Center remains closed and players are forced to be home instead of in Columbus with teammates, it’s just a waiting game to find out when the Buckeyes can return to the practice field.
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A couple OL positions are "still up for grabs", it's a shame we only got in 3 spring practices. However, when the summer/fall practices begin, let the completion for the 2 open OL starting positions begin.

The goals are there. All five offensive linemen have to grade out as champions or it’s a failure. That doesn’t mean the three veterans can grade well and the other two will just be there as placeholders. The standard for the Ohio State offensive line is high. Jonah Jackson and Branden Bowen helped raise the standard, allowing a quarterback to become a Heisman Trophy finalist and a running back to rush for 2,000 yards. Now, they need replaced.
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The 5 man OL is actually a team within a team (i.e. the 11 man offense that's om the field); on any given play one offensive linemen fails and the play can get busted, etc. Learning the blocking schemes and playing as a unit is why you don't see very many true freshman start on the OL, especially on the OL of the really good P5 teams.
 
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There isn't a lot of "new stuff" here; however, if you haven't followed Ohio State football that closely since the end of last season, this is an excellent comprehensive report on the "state of the running back" at Ohio State. Anyway as many coaches have said "you can never have too many running backs".

There's been a lot of hype around Sermon, whose film and 2,000-plus-yard production have led many to declare him the savior the Buckeyes need in 2020. That said, do we really know what to expect from him? Are we completely sure?

Sermon has never been a starter, had 385 rushing yards in an injury-shortened 2019 season and won't get to join the team until preseason camp begins. Yes, he might be the answer Alford needed when Teague went down with his Achilles injury. But he's in a role he's never filled before.
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Starter or not at Oklahoma, I like his stats there, so I'm "completely sure".......:nod:

Just sayin': After see seeing Miyan William's (aka Fat Boy) before and after pictures earlier this Spring:

ESTJ3gIWAAIpGEq


I can only believe that he is "motivated" and may be a bigger factor in the running game than the article indicates.
 
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STRENGTHS OF THE POSITION
Everything. Just about everything about Ohio State's wide receivers is a strength. Since Hartline took over as a full-time coach, he has begun to turn the wideouts into possibly the team's best position group.

At the forefront, Olave and Wilson both have star potential – and Olave might already have reached that point at some point last year. Both are potential first-round NFL draft picks who'll lead the way in 2020.

Next in line? An endless supply of heralded recruits.

Hartline brought in four top-100 overall prospects – Fleming, Smith-Njigba, Scott and Cooper – in 2020, and he's set to bring in at least two in the 2021 cycle. He already has Harrison and Ballard committed, and he's chasing Emeka Egbuka as a five-star addition from Washington.

As long as Hartline's in Columbus, Ohio State's wide receiver room will be stocked with talent, and as he's shown over the past couple of years, he's a standout developer as well.

WEAKNESSES OF THE POSITION
If anything holds Ohio State back at wide receiver in 2020, it'll be the inexperience across the board. Even Wilson's only a rising sophomore.

Relying on so many freshmen and veterans who haven't done much yet as Buckeyes is a notable concern. Beyond Olave and Wilson, the rest of the position group can be segmented into former walk-ons (Saunders), upperclassmen who haven't produced (Harris, Gardiner), injured players (Babb) and freshmen (Fleming, Smith-Njigba, Scott, Cooper). That's not a group filled with safe options.

Beyond that, though, it's exceedingly difficult to pick the wide receivers. With Hartline at the helm, Ohio State's wide receivers are set up laughably well both in the short-term and especially the long-term.

Just sayin': Great analysis of the WRs.

Eleven Warriors is running articles on each position, in case you missed them here are the ones they have posted so far:

Quarterbacks



Running backs

 
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ScriptOhio said:
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WEAKNESSES OF THE POSITION
If anything holds Ohio State back at wide receiver in 2020, it'll be the inexperience across the board. Even Wilson's only a rising sophomore.

Relying on so many freshmen and veterans who haven't done much yet as Buckeyes is a notable concern. Beyond Olave and Wilson, the rest of the position group can be segmented into former walk-ons (Saunders), upperclassmen who haven't produced (Harris, Gardiner), injured players (Babb) and freshmen (Fleming, Smith-Njigba, Scott, Cooper). That's not a group filled with safe options.

Beyond that, though, it's exceedingly difficult to pick the wide receivers. With Hartline at the helm, Ohio State's wide receivers are set up laughably well both in the short-term and especially the long-term.

Just sayin': Great analysis of the WRs.

Eleven Warriors is running articles on each position, in case you missed them here are the ones they have posted so far:

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So spoiled

In talking about weaknesses they leave Jameson Williams out of the line up entirely. They mentioned him elsewhere obviously, but in the part of the quote that I bolded, they don’t even have a category for him. When discussing a position where even inexperienced players have been known to contribute when sufficiently talented, the fact that a guy who did what we saw in limited duty last year is going to be a back up on this team suggestS that this unit’s limitations are... well... limited. Are they super experienced? No. But they’ll be plenty experienced by the time this team plays anyone capable of forcing them to pass to win.
 
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Buckeye Offensive Line Could Be Even Better In 2020 Per Vets

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Every member of Ohio State’s starting offensive line earned either First- or Second-Team All-Big Ten accolades last season.

Guards Wyatt Davis and Jonah Jackson were first-teamers, while center Josh Myers and tackles Thayer Munford and Branden Bowen earned second-team nods.

That talented group of five was arguably the best in the nation, and now Jackson and Bowen must be replaced.

Thanks to more-than-adequate recruiting over the last couple of years, there are ample options at the vacated left guard and right tackle spots. In fact, there are legitimately three suitors for each position.

But it’s not just the two open positions where players are stepping up. As a whole, this offensive line was impressive early in spring.

And even though there were only three spring practices this year, veterans Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis were excited by what they saw.

“As a unit, we were taking such huge strides, getting to a place that was better in my opinion from the start of spring,” Davis said recently. “Last year spring ball started for us, and Josh can attest to this, we were in a very rough spot, to say the least, as far as offensive line. And after that first practice, I felt like personally that, whether it was the first-team, second -team, or third-team, guys were getting after it going against the defense.”

This year’s Ohio State offensive line will feature 17 scholarship players, essentially giving them a three-deep and two spares.

Just sayin': I'm just hoping that they can eliminate most of those "false starts".
 
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