It’s hard to directly measure offensive line success, as the position famously lacks statistics for its players, but just in observation Ohio State’s offensive line took a leap forward against Western Kentucky.
The Buckeyes’ front five paved the way for their runners to average 6.2 yards per carry after they managed just 4.6 against both Indiana and Youngstown State.
“(It was a) step in the right direction, you saw them playing hard,” Ryan Day said. “That’s the expectation. They’re not always going to be perfect but we’ve got to rock off the ball and finish people – I felt like it started with that week of practice that they had last week to build some momentum going into this week.”
That’s momentum the offensive line is going to need.
Notre Dame’s front seven should be the best Ohio State has faced so far, led by linebacker Jack Kiser, who has a team-high 26 tackles for the Fighting Irish. Against a defense allowing the 27th-fewest yards per carry and fourth-fewest total yards nationally, the Buckeyes’ offensive line will need to be at the top of its game Saturday.
“They’re a very talented front, they always have great talent,” left guard Donovan Jackson said. “So I’m just looking forward to playing with my brothers.”
There was a clear directive from offensive line coach Justin Frye to his troops following a bit of a slog in a 35-7 win against FCS Youngstown State.
In addition to the above-mentioned 4.6 yards per carry, Ohio State’s offensive line committed two holding penalties and an illegal hands to the face penalty, the latter negating a 17-yard touchdown run from TreVeyon Henderson.
“There were things said in our O-line room to get us going," Jackson said. "But at the end of the day it’s all about effort and execution, and I feel like we improved a lot. But there’s still a lot more that we can improve on in the following weeks.”
Frye called for a “more violent” group leading into the contest against the Hilltoppers, one that could improve upon the team’s abysmal 2-for-8 mark through two contests on third downs of 3 yards or less.
“Firing off the ball, as an O-line coach he’s still going to tell you to go a little harder,” Jackson said. “It’s a message Coach Frye always says to us, but it’s a huge point of emphasis in terms of going as hard as you can to strain as hard as you can.
“Strain is – we talk about 80/20, 80 percent of plays look the same, it’s the back 20 percent that defines (the game). So the strain is putting all you have into a play for the man next to you. Especially in this new era of college football, the clock keeps running, you don’t get a lot of plays. So you’ve got to make the ones you have count.”
Against the Hilltoppers, the Buckeyes went 3-for-3 in such short-yardage situations, moving the chains twice on the ground. Ohio State’s offense put up 562 yards and averaged 9.4 yards per play behind its offensive line, both season-highs.
“We feel like we got better than the last week, which is always the goal,” Jackson said. “It’s been a point of emphasis this week, just effort and execution. How long can you strain for the man next to you? So trying to emphasize that in the O-line room is of great importance.”
Ohio State’s front five will see just how far they’ve come on Saturday.
