It's pretty hard to believe Ohio State is already a third of the way through the regular season.
Sporting a 4-0 record, the first leg of the schedule has gone about as well as reasonably expected.
Quarterback Kyle McCord seems to be growing by the game, TreVeyon Henderson looks fit as a fiddle, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are elite, and the Ohio State defense was tied for No. 2 nationally entering yesterday's slate giving up just 8.5 points per contest.
Yes, there are things to work on. The offensive line hasn't inspired a ton of confidence especially as Ohio State has struggled in short yardage situations and the defensive line hasn't put up the stats many hoped for but as they say, the best thing about being 4-0 is a chance to go 5-0.
The Buckeyes will have that chance next Saturday as it welcomes a tricky Maryland squad to the Shoe but before we turn focus to the Terps, here are Five Things from the undefeated start.
ONLY THREE PLAYS ALLOWED OVER 30 YARDS
It's no secret the pressure was on Jim Knowles coming into the 2023 season to limit big plays. Ohio State, simply put, stunk it up over the last two games of 2022, giving up 16 total plays of 20+ yards in losses to Michigan and Georgia.
That carnage included four plays of 50+ yards surrendered to the Wolverines - all of which went for touchdowns - and four plays of 35+ yards allowed to the Bulldogs - one of those a crucial 76-yard scoring play midway through the fourth quarter cutting Ohio State's lead to 38-35.
While the 2023 Buckeyes haven't faced a Murderers' Row of offenses across the first four games, and the 2022 defense wasn't terrible at containing big plays for the first 11 games before the wheels came off, it does feel like Knowles' latest group has found some footing.
| SEASON | 10+ YDS (RANK) | 20+ YDS (RANK) | 30+ YDS (RANK) | 40+ YDS (RANK) | 50+ YDS (RANK) | 60+ YDS (RANK) | 70+ YDS (RANK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 36 (6) | 9 (7) | 3 (2) | 0 (1) | 0 (1) | 0 (1) | 0 (1) |
| 2022 | 127 (6) | 52 (48) | 25 (66) | 18 (115) | 11 (123) | 6 (120) | 5 (128) |
| 2021 | 187 (89) | 53 (50) | 19 (20) | 9 (23) | 7 (66) | 4 (67) | 3 (47) |
| 2020 (8G) | 124 (64) | 43 (70) | 18 (62) | 9 (61) | 6 (78) | 3 (69) | 0 (1) |
| 2019 | 136 (7) | 44 (12) | 16 (5) | 10 (25) | 3 (8) | 1 (4) | 0 (1) |
After finishing No. 66 last year giving up 25 plays of at least 30 yards and No. 115 out of 131 FBS teams in limiting scrimmage plays of 40+ yards or more, the 2023 Buckeyes have allowed just three plays of 30+ yards through four games and have yet to allow a play to stretch for at least 40 yards.
Before yesterday's games (to keep the data point meaningful as most teams had played four games too), the Buckeyes ranked No. 2 in the country allowing just those three plays of 30+ yards.
Two of the big gainers allowed came against Western Kentucky and one versus Youngstown State. None of those went for touchdowns but opponents did find the end zone on two of the three drives in which they occurred.
That said, in its lone 'matchup game' as Ryan Day likes to call them, the Buckeyes didn't allow one play of 30+ yards versus Notre Dame. The group allowed three pass plays and one running play of 20+ yards. In fact, Audric Estime's 22-yard carry in the second quarter serves as the longest run against the Buckeyes so far this year. After that play, the OSU defense forced a punt via a 4-yard run, 3-yard run and an incomplete pass.
Again, it's early and we know it wasn't until late last year that Knowles' defense collapsed but so far so good for one of the chief focuses of the 2023 defense.
RUSHING YARDS PER CARRY STUMBLING AT 5.1 PER TRY BUT...
You've seen it, despite the perfect record through September, Ohio State's offensive line is inarguably the most concerning position group.
Pass blocking hasn't been much of an issue - Ohio State ranked No. 19 in the country heading into yesterday's games allowing 1.0 sacks per contest. The run game however hasn't performed quite up to expectations yet with the Buckeyes averaging 5.1 yards per carry, good for 29th in the nation before yesterday's games.
That 5.1 yards per rushing attempt through four games, if static through the rest of the season, would be Ohio State's worst since 2018 when Urban Meyer and Day rode Dwayne Haskins in a pass-happy attack that averaged only 4.2 yards per carry. The 5.1 yards per attempt would also be the second-worst mark since Meyer arrived in 2012.
| SEASON | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YPC AVG | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 4.2 | 5.8 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 6.8 | 5.2 |
The silver lining comes as No. 1 running back TreVeyon Henderson is enjoying a resurgent season-to-date after injuries plagued his 2022 campaign. Through for games, Henderson is averaging 6.7 yards a pop with 295 yards and five touchdowns. His homerun carries are definitely boosting his overall yards per carry as there are certainly times when he's had zero room to run but that's often how it goes. Somewhat similarly, No. 2 tailback Chip Trayanum is averaging 5.8 yards per carry with 146 yards and a pair of scores.
Combined, those two are averaging 6.4 yards per rushing attempt with 491 yards and seven touchdowns. All other OSU ball carriers are averaging just 3.2 yards per carry with 155 yards and two touchdowns. Miyan Williams has just 73 yards on 3.8 per try.
Back to Henderson, since his 12-for-47 rushing day in the opener versus Indiana, he's on a three-game stretch averaging 7.8 yards per carry with 248 yards and five touchdowns.
Bottom line, the talent in the backfield is there. It's up to the offensive line to improve as the season wears on and for the playcalling to be less stubborn and predictable particularly in short yardage situations.
OPPONENTS AVERAGING JUST 149 PASS YARDS PER GAME
In 2022, Ohio State pass defense finished a respectable 26th in the country giving up 200.5 yards per game but ranked 66th allowing 7.2 yards per attempt. The yards allowed per game were certainly an upgrade over the disaster that was the 2021 pass defense but last year's group certainly struggled down the stretch.
| SEASON | PASSING YARDS / GAME | NATL RANK | YARDS / ATTEMPT | NATL RANK | INTERCEPTIONS | NATL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 149.0 | 3 | 5.4 | 10 | 3 | 70 |
| 2022 | 200.5 | 26 | 7.2 | 66 | 11 | 51 |
| 2021 | 245.8 | 96 | 6.9 | 32 | 12 | 40 |
| 2020 | 304.0 | 122 | 7.7 | 85 | 7 | 58 |
| 2019 | 156.0 | 1 | 5.6 | 1 | 15 | 9 |
So far this season, Ohio State's pass defense has been spectacular, ranking No. 3 nationally entering yesterday's games allowing a mere 149.0 yards per game on 5.4 yards per attempt, good for 10th-best in the country.
It's true one of Ohio State's four opponents to date was FCS Youngstown State and Indiana's passing attack won't be mistaken as elite but the Buckeyes have indeed fared extremely well even against what would be expected from those pass offenses.
Throwing out the Penguins, entering yesterday's games, Indiana ranked No. 81 in passing offense at 229 yards per game, Western Kentucky slotted 26th at 286 yards per contest and Notre Dame came in at 34th overall with 278 yards per game.
Ohio State held the Hoosiers to 82 yards passing, or 147 below their average. Knowles' crew allowed 204 passing yards to the Hilltoppers, or 82 yards below their average and kept Notre Dame to 175 passing yards, good for 103 yards below its average. So in those three games, the Buckeyes held the opposing passing attacks to an average of 110 yards below their per game marks.
Irish signal-caller Sam Hartman was supposed to give the Buckeyes fits but instead, he threw for the fewest yards in his last 36 games when Virginia Tech held him to 110 yards over three years ago.
OFFENSE LEANING HEAVILY ON PASS BUT YARDS PER PLAY DOWN
With the overall rushing attack scuffling along at 5.1 yards per carry despite the statistical success from Henderson and Trayanum behind an inexperienced offensive line as summarized earlier, Day's offense is seeing the aerial attack carry the yardage load through four games.
In fact, again knowing it's a small sample size, the passing game is on track to account for the second-highest percentage of a single-season's total yards since Day became head coach ahead of the 2019 season.
| SEASON | RUSHING YPG | NATL RANK | PASSING YPG | NATL RANK | % YDS RUSH | % YDS PASS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 149.0 | 75 | 298.5 | 19 | 33% | 67% |
| 2022 | 192.4 | 32 | 298.3 | 14 | 39% | 61% |
| 2021 | 180.3 | 47 | 380.9 | 3 | 32% | 68% |
| 2020 | 256.9 | 8 | 262.5 | 37 | 49% | 51% |
| 2019 | 266.8 | 5 | 263.1 | 36 | 50% | 50% |
Small sample or not, it's still interesting considering Day wasn't totally sure who his long-term starting quarterback would be until a few games into the season.
With Kyle McCord experiencing the typical highs and lows of a first-year starter, Ohio State's current 8.9 yards per pass attempt is the lowest mark of the Day era. Over the previous four seasons, the likes of Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud helped the Buckeyes range between 9.1 to 10.0 yards per pass attempt, good for national rankings between 3rd and 10th. Ohio State's 8.9 pass yards per attempt through four games stands 30th-best in the country.
Sandwich those run and pass metrics together and Day's offense is averaging 7.10 yards per play, good for 18th nationally. The previous four seasons saw the Buckeyes rank No. 1 nationally in both 2022 and 2021 while ranking 7th in both 2020 and 2019 though the '19 offense averaged 6.94 yards per play.
More consistently winning the line of scrimmage and McCord gaining more confidence as a downfield passer would certainly help these metrics improve over the course of the season even as the strength of opponents increases.
ISO: EXPLOSIVE OFFENSIVE PLAYS
One reason the offense's yards per play metric is currently the lowest since Day's first season is a lack of explosive plays.
Entering yesterday's action, Ohio State slotted 27th nationally in scrimmage plays of at least 20 yards and fell off to 61st in scrimmage plays going for at least 30 yards. Those marks, if they held, would easily be the worst of the Day era.
| SEASON | 20+ YARD SCRIMMAGE PLAYS | NATL RANK | 30+ YARD SCRIMMAGE PLAYS | NATL RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 24 | 27 | 9 | 61 |
| 2022 | 83 | 10 | 42 | 5 |
| 2021 | 93 | 2 | 42 | 5 |
| 2020 (8G) | 60 | 21 | 30 | 17 |
| 2019 | 98 | 4 | 42 | 10 |
Of the 24 scrimmage plays to go for at least 20 yards, all but four of those have come via the the passing game. Said differently, the Buckeyes have just four rushes for over 20 yards so far this season, on 118 carries, to slot 77th in the country entering yesterday's games. Those 20 passes to go for at least 20 yards rank a very respectable No. 14 in the nation.
The passing game's explosiveness beyond 30 yards drops sharply however as McCord and company tallied only six such plays on 85 completions. Those six plays of 30+ yards ranked 69th-best in the country before yesterday's contests. Meanwhile, the run game chipped in three carries of 30+ yards.
As with the yards per play metric discussed above, the hope is the combo of McCord's ongoing seasoning thus making him increasingly comfortable looking deeper down the field combined with offensive line improving could give a jolt to Ohio State's big play potential.
