Ryan Day held his typical Tuesday presser yesterday, to recap Illinois and preview Wisconsin, and while Joe McGuire's inadequate punting got some air time, Ohio State's lack of a dominant rushing attack took center stage.
The Buckeyes rank 63rd nationally in rushing yards per game at 160.7 and their 4.73 yards per carry slot a bit higher at 45th - stats that weren't helped by back-to-back weeks of barely cracking the century mark on ground.
Versus the Illini, OSU did face a lot of red zone / goal line scenarios where it's a bit tougher to ground and pound - and the Buckeyes didn't have Bo Jackson for the balance of the second half - but the reality is, anyone forming an opinion over the first six games of the 2025 slate has far more confidence in the team's ability to throw the ball than line up and run it down an opponent's throat.
When asked about the rushing attack yesterday, Day offered the following:
"There's been some positive things across the board and then some things we need to get better at, but I think the guys are playing physical and I think that there's been some really positive things that we've done this year, but as we know we want to perfect it. I think once you get halfway through the season you recognize the things that your guys can do well and I think we have to continually work on the things that we think fit our guys the best."
"I think when you look at how many runs were inside the ten yard line (last week versus illinois) and how many short yardage runs there were, I think overall efficiency was pretty good, but when you get into those types of situations, if it's third and two and you make three, it's pretty good. So I think that's a more important look at the efficiency. We always want to be explosive and yes, it's very important that we continue to get better because we know we need the running game down the road."– Ryan Day on Ohio State's run game
The rushing attack got off to a slow start in the season opener against Texas which was understandable given the Longhorns' talent, Ohio State breaking in a new starting quarterback among other positions, and the defense playing so well that it didn't make sense to put unnecessary pressure on Julian Sayin.
What's maybe tougher to swallow is that the staff didn't give any carries to the guy that is clearly their best ball carrier in Bo Jackson, instead waiting until games two and three against non-power four opponents. Jackson went over 100 yards against both Grambling State and Ohio despite carrying it only nine teams in each of those contests.
In the three Big Ten games since he lit up the lower tier Tigers and Bobcats, Jackson has easily been Ohio State's most effective ball carrier although his production, as you'd expect, has cooled against those better, more physical defenses. Jackson is averaging 7.0 yards per carry for the season but that number shrinks to 4.8 in power four play to-date.
But hey, that 4.8 versus power four foes (40-for-190) still dwarfs the 2.6 yards per carry CJ Donaldson and James Peoples have combined to produce (95-for-245). Jackson also owns more than half of OSU runs of at least 10 yards against those squads.
Meanwhile, the totality of the rushing attack has failed to generate more than 150 yards against all four power four opponents it's faced so far this season. The run game has yet to average at least five yards per carry against that competition level and was held under three yards by both the Longhorns and Illini.
| OPPONENT | TEAM ATT, YDS, YPC | BO JAX ATT, YDS, YPC | TEAM CHUNK RUNS | BO JAX CHUNK RUNS | TEAM 3RD DOWN RUSH STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEXAS | 34/77 = 2.3 YPC | 0/0 = N/A | 0 | 0 | 5 ATT, 10 YDS, 2.0 YPC, 0 1ST DOWNS |
| WASHINGTON | 34/149 = 4.4 YPC | 17/80 = 4.7 YPC | 6 | 3 | 5 ATT, 39 YDS, 7.8 YPC, 2 1ST DOWNS |
| MINNESOTA | 30/103 = 4.4 YPC | 13/63 = 4.8 YPC | 4 | 2 | 6 ATT, 12 YDS, 2.0 YPC, 4 1ST DOWNS |
| ILLINOIS | 37/106 = 2.9 YPC | 10/47 = 4.7 YPC | 3 | 2 | 5 ATT, 11 YDS, 2.2 YPC, 2 1ST DOWNS |
| VS POWER 4 | 135/435 = 3.22 YPC | 40/190 = 4.75 YPC | 13 | 7 | 21 ATT, 72 YDS, 3.4 YPC, 8 1ST DOWNS |
Of course this isn't just about the running backs. Yes, Jackson, Donaldson and Peoples need to be able to make a defender or two miss but while Ohio State's pass blocking has been elite giving up just .33 sacks per game to rank No. 2 nationally, the run blocking hasn't been nearly as effective.
The five starting lineman, augmented by the numerous single and double tight end sets plus some sets featuring a fullback have to do a better job of creating running lanes, leaving it up the ball carriers to make a move at the second level.
Similarly, Day, Brian Hartline and the rest of the offensive braintrust need to figure out what personnel and what schemes and plays work best and maximize those when it matters.
For now, fans should be okay with the run game being a work in progress if we're correctly assuming the staff is holding some things back. And then, when it comes to matchup games, Day and Hartline need to deploy those plays when needed yet also not fall into the trap of trying to win a game a certain way to prove a meaningless point.
