With Penn State heading to Columbus this weekend for its biggest of the game so far and perhaps the biggest game of the year who better to get a read on the Buckeyes than someone who covers the team. Here’s a brief question and answer session with Tony Gerdeman, lead beat writer for Buckeye Huddle.
StateCollege.com From a distance the perception I have of Ohio State is that the Buckeyes are still very good but not quite up to their usual standards. Is that accurate and how much are Ohio State’s issues this year legitimate or is this simply everyone holding Ohio State to a really high standard?
Tony Gerdeman: If you just look at some of the statistics, you’ll find Ohio State No. 1 in the Big Ten in total offense (443.0 yards/gm), which is where they’ve been nine of the past 10 seasons — and every year since Ryan Day arrived as offensive coordinator in 2017. That only tells a portion of the story, however, because if that 443-yard average holds it would be OSU’s worst mark since 2015. So, yes, they are being judged against their own high standard, but this year’s offense is noticeably less consistent. Defensively, they’ve been fantastic, but they were also pretty good for the first two-plus months last year. In their eight September and October games last year, the defense allowed 4.5 yards per play, which would have been good for third-best nationally over the course of the season. Penn State didn’t have too much trouble with that defense a year ago, however, and Michigan and Georgia put up 8.8 yards per play against them to end the season. For the first time under Day, the Buckeyes have a defense that can carry the team. Or, to put it another way, for one of the few times under Day, the Buckeyes have an offense that sometimes needs to be carried.
A lot like Penn State, Ohio State is adjusting to not having a quarterback that fits the dual-threat mold of years past. How is that going for Ohio State?
Ohio State is the only Big Ten team to have one of the top four rushing units in the conference in each of the previous four years. They led the Big Ten by a wide margin in 2019 and 2020, buoyed by the running threat of Justin Fields. They led the conference in yards per carry in 2021 during CJ Stroud’s first year as a starter, then finished second in that category last year. Stroud didn’t run much, so they’ve been through this before with a quarterback that doesn’t help them much in the running game, including 2018 with Dwayne Haskins. They’ve dealt with it via some talented offensive lines, RPOs, and wide screen passes to receivers. All of it counts towards the running game in OSU’s offices, which is why they’ve downplayed struggles in the past. But it is not a coincidence that they just rolled out a new red zone package with backup quarterback Devin Brown, who is the more mobile option. It’s not quite 2019 Will Levis, but Brown was used down by the goal line against the Boilermakers. He scored from the 2-yard line on one carry and fumbled at the goal line on another attempt. He is the more mobile option, but he’s not so much more mobile than Kyle McCord that they can’t do similar things with McCord.
I was surprised to find out Ohio State is all the way down to 94th in rushing offense this season. Don’t need to run the ball if you can pass it, but is this a legitimate weakness or just not an area of emphasis?
It is definitely a legitimate concern. Offensive line coach Justin Frye said last week that they’ve got to pare down some of the run schemes that don’t work and focus more on the ones that do. It sounds crazy, I know. So they did that against Purdue and they were more effective, rushing for 175 yards on 36 attempts. They did it mostly with fourth-string sophomore running back Dallan Hayden, who they are trying to redshirt. Starter TreVeyon Henderson has missed the last two weeks with an undisclosed injury. Last year’s leading rusher Miyan Williams missed last week’s game with an undisclosed injury. Last week’s starter Chip Trayanum was knocked out of the Purdue game with concussion-like symptoms. The status for everyone is up in the air. Ryan Day has used the “we hope to get them all back” line a few times, which is about as forthcoming as you can expect leading up to a big game. The offensive line has not been moving the line of scrimmage this season, which has also been less than ideal.
Drew Allar has found success simply being safe with the ball, having Marvin Harrison Jr is a pretty big safety net, but how has Kyle McCord approached the position in his first year as starter?
Kyle McCord has been up and down this year. He’s had some slow starts. Against Maryland he started 2-7 passing, then finished 17-22. Everybody saw the Notre Dame ending. That final drive has been a microcosm of his season so far. He started out 0-2 on that drive with some questionable accuracy. He threw a ball that went through a safety’s hands. And he also drilled several key passes exactly where they needed to be. McCord is a true junior, so he’s been around and he’s been preparing for this opportunity. He’s one of the leaders on the team, but he’s made some throws this season that defenses haven’t capitalized on.
Is the defense really this good? Who is “Obligatory Ohio State first rounder” of the bunch?
I don’t think any defense is “really this good” until they’ve faced their best offensive opposition. They’ve done what they wanted to do, and they’ve done it in a less aggressive manner than last year. The defense is loaded with veterans who for the first time in their careers are finally playing in the same scheme with the same defensive coordinator two years in a row, including sixth-year free safety Josh Proctor. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles talked last year about how his aggressive, blitzing defense “baked in” the fact that they were going to allow five explosive plays (15+ yards) per game. The problem is that those five explosive plays against Michigan and Georgia all went the distance. Knowles’ baking days are done at Ohio State now, however, and he’s not mentioned explosive plays being acceptable at all this season. He spent some time self-reflecting and has dialed things back. Both he and Ryan Day have said this will never be a bend-but-don’t-break defense. On Tuesday, Knowles was asked why he bristles at the notion. His answer? “I don’t know, I just don’t like the way it sounds.” In terms of the OOSFR, that’s defensive end JT Tuimoloau, who Penn State fans will remember from last year’s two-interception, six-tackle, one-touchdown, two-sack, three-TFL performance against the Nittany Lions. He is starting to heat up. It will be interesting to see how often they match him up on Olu Fashanu’s side.
If Marvin Harrison Jr isn’t the best receiver in the nation statistically he’s at least in the running for the most talented. What’s his bread and butter this year?
What makes Marvin Harrison, Jr. so good is that he’s got an entire loaf of bread and a whole lot of butter. He can be your standard X receiver and move the chains 10 yards at a time. He will also play in the slot as OSU looks for matchups or to get Harrison away from bracket coverage. He’s great after the catch. He is strong. He’s got speed. But I think his best attribute is the downfield catches on the sideline. He has the size to go up high, the hands to secure the ball, and the eyeballs in his feet to stay inbounds. He’s also really, really bendy. He had some drops last week, which will no doubt provide some fuel all week long.
How much is Ryan Day suffering from “what have you done for me lately?’ syndrome. Not to say that he’s on the hot seat, or even the warm seat, but this game carry a bit more weight than usual on the Ohio State front?
Dating back to his three-game stint to start the 2018 season, Ryan Day is 36-2 against Big Ten teams as Ohio State’s head coach. The two losses belong to Michigan the last two years. That game will always be the gavel. A loss to Penn State would be like an expert witness for the plaintiff, but a win over Michigan would provide Day with the kind of defense that would make Matlock proud. There are some Buckeye fans who are ready to move on because of the lack of national championships and the two losses to Michigan. I don’t know if that’s “what have you done for me lately’ syndrome or just being recklessly spoiled. This is definitely a game that comes with stress, and some of that stress is because of what a loss to Penn State would mean if it’s followed by a loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes were a field goal away from playing for a national title even after a loss to Michigan. A loss in this game would put the Buckeyes’ backs against the wall like they haven’t had in a very long time.
Predictions are unfair, make one anyway.
I think it’s going to be difficult for either team to run away with this one. Or even walk away with it. I expect this game to be within arm’s reach the entire time. If the Buckeyes can protect the football and not give Penn State short fields, I like the Buckeyes’ chances. However, I’ve seen an Ohio State offense that has yet to be consistent from the first quarter to the fourth quarter (and the Western Kentucky game doesn’t count). It would be foolish to expect that to happen this week against the best defense they’ve faced. I think you could say all of the same things about Penn State’s offense as well. I’m feeling low-to-mid 20s in this one. Ohio State 24, Penn State 20.
