Ohio State: Report card with a month to go
Ohio State’s season didn’t implode with Saturday’s loss at Purdue. It just felt that way.
But the Buckeyes still control their path to the Big Ten East Division championship.
All they have to do is improve their grades to take the ultimate B1G test on Dec. 1 in Indianapolis.
That’s what we’re here to do — grade the Scarlet and Gray headed into a bye week and with a month left in the regular season.
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Here’s how OSU stacks up:
Quarterbacks: A
Buckeyes fans really could not have asked more from Dwayne Haskins. He has gone from promising but unknown quantity to a near-certain Heisman Trophy finalist. He has done things no other quarterback at Ohio State has done and he has progressed and thrived before the eyes of Buckeye Nation. We can give you a ton of numbers but what matters is he has shattered every expectation in a matter of weeks. Backup Tate Martell has also been fun to watch in spot duty during blowouts.
Running backs: B-
The line play has not helped and OSU has abandoned the run early at times (most notably in Saturday’s loss to Purdue) but J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber have not been terribly productive in recent weeks. According to footballoutsiders.com data, Buckeyes runs are stuffed for no gain or worse nearly 20 percent of the time. Dobbins had a career low with 35 rushing yards against Minnesota — then set a new career low with 24 yards against Purdue. Small wonder OSU has not exceeded 4 yards per carry in a game since the victory over TCU on Sept. 15.
Receivers/tight ends: A-
Parris Campbell, K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor, Johnnie Dixon, Austin Mack and Terry McLaurin all bring different strengths to the wide receiving group, and they have been reliable targets for Haskins. Campbell (52 catches, 600 yards, 7 touchdowns) and Hill (49, 656, 4) have been the most frequent targets while McLaurin (eight TDs, 19 yards per catch) has been the big-play threat. In general, the running backs and tight ends have not been frequent targets but that is not much of a factor because Haskins spreads the ball among his receivers so well.
Offensive line: C
This unit has been pretty good at protection, only giving up 12 sacks for 53 yards through eight games, not bad considering the team has 343 passing attempts. But in general the line has not stepped up to the level of competition during Big Ten play. The metrics show this to be a middle-of-the-pack unit, but anybody who has seen the flurry of penalty flags and lack of a ground game probably could have guessed that. There’s no excuse for a unit with this much veteran savvy and especially one which has had the same starting five for every game.
Defensive line: B
Much like the rest of the team, this unit’s grade has slipped the past few weeks. Losing Nick Bosa was a massive blow but that does not excuse the chunks of yardage that the Buckeyes defense has allowed this season. End Chase Young should be the next emerging star to step out of Bosa’s shadow and sometimes he is. But other times, like in the Purdue game, he all but disappears. OSU had just two sacks in each of the past two games and that is not good enough. Tackle Dre’Mont Jones (team-high 5.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss) has been the steadiest presence, especially after Bosa’s injury.
Linebackers: B
Tuf Borland, Malik Harrison and company have been a fairly consistent unit. Not always great, but consistent. Pete Werner leads the LB brigade with 7.5 TFLs and three sacks. OSU is 70th in the country in yards allowed at 391.6 per game and is also well down (60th) in turnovers forced. The entire linebacker unit combined has produced one interception and three forced fumbles. Simply put, the defense is allowing too many big plays and not making enough of its own and the linebackers are part of that.
Secondary: C-
Yes, this unit has been banged up and had to replace No. 4 overall draft pick Denzel Ward. Yes, this unit has faced some strong receivers, most recently Purdue’s electric freshman, Rondale Moore. But the Buckeyes are a God-awful 90th in the country in passing defense at 241.7 yards per game, and it’s not all because opponents are throwing more in the second half when they’re trailing. Against Purdue the secondary was exposed repeatedly, not only in coverage but because the DBs either took poor angles or just made bad tackling efforts.
Special teams: B-
Punter Drue Chrisman has been pretty good, with a 43.5-yard average and 17 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. The sophomore has had at least one 50-yard punt in four games this season. Sean Nuernberger hit 3-of-5 field goals before missing the past two games with an injury; Blake Haubeil has filled in nicely, going 5-for-6. The two have combined to hit all 44 of their extra points. The Buckeyes are No. 62 in FBS in kick returns (20.9-yard average) and No. 93 in punt returns (6.4). Those numbers are poor considering how many athletes are on this squad and how much pride head coach Urban Meyer takes in special teams.