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2016 tOSU Offense Discussion

Those Who Must Step Up for the Buckeyes in 2016: Offense

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It’s a period of transition for Ohio State. Nine seniors who contributed to the 2015 Buckeyes are gone along with the nine juniors that declared early for the NFL Draft.

But transition is not a bad thing especially for the Scarlet and Gray where, as they say, “they don’t rebuild, they reload.”

The Buckeyes lost six key contributors on the offensive side of the ball, including 59 percent of the passing yards, 72 percent of the team’s rushing yards, and 80 percent of the receiving yards. Ohio State returns just three players who contributed an offensive touchdown a year ago.

Despite all those losses, Meyer called the future, “extremely bright.”

He followed up with several players that will need to take a big step in order for next season to be a success. Here’s a look at those offensive players Meyer identified:

Mike Weber and Bri’onte Dunn

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Dunn has the most experience of returning RBs

Gone is Ezekiel Elliott and with him goes his 1,821 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns from 2015. Over the last two seasons, Elliott accounted for nearly 30 percent of OSU’s offensive touchdowns so someone else must help replicate that.

Under Meyer, the Buckeyes have been most successful when they can run the ball effectively, which means one of these two running backs needs to take the reins.

Or both. Running backs coach Tony Alford has already said that while he would like to have one of these two players establish himself as the lead back, he is willing to work with a committee.

In his three years at OSU, Dunn has 48 carries for 287 yards and three touchdowns. While that is not much experience to lean on, it is much more than Weber who redshirted during his freshman season after injuring his meniscus in Fall Camp.

The power run game is important and these are the backs that can give that dimension to the Buckeyes.

Noah Brown

The winner of the hype machine during the 2015 preseason never got the chance to live up to his potential due to a broken leg in practice.

While he played as a true freshman, Brown only recorded one reception for nine yards. The wide out was expected to be in the receiver rotation last year until the injury kept him from playing.

“Noah Brown, we all know, you guys never really got to see him in the training camp,” Meyer said. “He was one of our 1, 2, 3 best receivers on our team when he got hurt.”

Entire article: http://theozone.net/Ohio-State/Foot...Must-Step-Up-for-the-Buckeyes-in-2016-Offense
 
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Projecting the Ohio State Pre-Spring Depth Chart

Given the conversations we've had with the Buckeye coaches and players this month, we can piece together a pretty fair guess at what the depth chart is going to look like on the first day of spring ball in a couple of weeks.

Some of it, however, is also a complete guess due to the sheer amount of departed starters. Also, what the depth chart looks like on day one of spring camp will likely not be what it looks like on the final day of camp.

With those excuses and caveats noted, let's begin with a decent guess at a fair possibility.

QB
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J.T. Barrett, rJr Joe Burrow, rFr Stephen Collier, rSo
This one doesn't have any drama in terms of the starter, but there is still a very big battle to watch between Joe Burrow and Stephen Collier. Currently, Burrow is No. 2 in the race.

RB
Bri'onte Dunn, rSr
Mike Weber, rFr Antonio Williams, Fr
Given that Bri'onte Dunn is leading the charge in the running back room in the offseason, he should start out No. 1 at the onset of camp. The staff likes Antonio Williams, but freshmen have a way of hitting a wall during spring and fall camps. Can Dunn hold off Mike Weber and Williams? It will be fun to watch.

HB
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Curtis Samuel, Jr Dontre Wilson, Sr A.J. Alexander, rFr
Don't be surprised when you see Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson on the field together. As far as A.J. Alexander, this would be a logical spot for him given his athletic ability and the number of other tight ends coming to town this summer. But this is one of those guesses I mentioned earlier.


Entire article (rest of the offense and defense): http://theozone.net/Ohio-State/Foot...-the-Ohio-State-Pre-Spring-Depth-Chart?Page=1
 
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FILM STUDY: THE REINCARNATION OF SPLIT-BACK SHOTGUN FORMATIONS

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Up 14-7 midway through the second quarter of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State offensive coordinator Ed Warinner flashed a glimpse of what changes may come for his offense in the coming fall. Gone will be eight starters including the leading rusher and top three receivers, leaving many to wonder where returning quarterback J.T. Barrett will look to distribute the ball once the 2016 season kicks off.

While helming the Buckeye offense over the past two seasons, Barrett has proven to be most valuable when asked to make quick decisions in the passing and option games. Conversely, the unit seemed to struggle most when it became predictable, attempting to force the ball into the hands of Elliott, Braxton Miller, or Mike Thomas simply because they hadn't touched it recently enough.

Throughout the tenure of both Warinner and his boss, Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes have almost always taken the field with '11' personnel, meaning one running back, one tight end, and three wide receivers. When predicting who will join Barrett on the field next season, most have justifiably tried to fill the gaps according to that same alignment.

But if that drive in the Fiesta Bowl is any indication, Warinner may mix things up in the coming year, calling for more formations that feature two running backs instead of just one. By doing so, he may well take the best advantage of his quarterback's best skill while avoiding the pitfalls that set back the 2015 edition.

We can see why in the example below. After Curtis Samuel motioned to the backfield, creating this two-back shotgun look, Elliott takes what appears to be a simple inside handoff for a 16-yard gain and a first down.

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In reality though, this was a classic triple-option play, with Elliott's tight zone run playing the role of the old fullback dive. As the middle linebacker follows Samuel to the outside, little does he know that his action will force Barrett to give on the handoff, since OSU now has five blockers for the remaining five Irish defenders.

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QiXc6cg.gif


Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...emerging-trend-of-two-back-shotgun-formations
 
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Ohio State Quarterback J.T. Barrett Breaks Down the Buckeye Wide Receivers

What better place to get the scoop on the Buckeye receivers than with quarterback J.T. Barrett?

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The Buckeyes have three former receivers getting ready to perform at the NFL Combine this weekend, and that follows the two — Devin Smith and Evan Spencer — who were there doing the same just a year ago.

Losing five NFL receivers over the span of two seasons is a hit that most teams cannot handle, but this is the reality that Ohio State is facing in 2016.

The remaining receiving roster that enters spring practice next month caught a total of 35 passes last season, which was one fewer than Jalin Marshall, who finished second on the team in 2015 with 36 receptions.

Of those 35 receptions, only six were by an outside receiver, as H-backs Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson combined for 29 receptions a year ago. Corey Smith's five catches and Johnnie Dixon's one are the entirety of the returning receptions from OSU's outside receivers.

Despite the lack of catches by a young group of pass catchers, there is still plenty of excitement in the amount of talent that the Buckeyes can put out past the hash marks this season.

And it's always good when the quarterback is one of those people excited about the possibilities.

"I think as far as young guys we have Terry McLaurin, Torrance Gibson, K. J. (Hill), Noah (Brown) is getting back from injury, I think a lot of people forgot about Noah Brown," J.T. Barrett said recently.

"I don’t know if he’s going to be able to participate in spring ball. Corey Smith is back and that’s a guy that I love throwing to because I feel he’s a true wide receiver. So having those guys back, I think those guys will be back more this summer, but I’m excited about all those guys."

Brown broke his leg in fall camp last August after being one of the rising stars on the team in the spring and summer. He's on his way back now, which is a surprise to absolutely no one. Brown isn't all the way back just yet, but he is on track.

"Noah is doing stuff on the side, same as Corey," Barrett said. "I think he said during spring ball he’d be able to sprint full speed in a straight line, but I don’t know about cutting yet. I talked to him about that."

Entire article: http://theozone.net/Ohio-State/Foot...arrett-Breaks-Down-the-Buckeye-Wide-Receivers
 
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Ohio State Quarterback J.T. Barrett Breaks Down the Buckeye Wide Receivers

What better place to get the scoop on the Buckeye receivers than with quarterback J.T. Barrett?

ZoneSix.jpg


The Buckeyes have three former receivers getting ready to perform at the NFL Combine this weekend, and that follows the two — Devin Smith and Evan Spencer — who were there doing the same just a year ago.

Losing five NFL receivers over the span of two seasons is a hit that most teams cannot handle, but this is the reality that Ohio State is facing in 2016.

The remaining receiving roster that enters spring practice next month caught a total of 35 passes last season, which was one fewer than Jalin Marshall, who finished second on the team in 2015 with 36 receptions.

Of those 35 receptions, only six were by an outside receiver, as H-backs Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson combined for 29 receptions a year ago. Corey Smith's five catches and Johnnie Dixon's one are the entirety of the returning receptions from OSU's outside receivers.

Despite the lack of catches by a young group of pass catchers, there is still plenty of excitement in the amount of talent that the Buckeyes can put out past the hash marks this season.

And it's always good when the quarterback is one of those people excited about the possibilities.

"I think as far as young guys we have Terry McLaurin, Torrance Gibson, K. J. (Hill), Noah (Brown) is getting back from injury, I think a lot of people forgot about Noah Brown," J.T. Barrett said recently.

"I don’t know if he’s going to be able to participate in spring ball. Corey Smith is back and that’s a guy that I love throwing to because I feel he’s a true wide receiver. So having those guys back, I think those guys will be back more this summer, but I’m excited about all those guys."

Brown broke his leg in fall camp last August after being one of the rising stars on the team in the spring and summer. He's on his way back now, which is a surprise to absolutely no one. Brown isn't all the way back just yet, but he is on track.

"Noah is doing stuff on the side, same as Corey," Barrett said. "I think he said during spring ball he’d be able to sprint full speed in a straight line, but I don’t know about cutting yet. I talked to him about that."

Entire article: http://theozone.net/Ohio-State/Foot...arrett-Breaks-Down-the-Buckeye-Wide-Receivers
Just so much damn potential in this room. I think the best will play regardless of experience. I can easily see Brown and/or Smith losing out on being starters to a younger and hungrier kid. I'm not saying it'll definitely happen, but it speaks to the amount of talent that we have at WR. I'm getting more excited for the Spring game and the 2016 season
 
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