2018 tOSU Offense Discussion

[ScriptOhio]

SKULL SESSION: THE BEST USE OF MIKE WEBER, CURTIS SAMUEL INVESTS IN HIS HANDS, AND THE VOICE OF THE BUCKEYES

BEST WAY TO USE A WRECKING BALL? I don't envy Tony Alford and Urban Meyer this season. Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins both feel they're the best running back in America, and there are only so many runs a team can execute before it becomes a philosophical liability.

Unfortunately for Weber, injuries hampered his redshirt sophomore campaign, and Dobbins went on to prove he can carry shoulder the load.

The question becomes, what's the best way to integrate a healthy Weber back into the offense in a way that booms the team in the optimal way?

From lettermenrow.com:

The Buckeyes showed only the briefest glimpse of what that two-tailback personnel grouping might look like in the Cotton Bowl, with the play ironically going to H-back Parris Campbell — but gaining 21 yards thanks to the focus on Weber and Dobbins. Ohio State essentially had four different rushing options coming off that one play with the threat of the quarterback thrown in as well, and that’s yet another way this collection of talent Meyer has assembled can toy with defenses.

The other, more traditional way would be to simply rotate in the primary role to keep both Dobbins and Weber fresh and healthy. There’s the age-old debate about riding the hot hand or allowing a rusher to find a rhythm, but Ohio State’s rushing attack was at its best last season with Dobbins in the featured role complemented by the secondary punch from Weber. The Michigan State game is the ideal blueprint for that workload, with Dobbins handling 18 carries and Weber turning his 9 attempts into 162 yards with a pair of touchdowns.

Ohio State should put in a triple-option package featuring Tate Martell, Weber, and Dobbins in the I-Formation. After tantalizing Buckeye fans with a two-back package all year, Meyer may owe us this one. And don't tell me Woody Hayes wouldn't be beaming if Martell, Weber, and Dobbins all went for over 100 yards rushing in a win over Michigan.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skul...muel-jugs-machine-paul-keels-college-football

 

[kujirakira]

Pretty excited about this new segment:

There's a part II and III now too.
Evan is a natural at this. I could watch him break film down for all eternity.
Was it Ross that used to do great analysis for 11w circa 2014 and switched to a pay site?
Reminds me of that...

 

[jwinslow]

There's a part II and III now too.
Evan is a natural at this. I could watch him break film down for all eternity.
Was it Ross that used to do great analysis for 11w circa 2014 and switched to a pay site?
Reminds me of that...

Yes Ross. Thanks for the heads up. I thought Beanie's segment was just ok (though that may have been the plays used more than him).

Here is the new Spencer one:
https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state...-buckeyes-football-video-review-evan-spencer/

Looking forward to Evan having more detailed source material to work with. You are right about him being a natural.

I doubt he'd want to highlight himself, but a breakdown of his sugar bowl block would be awesome, considering it might be the biggest block in modern tOSU history, maybe with a little Landon Collins lunch money collection as a bonus :)

 

[jwinslow]

 

[Dryden]

https://theathletic.com/433660/2018...nsider-washington-ole-miss-ohio-state-oregon/

...

Parris Campbell, Ohio State’s most dangerous wideout, told me this offseason that the Buckeyes’ receiving corps, the team’s most experienced position group, has focused on the deep ball component as the area it most needs to improve. (It also should help that Ohio State’s new quarterback, Dwayne Haskins, has one of the best arms in college football.)

“I played running back in high school, so early on I still had those running back tendencies to chop my steps,” Campbell said in regard to his route running. “I’ve grown out of that. It’s like night and day, but sometimes I do have a tendency to go back to that.”

Campbell’s pick for a breakout performer among the receivers is Austin Mack, a 6-2, 215-pound junior who he said had an amazing spring. “The thing I like the most about him is he’s not the fastest, but he’s a very detailed guy. So smart on the field. And he’s very versatile, and he’s started to show that.”

...

 

[ScriptOhio]

Expect More Big Hits from Buckeye Running Backs

There is a misconception among some Buckeye fans that sophomore running back J.K. Dobbins doesn’t have the speed to hit home runs.

They have this belief because they saw him get tracked down from behind a few times last season.

Dobbins did have issues with finishing on his big hits last season, but he spent the offseason working on his explosion and conditioning.

This past winter, running backs coach Tony Alford attributed Dobbins’ being caught from behind not to a lack of speed, but rather to him simply wearing down over the course of the season due to being tasked with a heavy load for a freshman tailback.

Alford is adamant that Dobbins is plenty fast, and let’s not forget that he was once timed at Nike’s The Opening at 4.44 in the 40-yard dash.

Rest assured, the speed is there, and the work is being put in to make sure the distance will follow.

Dobbins’ search for the big hit is not new for Buckeye running backs, however.

Remember Carlos Hyde in 2012? Yes, he rushed for 970 yards, but he never had a single carry of 30 yards. He spent most of the season running on a knee that wasn’t 100%. During the offseason, he went to work to improve upon his long gains. So how did he do? With just 23 more carries in 2013 than he had the year before, Hyde went for at least 30 yards six times and had three runs of over 40 yards.

Remember Mike Weber in 2016? How many times did he get tripped up on a run that could have gone the distance? He probably knows the exact answer, which is why he focused on improving his long-distance running during the winter prior to the 2017 season.

An injury cut his carries from 182 in 2016 to just 101 last year, but he had the same number of 40-yard rushes (3) and his percentage of 30-yard runs increased from 2.2% to 2.9%. That’s a significant jump, so just imagine what he could have done if he was healthy for an entire season. And now imagine what he will be able to do this year.

Maybe it was angles or speed or conditioning, but when Ezekiel Elliott broke into the open, he usually took it a long way. In 2014, of his eight carries that went at least 30 yards, half of them would go on for at least 60 yards.

In 2015, Elliott had seven carries of at least 30 yards. Six of those carries went at least 50 yards, and four went at least 60 yards.

When you look at how that compares to J.K. Dobbins, the data supports what Alford is saying.

Only 10% of Dobbins’ 30-yard rushes continued on for 60 yards, but that number of 30-yard carries — 10 — is the most of any Urban Meyer running back at Ohio State.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/07/big-hits-running-backs/

 

[ScriptOhio]

Urban Meyer on Dwayne Haskins and Expectations at Quarterback

Despite all of the focus on what is happening with former Ohio State wide receiver coach Zach Smith, Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer also addressed his quarterbacks at the Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday.

After a spring defined by competition at the quarterback position, Meyer previously announced this summer that redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins would be the new starting quarterback at Ohio State. He reiterated his stance this week as well.

However, that doesn’t mean things at quarterback are set in stone heading into fall camp. There is still work to be done for Haskins and the rest of the quarterbacks, and changes are still possible.

“I made it clear that Dwayne would be the quarterback, but 30 days from now, a lot happens in 30 days,” Meyer said.

Any new Buckeye quarterback will bring a multitude of changes to the offense and the team as a whole, but Meyer said the expectations at that position will remain the same, no matter who is behind center.

“Dwayne Haskins, the position will never change,” Meyer said. “The expectation is to be the best quarterback in the Big Ten, which is very hard because we have some excellent quarterbacks.”

And as far as the other Buckeye quarterbacks, Meyer said that redshirt freshman quarterback Tate Martell has done a great job of earning the respect and trust of his teammates.

Also, after recovering from a tough knee injury as a high school senior, freshman quarterback Matthew Baldwin has put on about 20 good pounds and is throwing well.

“Matt Baldwin is our third team quarterback, he’s up to 209 pounds right now, he’s gained 20-some pounds,” Meyer said. “He had a tough injury, but I watched him work, watched him throw.”

Meyer said he wishes he had one more quarterback in order to have four on the roster, but he expressed how happy he was with Haskins’ ability to throw the ball.

“That’s one-third of what a quarterback has to do,” Meyer said. “And lead and toughness are the other two.”

Leadership was something that Haskins said he was working on throughout the spring, and in order to win the starting job he had to build the connections with each of his teammates.

But Haskins has big shoes to fill. Following J.T. Barrett is not an easy task. Meyer has praised Barrett for his leadership abilities throughout his time at Ohio State.

“What he did for our team inside, not many people were aware of, I’ll forever be indebted to J.T. Barrett, that’s how good a person, leader he was,” Meyer said.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/07/urban-meyer-dwayne-haskins-expectations/

 

[ScriptOhio]

SKULL SESSION: URBAN MEYER'S NEW SECURITY BLANKET, JARED SULLINGER'S NBA DREAMS AND JAMARCO JONES WAS A STEAL FOR THE SEAHAWKS

MEYER'S NEW "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD." Dwayne Haskins and J.T. Barrett have different skillsets which should change not only the way the offense operates normally, but Urban Meyer's security blanket when things go bad.

You can see it in the numbers – in close games, Meyer relied on Barrett running the ball more than anything else. And in short yardage situations, it was almost always Barrett up the middle.

With Haskins at the helm, Meyer's going to have to find a new "get out of jail free card," as he calls it. And for those of you who quite vocally hate the bubble screen, I've got some bad news.

From Bill Landis of Cleveland.com:

"His skill set is very different from J.T. Barrett," Meyer said. "His release, his size, his accuracy are his strengths. We're still gonna be a spread offense, which means you still have dual opportunities, give it or pull it (on read-options), the RPO (run-pass option) world where you give it or you throw it -- I think that's going to be more involved than it was with J.T."

...

Meyer always called the ability to run Barrett his "get out of jail free card." He played it a lot. Too much, one could argue. Falling into the rut of running Haskins when things get tough simply won't work, or at least not as well as with Barrett, who always felt like a near guarantee to get the ground you needed in short-yardage situations.

"It's not the same as J.T., but it's enough to do what we have to do," Meyer said when asked his comfort level running Haskins in those situations. "He understands that's part of who we are. ... The get out of jail free card might be a quick pass or a bubble screen, those type of things. That's all to be determined."

I'll say this now, folks will be absolutely indignant if Haskins drops back and tosses a bubble screen on 4th-and-1 at any point this fall. Hey, y'all were tired of the quarterback keeper.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skull-sessions/2018/07/94617/skull-session-ohio-state-football

 

[ScriptOhio]

Football: Quarterback approach changes as the 2018 season comes closer

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said redshirt freshman quarterback Tate Martell has a legitimate shot to earn playing time during the 2018 season.

In him, Meyer sees a quarterback with a similar competitive spirit as quarterbacks such as Tim Tebow, Alex Smith and J.T. Barrett; a player who refuses to lose.

The amount of playing time he’s able to afford Martell depends on something Meyer does multiple times each season.

“I list our top 20 players on offense in order,” Meyer said. “Then I hold it over the coaches heads to make sure those guys are playing.”

Going into his seventh season as the head coach at Ohio State, Meyer believes earning playing time is simple. If a player, such as Martell, is not one of the 20 best players on the roster, he will not play. However, if he is, the Ohio State offense will accommodate whatever playing style that particular player has and he will see the field.

Coming into the 2018 season without Barrett on the roster, the quarterback room will need to use that approach more.

Redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins will enter training camp as the starting quarterback, having shown what he can do in high leverage situations after Barrett went down with an injury in the 2017 Michigan game.

“Dwayne has shown in front of millions of people in a rivalry game,” Meyer said. “He has a little bit of a different way of doing it, but he’s earning the respect of our players and our staff.”

Meyer said Haskins is very different from Barrett, complimenting his release, his size and accuracy throwing the football.

That does not mean Meyer will take away one of the key components of last year’s offense with Haskins at the helm: the run-pass option.

“We are always going to be a spread offense which means you have have dual read, dual opportunities to either hand the ball off or, to either give it or pull it. You know, the RPO world where you either give it or you throw it,” Meyer said. “I still think that it is going to be even more involved than with J.T.”

With Barrett’s collegiate career complete, Ohio State seems to be changing its approach at quarterback. In three straight recruiting classes, the Buckeyes have had a pro-style quarterback commit to the program, with Matthew Baldwin in 2018, Dwan Mathis in 2019 and Jack Miller in 2020.

Meyer said he does not recruit quarterbacks to match the style of play of his football program at the time.

“We fit whatever we have,” Meyer said. “We go after the best player that has the intangibles of competitiveness and toughness and leadership and we build it around what he can do.”

Entire article: https://www.thelantern.com/2018/07/...oach-changes-as-the-2018-season-comes-closer/

 

[ScriptOhio]

SKULL SESSION: OHIO STATE GREAT AGAINST THE SPREAD, OHIO STATE'S LOOMING OFFENSIVE TACKLE DECISION, AND JONATHAN COOPER OVERLOOKED

LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT. We've known who Ohio State's offensive tackles would be for quite some time, but what we still don't know is who's going to play which side.

Early in the spring, Urban Meyer said Thayer Munford was "penciled in" as Ohio State's starting right tackle with Isaiah Prince moving over to the left. Meyer must have brought out the eraser because that's decidedly not what we saw during the team's spring game.

From Bill Landis of Cleveland.com:

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year thus far was when Munford started the spring game at left tackle and Prince at right, deviating from what we saw at the start of spring practice and what we thought would be the plan. Urban Meyer wasn't ready to call that permanent then, and wasn't ready to call that permanent last week.

...

Trusting the mature senior over the green sophomore at that position would seem like sound judgement.

Then you remember the comfort Prince has built on the right side, and wonder if that should be taken into consideration more than having a potential team captain protecting quarterback Dwayne Haskins' blind side.

"It's a tough adjustment," Prince said. "I'm right hand and right foot dominant. It's just different. Your muscle memory is different, the way you think about things is backwards, the complete opposite. So it was a big adjustment."

If Meyer were to consult me, an Internet boy with an Arby's addiction, I would advise leaving Prince at right tackle.

After a rocky sophomore season, Prince played with a ton of confidence last season and was one of the most improved players in the country. Moving him to the left after he became comfortable on the right seems like a recipe for disaster.

Plus, I have all the faith in the world in Munford.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skul...-cooper-overlooked-darron-lee-cancer-survivor

 

[ScriptOhio]

How Ohio State’s Offense Will Change From Barrett To Haskins

The debate raged more or less non-stop on message boards, talk radio, and social media for four years.

To many Buckeye fans, J.T. Barrett was a record-setting quarterback who helped lead the Ohio State to 49 wins and a national championship.

To others, J.T. Barrett was a physically-limited quarterback whose inability to hit deep passes prevented the Buckeyes from winning even more.

To a subset of both of those groups, Urban Meyer’s reliance on Barrett’s running ability in key spots made the Buckeyes predictable; a pattern that repeated itself in the team’s rare losses.

Now Barrett is gone, and with the arrival of the Dwayne Haskins era comes a fresh start for both the program and the fanbase.

Where Barrett was a reliable runner but occasionally limited passer, Haskins has a truly special arm but is less mobile.

Urban Meyer knows that change will have a big impact on what his offense looks like this fall.

“Your quarterback is such a key part,” Meyer said. “(Haskins’) skillset is so unique. Very different than J.T. Barrett. His release, his size, his accuracy are his strengths.”

Senior wide receiver Parris Campbell said Haskins is just on a whole different level than most players at the position.

“You have great quarterbacks, but then you have a handful of quarterbacks who just are different and have that elite skill,” Campbell said. “It’s not something they earn, it’s something that they’re blessed with and Dwayne definitely has that gift.”

Campbell has a pretty good idea what Haskins’ arm strength and accuracy will mean for the offense this fall.

“We’re going to add to our game vertically, we already have an established run game with J.K. (Dobbins) and Mike (Weber),” he said. “I think it’s going to be hard for defenses to contain us once we get clicking on all phases.”

Meyer said many of the general principles of the offense would be similar this fall. The quarterback will still have frequent opportunities to “read” a defender and take what the defense is giving him. However, instead of plays where Barrett frequently had the choice between handing the ball to a running back like Dobbins or keeping it himself, Haskins may be more often given a decision between a handoff or a pass.

“We’re still going to be a spread offense, which means you have dual opportunities, either give it or pull it,” Meyer said. “The RPO (run/pass option) world where you either give it or you throw it, I just think that’s going to be even more involved than it was with J.T.”

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/07/ohio-states-offense-will-change-barrett-haskins/

 

[ScriptOhio]

FILM STUDY: IF URBAN MEYER ISN'T ROAMING THE SIDELINES, HOW MIGHT THE OHIO STATE OFFENSE CHANGE THIS FALL UNDER RYAN DAY?

With Ohio State's fall camp already underway and numerous questions about the status of head coach Urban Meyer still unanswered, it's fair to begin examining how his absence may be felt on the field. While offensive coordinator Ryan Day is tasked with leading the program in Meyer's absence, many fans have begun to wonder aloud what changes the former protege of Chip Kelly may make given his recently added responsibilities.

Luckily, Day will be able to lean on the counsel of two former college head coaches in Kevin Wilson and Greg Schiano, as well as four other assistants with coordinator experience in Alex Grinch, Greg Studrawa, Billy Davis, and Taver Johnson. Given Day's focus on the offensive side of the ball and the presence of such a talented staff under Schiano, it's unlikely that the Buckeye defense will look much different than it had with Meyer at the helm.

But despite finishing seventh nationally in total yards last fall, much of the focus had already been on Day's offense throughout the offseason, thanks to the departure of record-setting quarterback, J.T. Barrett. With presumed starter Dwayne Haskins featuring a slightly different skill set than his predecessor, many had expected to see big changes coming to the Ohio State playbook in 2018.

But as we saw in the Spring Game last April, the system looked largely the same, relying on many of the same concepts featured in 2017. The run game still relied heavily on the same zone concepts like Crunch (below) with occasional gap schemes mixed in.

There were some tweaks to the passing game, but most came in the form of disguising core concepts like Saints in new ways rather than installing different ones altogether. Instead of rebuilding the system from scratch, it appears as though Meyer, Day, and Wilson elected to maintain their positive momentum from the prior year despite the stylistic differences between their two signal-callers.

But even if Day had desired to rebuild the system in an effort to better suit Haskins, there simply isn't enough time to do so at this point. Given the NCAA limitations placed on how much time coaches can spend with their players, it's extremely difficult to install the dozens of concepts that make up a modern playbook in just 25 preseason fall practices.

While there is always room to add a wrinkle here or there as the season progresses, much of the system's foundation was laid during the 15 spring sessions. With the basics already in place, the team is able to focus on specific scenarios such as goal-line and two-minute situations during fall camp.

It's in these situations, however, where we might begin to see a difference with Day in command. Though Meyer never called plays directly, his veto power could often be felt in close games. Specifically, when facing 3rd & short (1-3 yds to go), Meyer relied heavily on the quarterback run game, taking full advantage of Barrett's ability to navigate between the tackles and fall forward.

Not only did Ohio State run the ball nearly 78% of the time in such scenarios last fall, continuing a pattern seen throughout Meyer's tenure, but Barrett was the ball-carrier on 25 of their 53 rush attempts on 3rd & short, picking up 16 of the 36 converted first downs. While many often second-guessed Meyer's reliance on the arithmetical advantage of using the QB as a runner, the results are difficult to argue given the team's consistent ability to convert on 3rd downs.

Meyer's Buckeyes finished with the 6th-best 3rd down conversion rate in the nation in 2017, picking up the first down 46.49% of the time. However, without Barrett's legs upon which to rely, questions remain about how often Day will ask Haskins to carry the ball in such situations.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...might-the-ohio-state-offense-change-this-fall

 

[ScriptOhio]

MICHAEL JORDAN'S POTENTIAL MOVE TO CENTER IS ABOUT PUTTING OHIO STATE'S FIVE BEST OFFENSIVE LINEMEN ON THE FIELD

Ohio State could be in the process of moving its most experienced guard to the center position for the third year in a row.

The Buckeyes appeared to be at least considering that possibility during their fourth practice of fall camp on Tuesday – the first practice that was open to the media this preseason – when Michael Jordan, Ohio State’s starting left guard for the past two seasons, took snaps at center.

In the early portion of practice that was open to all media, Jordan was simply seen snapping the ball in various drills, with Brady Taylor still lining up at center with the first-team offensive line.

Big Ten Network representatives, however, were allowed to watch more of the practice, and BTN’s Dave Revsine posted a video from later in the practice that appeared to show Jordan working as the center with the first-team offensive line – with Malcolm Pridgeon taking his place at left guard – during a team drill.

The Buckeyes’ decision to experiment with the possibility of moving Jordan to center shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, considering that they have placed a huge premium on experience at the position – which Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has described as the “apex” position – in recent years.

In each of Greg Studrawa’s first two seasons as Ohio State’s offensive line coach, the Buckeyes have followed the same formula of sliding their most experienced guard one spot over to man the middle of the line. In 2016, Pat Elflein moved from right guard to center for his fifth-year senior season, and he won the Rimington Trophy. In 2017, Billy Price made the same move for his fifth-year senior season, and he also won the Rimington Trophy.

Jordan is just a true junior, but he was a first-team All-Big Ten left guard for the Buckeyes last year, and he offers the same potential to be one of the best centers in the country.

Ultimately, though, Ohio State’s decision on whether to move Jordan to center or keep him at left guard might have more to do with the Buckeyes’ other interior offensive linemen than it has to do with Jordan himself.

Taylor, Ohio State’s backup center for the past two seasons, could still emerge as the starting center for this season. This is Taylor’s last chance, as a fifth-year senior, to seize a spot in the Buckeyes’ starting lineup, and he has drawn praise from his coaches and teammates dating back to the spring.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ates-five-best-offensive-linemen-on-the-field

 

[ShowMeBuck]

MICHAEL JORDAN'S POTENTIAL MOVE TO CENTER IS ABOUT PUTTING OHIO STATE'S FIVE BEST OFFENSIVE LINEMEN ON THE FIELD

Ohio State could be in the process of moving its most experienced guard to the center position for the third year in a row.

The Buckeyes appeared to be at least considering that possibility during their fourth practice of fall camp on Tuesday – the first practice that was open to the media this preseason – when Michael Jordan, Ohio State’s starting left guard for the past two seasons, took snaps at center.

In the early portion of practice that was open to all media, Jordan was simply seen snapping the ball in various drills, with Brady Taylor still lining up at center with the first-team offensive line.

Big Ten Network representatives, however, were allowed to watch more of the practice, and BTN’s Dave Revsine posted a video from later in the practice that appeared to show Jordan working as the center with the first-team offensive line – with Malcolm Pridgeon taking his place at left guard – during a team drill.

The Buckeyes’ decision to experiment with the possibility of moving Jordan to center shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, considering that they have placed a huge premium on experience at the position – which Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has described as the “apex” position – in recent years.

In each of Greg Studrawa’s first two seasons as Ohio State’s offensive line coach, the Buckeyes have followed the same formula of sliding their most experienced guard one spot over to man the middle of the line. In 2016, Pat Elflein moved from right guard to center for his fifth-year senior season, and he won the Rimington Trophy. In 2017, Billy Price made the same move for his fifth-year senior season, and he also won the Rimington Trophy.

Jordan is just a true junior, but he was a first-team All-Big Ten left guard for the Buckeyes last year, and he offers the same potential to be one of the best centers in the country.

Ultimately, though, Ohio State’s decision on whether to move Jordan to center or keep him at left guard might have more to do with the Buckeyes’ other interior offensive linemen than it has to do with Jordan himself.

Taylor, Ohio State’s backup center for the past two seasons, could still emerge as the starting center for this season. This is Taylor’s last chance, as a fifth-year senior, to seize a spot in the Buckeyes’ starting lineup, and he has drawn praise from his coaches and teammates dating back to the spring.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ates-five-best-offensive-linemen-on-the-field

I have a really hard time seeing this actually happening. Unless a couple of things: 2 of Bowen, Knox or Pridgeon both look awesome and the staff is comfortable starting 2 new guys on the left side (yikes) or we truly have no other option at center. Because moving Jordan to center would be cause for alarm to me regarding depth at center NOT because it means we have an over abundance of guard depth.

This would assume something like: Munford, Pridgeon, Jordan, Knox/Bowen, Prince.

 

[ShowMeBuck]

Also, for all the talk about LB core being biggest issue, I still say that replacing the 2 most important positions on the O Line in the same year is absolutely something to worry about.