Happy Monday!
Ohio State is 5-1 and is off this week. But I still have some things I'm thinking about this morning.
OK, so where does Ohio State stand heading into its bye week?
We all know what the story of this team has been over the first six games: suffering its first regular-season loss under head coach Ryan Day against Oregon, not fully adjusting and winning closer than expected against Tulsa before finding a rhythm and dominating Tulsa, Rutgers and Maryland, seemingly getting stronger as the season goes along.
Through six games, let’s put some of those numbers in perspective for Ohio State:
Scoring Offense — 48.5 points per game (No. 3 in FBS)
Total Offense — 563.2 yards per game (No. 1 in FBS)
Pass Offense — 352.2 yards per game (No. 9 in FBS)
Rush Offense — 211.0 yards per game (No. 26 in FBS)
Scoring Defense — 20.5 points allowed per game (T-No. 33 in FBS)
Total Defense — 387.3 yards allowed per game (No. 76 in FBS)
Pass Defense — 256.0 yards allowed per game (No. 102 in FBS)
Rush Defense — 131.3 yards allowed per game (No. 54 in FBS)
So how does this compare with the teams in front of Ohio State in the latest polls?
Six weeks into the season, five teams sit above Ohio State in the latest editions of both the AP and the USA Today Coaches Polls: Georgia, Iowa, Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Alabama.
Here are how each of those teams compare to Ohio State in each of the above categories.
Scoring Offense — Ohio State (No. 3), Alabama (No. 6: 44.3), Oklahoma (No. 8: 41.2), Cincinnati (No. 9: 41.0), Georgia (No. 12: 39.8), Iowa (T-No. 49: 31.5)
Total Offense — Ohio State (No. 1), Alabama (No. 20: 472.5), Oklahoma (No. 21: 471.5), Cincinnati (No. 42: 440.8), Georgia (No. 49: 432.5), Iowa (Not ranked in Top 130, No. 14 in the Big Ten: 317.5)
Pass Offense — Ohio State (No. 9), Alabama (No. 17: 310.8), Oklahoma (No. 26: 285.5), Cincinnati (No. 43: 265.4), Georgia (No. 62: 235.3) Iowa (No. 100: 194.2)
Rush Offense — Ohio State (No. 26), Georgia (No. 35: 197.2), Oklahoma (No. 41: 185.7), Cincinnati (No. 48: 175.4), Alabama (No. 69: 161.7), Iowa (No. 99: 123.2)
Scoring Defense — Georgia (No. 1: 5.5), Cincinnati (No. 2: 12.2), Iowa (No. 4: 13), Ohio State (T-No. 33), Alabama (No 40: 22), Oklahoma (T-No. 62: 23.83)
Total Defense — Georgia (No. 1: 201.2), Iowa (No. 8: 274), Cincinnati (No. 12: 294.2), Alabama (T-No. 16: 300.7), Oklahoma (No. 51: 353.3), Ohio State (No. 76)
Pass Defense — Georgia (No. 1: 137), Cincinnati (No. 19: 177.8), Iowa (No. 22: 183.7), Alabama (No. 34: 195.2), , Ohio State (No. 102), Oklahoma (No. 108: 265.8)
Rush Defense — Georgia (No. 4: 64.2), Oklahoma (No. 8: 87.5), Iowa (No. 11: 90.3), Alabama (No. 25: 105.5), Cincinnati (No. 34:116.4), Ohio State (No. 54)
Sense a pattern?
Here’s some Ohio State individual stats to keep an eye on
Running back TreVeyon Henderson is just one of four players to have at least 11 touchdowns, averaging 8.7 yards per carry — fourth-best in the country.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud is No. 6 in the country averaging 339.8 passing yards per game, and No. 4 with 16.34 passing yards per completion.
Wide receiver Chris Olave is tied for sixth in the country with seven receiving touchdowns, while Garrett Wilson is tied for 12th in the country with six.
Safety Ronnie Hickman is tied for No. 22 in the nation with 32 solo tackles.
Kicker Noah Ruggles is one of 15 kickers left in FBS that has hit every field goal try
Let’s stick with Stroud for a second.
The Ohio State redshirt quarterback has been money in his last two games, completing 41 of his last 56 pass attempts — 73.2% — for 736 yards and 10 touchdowns. Stroud is the first Ohio State quarterback since Dwayne Haskins to throw for at least five touchdowns in back-to-back games.
Haskins, Ohio State’s starter in 2018, tagged Stroud in a tweet Sunday, declaring that the quarterback is indeed “Balling!”
But what’s the redshirt freshman’s pace compared to Haskins in 2018, leading an offense that averaged 535.7 yards of offense and 42.4 points per game.
Stroud through five games: 66.2% completion, 339.8 yards per game, 10.8 yards per attempt, 3.6 touchdowns per game, 0.6 interceptions per game
Haskins in 2018: 70% completion, 345.1 yards per game, 9.1 yards per attempt, 3.6 touchdowns per game, 0.6 interceptions per game
Is tackling still an issue?
As Ohio State’s defense seems to be looking better and better, having better and better performances, the Buckeyes’ missed tackle total is getting higher and higher.
As I looked at last week, Ohio State recorded 21 missed tackles against Rutgers after recording 33 in the first four games combined. Against Maryland, things got worse, recording 23 missed tackles.
Eight players — including five starters: linebacker Cody Simon, defensive end Zach Harrison, Hickman, cornerback Sevyn Banks and defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson — each missed two, while seven others missed one.
This is a problem, and one that only seems to be getting worse.
As Ohio State continues to form its defensive identity, it’s one that seems to being built on consistent mistakes in space, allowing opposing offenses more yards than they should in space.
Even one or two yards can make a difference down the line, especially as the Buckeyes face weapons like Penn State’s Johan Dotson, Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III and Michigan’s Hassan Haskins, whose hurdle of a Nebraska defender Saturday night may have been the best thing I saw all weekend.
If Ohio State wants to make the College Football Playoff, it needs to be perfect. This is something that is bound to hurt the Buckeye defense in a major way if not fixed.
You know who wasn’t a problem? Steele Chambers.
Take a step back and think about this. Steele Chambers was not a linebacker consistently until August.
He was recruited as a three-star “athlete” out of Roswell, Ga. in the 2019 class, joining the running back room initially before cross training as both a running back and linebacker heading into 2021.
Chambers was put where he was most needed, moving to the linebacker room permanently in August, and, as the season has gone along, the redshirt sophomore has become a significant rotational piece for the Buckeyes in the middle.
According to Pro Football Focus, he was by far Ohio State’s best defender both in terms of tackling, recording a team-leading six solo and one assisted tackle with four stops and a sack, along with being the best player in coverage too.
In a room that has seen a lot of instability over the course of 2019, Chambers has been an extreme bright spot, showing potential for the room moving forward.
So where does Ohio State’s focus turn for its bye week?
First of all, it’s getting healthy, something it seems to be doing as the games continue.
The Buckeyes’ three game-time decisions Saturday against the Terrapins — cornerback Demario McCall, wide receivers Julian Fleming and defensive end Tyreke Smith — each participated in pregame warm ups and dressed, but didn’t see the field.
In game play, Haskell Garrett went to the medical tent with an apparent injury to his left knee, while Cameron Brown and Thayer Munford also made trips to the medical tent, with Munford returning later in the game.
And then there’s Miyan Williams: the redshirt freshman running back who has not seen the field since the Akron game. He tweeted out during the Maryland game Saturday that he “will be back.”
Rest and rejuvenation was not something head coach Ryan Day was ready to talk about Thursday prior to the Maryland game, but now that needs to be a sole focus for him and his team, especially as it heads into the meat of Big Ten play.
Time to take a look at how that team up north did this week.
Nebraska gave this Wolverines team a fight.
One late field goal by Jake Moody allowed Michigan to continue its undefeated 2021 campaign into its bye week. But it wasn’t without its fair share of struggles.
The Wolverines defense allowed 294 passing yards and three touchdowns by Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez, adding 38 yards and another touchdown in the ground game. WHile keeping the Cornhuskers running game mostly at bay, Michigan was really unable to create pressure, recording four tackles for loss and one sack.
On offense, Hassan Haskins was special.
As I said above, that hurdle against a Nebraska defender was unreal. And while that may have been the best thing I saw all weekend, it was just one carry of a consistent night for the senior, recording 123 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Blake Corum added 89 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Michigan offensive line allowed Cade McNamara to have a clean pocket, allowing one sack and two tackles for loss, and he responded with 255 passing yards. However, he completed only 57.9% of his passes, threw no touchdowns and threw an interception.
This Michigan team did enough late to beat Nebraska on the road. It will be interesting to see how it translates out of the bye week against teams like Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State.
Just making sure you didn’t miss this.
Before Saturday’s game against Maryland, College GameDay ran a feature on Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talking about the loss of his father and how one recruiting trip in 2018 fueled a passion for pediatric and adolescent mental health.
This is an incredibly important watch.
Now for the song of the week.
If we’re talking pure one-hit wonders, this is leaps and bounds one of the best ones out there. No matter how my day’s going, no matter what my circumstances are, it’s a song that puts a smile on my face.
So in a week that does not end with Ohio State football at the end of it, let this be something that fuels your Monday morning, along with that coffee, of course.
Here’s "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals.
Ohio State is 5-1 and is off this week. But I still have some things I'm thinking about this morning.
OK, so where does Ohio State stand heading into its bye week?
We all know what the story of this team has been over the first six games: suffering its first regular-season loss under head coach Ryan Day against Oregon, not fully adjusting and winning closer than expected against Tulsa before finding a rhythm and dominating Tulsa, Rutgers and Maryland, seemingly getting stronger as the season goes along.
Through six games, let’s put some of those numbers in perspective for Ohio State:
Scoring Offense — 48.5 points per game (No. 3 in FBS)
Total Offense — 563.2 yards per game (No. 1 in FBS)
Pass Offense — 352.2 yards per game (No. 9 in FBS)
Rush Offense — 211.0 yards per game (No. 26 in FBS)
Scoring Defense — 20.5 points allowed per game (T-No. 33 in FBS)
Total Defense — 387.3 yards allowed per game (No. 76 in FBS)
Pass Defense — 256.0 yards allowed per game (No. 102 in FBS)
Rush Defense — 131.3 yards allowed per game (No. 54 in FBS)
So how does this compare with the teams in front of Ohio State in the latest polls?
Six weeks into the season, five teams sit above Ohio State in the latest editions of both the AP and the USA Today Coaches Polls: Georgia, Iowa, Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Alabama.
Here are how each of those teams compare to Ohio State in each of the above categories.
Scoring Offense — Ohio State (No. 3), Alabama (No. 6: 44.3), Oklahoma (No. 8: 41.2), Cincinnati (No. 9: 41.0), Georgia (No. 12: 39.8), Iowa (T-No. 49: 31.5)
Total Offense — Ohio State (No. 1), Alabama (No. 20: 472.5), Oklahoma (No. 21: 471.5), Cincinnati (No. 42: 440.8), Georgia (No. 49: 432.5), Iowa (Not ranked in Top 130, No. 14 in the Big Ten: 317.5)
Pass Offense — Ohio State (No. 9), Alabama (No. 17: 310.8), Oklahoma (No. 26: 285.5), Cincinnati (No. 43: 265.4), Georgia (No. 62: 235.3) Iowa (No. 100: 194.2)
Rush Offense — Ohio State (No. 26), Georgia (No. 35: 197.2), Oklahoma (No. 41: 185.7), Cincinnati (No. 48: 175.4), Alabama (No. 69: 161.7), Iowa (No. 99: 123.2)
Scoring Defense — Georgia (No. 1: 5.5), Cincinnati (No. 2: 12.2), Iowa (No. 4: 13), Ohio State (T-No. 33), Alabama (No 40: 22), Oklahoma (T-No. 62: 23.83)
Total Defense — Georgia (No. 1: 201.2), Iowa (No. 8: 274), Cincinnati (No. 12: 294.2), Alabama (T-No. 16: 300.7), Oklahoma (No. 51: 353.3), Ohio State (No. 76)
Pass Defense — Georgia (No. 1: 137), Cincinnati (No. 19: 177.8), Iowa (No. 22: 183.7), Alabama (No. 34: 195.2), , Ohio State (No. 102), Oklahoma (No. 108: 265.8)
Rush Defense — Georgia (No. 4: 64.2), Oklahoma (No. 8: 87.5), Iowa (No. 11: 90.3), Alabama (No. 25: 105.5), Cincinnati (No. 34:116.4), Ohio State (No. 54)
Sense a pattern?
Here’s some Ohio State individual stats to keep an eye on
Running back TreVeyon Henderson is just one of four players to have at least 11 touchdowns, averaging 8.7 yards per carry — fourth-best in the country.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud is No. 6 in the country averaging 339.8 passing yards per game, and No. 4 with 16.34 passing yards per completion.
Wide receiver Chris Olave is tied for sixth in the country with seven receiving touchdowns, while Garrett Wilson is tied for 12th in the country with six.
Safety Ronnie Hickman is tied for No. 22 in the nation with 32 solo tackles.
Kicker Noah Ruggles is one of 15 kickers left in FBS that has hit every field goal try
Let’s stick with Stroud for a second.
The Ohio State redshirt quarterback has been money in his last two games, completing 41 of his last 56 pass attempts — 73.2% — for 736 yards and 10 touchdowns. Stroud is the first Ohio State quarterback since Dwayne Haskins to throw for at least five touchdowns in back-to-back games.
Haskins, Ohio State’s starter in 2018, tagged Stroud in a tweet Sunday, declaring that the quarterback is indeed “Balling!”
But what’s the redshirt freshman’s pace compared to Haskins in 2018, leading an offense that averaged 535.7 yards of offense and 42.4 points per game.
Stroud through five games: 66.2% completion, 339.8 yards per game, 10.8 yards per attempt, 3.6 touchdowns per game, 0.6 interceptions per game
Haskins in 2018: 70% completion, 345.1 yards per game, 9.1 yards per attempt, 3.6 touchdowns per game, 0.6 interceptions per game
Is tackling still an issue?
As Ohio State’s defense seems to be looking better and better, having better and better performances, the Buckeyes’ missed tackle total is getting higher and higher.
As I looked at last week, Ohio State recorded 21 missed tackles against Rutgers after recording 33 in the first four games combined. Against Maryland, things got worse, recording 23 missed tackles.
Eight players — including five starters: linebacker Cody Simon, defensive end Zach Harrison, Hickman, cornerback Sevyn Banks and defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson — each missed two, while seven others missed one.
This is a problem, and one that only seems to be getting worse.
As Ohio State continues to form its defensive identity, it’s one that seems to being built on consistent mistakes in space, allowing opposing offenses more yards than they should in space.
Even one or two yards can make a difference down the line, especially as the Buckeyes face weapons like Penn State’s Johan Dotson, Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III and Michigan’s Hassan Haskins, whose hurdle of a Nebraska defender Saturday night may have been the best thing I saw all weekend.
If Ohio State wants to make the College Football Playoff, it needs to be perfect. This is something that is bound to hurt the Buckeye defense in a major way if not fixed.
You know who wasn’t a problem? Steele Chambers.
Take a step back and think about this. Steele Chambers was not a linebacker consistently until August.
He was recruited as a three-star “athlete” out of Roswell, Ga. in the 2019 class, joining the running back room initially before cross training as both a running back and linebacker heading into 2021.
Chambers was put where he was most needed, moving to the linebacker room permanently in August, and, as the season has gone along, the redshirt sophomore has become a significant rotational piece for the Buckeyes in the middle.
According to Pro Football Focus, he was by far Ohio State’s best defender both in terms of tackling, recording a team-leading six solo and one assisted tackle with four stops and a sack, along with being the best player in coverage too.
In a room that has seen a lot of instability over the course of 2019, Chambers has been an extreme bright spot, showing potential for the room moving forward.
So where does Ohio State’s focus turn for its bye week?
First of all, it’s getting healthy, something it seems to be doing as the games continue.
The Buckeyes’ three game-time decisions Saturday against the Terrapins — cornerback Demario McCall, wide receivers Julian Fleming and defensive end Tyreke Smith — each participated in pregame warm ups and dressed, but didn’t see the field.
In game play, Haskell Garrett went to the medical tent with an apparent injury to his left knee, while Cameron Brown and Thayer Munford also made trips to the medical tent, with Munford returning later in the game.
And then there’s Miyan Williams: the redshirt freshman running back who has not seen the field since the Akron game. He tweeted out during the Maryland game Saturday that he “will be back.”
Rest and rejuvenation was not something head coach Ryan Day was ready to talk about Thursday prior to the Maryland game, but now that needs to be a sole focus for him and his team, especially as it heads into the meat of Big Ten play.
Time to take a look at how that team up north did this week.
Nebraska gave this Wolverines team a fight.
One late field goal by Jake Moody allowed Michigan to continue its undefeated 2021 campaign into its bye week. But it wasn’t without its fair share of struggles.
The Wolverines defense allowed 294 passing yards and three touchdowns by Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez, adding 38 yards and another touchdown in the ground game. WHile keeping the Cornhuskers running game mostly at bay, Michigan was really unable to create pressure, recording four tackles for loss and one sack.
On offense, Hassan Haskins was special.
As I said above, that hurdle against a Nebraska defender was unreal. And while that may have been the best thing I saw all weekend, it was just one carry of a consistent night for the senior, recording 123 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Blake Corum added 89 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Michigan offensive line allowed Cade McNamara to have a clean pocket, allowing one sack and two tackles for loss, and he responded with 255 passing yards. However, he completed only 57.9% of his passes, threw no touchdowns and threw an interception.
This Michigan team did enough late to beat Nebraska on the road. It will be interesting to see how it translates out of the bye week against teams like Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State.
Just making sure you didn’t miss this.
Before Saturday’s game against Maryland, College GameDay ran a feature on Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talking about the loss of his father and how one recruiting trip in 2018 fueled a passion for pediatric and adolescent mental health.
This is an incredibly important watch.
Now for the song of the week.
If we’re talking pure one-hit wonders, this is leaps and bounds one of the best ones out there. No matter how my day’s going, no matter what my circumstances are, it’s a song that puts a smile on my face.
So in a week that does not end with Ohio State football at the end of it, let this be something that fuels your Monday morning, along with that coffee, of course.
Here’s "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals.
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