COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football’s third-down woes against Maryland predictably traced back to problems two plays earlier. In the process, though, the Buckeyes possibly stumbled into the solution for injecting some early life into the offense moving forward. As much as coach Ryan Day is committed to establishing the run, that noble endeavor is counter-productive when it puts his passing game in unfavorable situations. So it might be time to flip the script more often. Ohio State ran the ball 17 times on first down against Maryland, compared to 12 pass attempts. Problem was, the offensive line could not consistently win battles. Terrapin linebackers Ruben Hyppolite II and Kellan Wyatt kept filling run gaps and keeping Chip Trayanum out of the second level. The Buckeyes averaged only 3.41 yards per carry on first down. Great in the “3 yards and a cloud of dust era.” Insufficiency for…
Continue Reading: Ohio State football can solve its third-down issues by using the Georgia template on first down
