On Saturday, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0) beat the Purdue Boilermakers (2-8) by a final score of 34-10, but that was clearly not the point of this game on the OSU sideline. Head coach Ryan Day had
things that he wanted to get accomplished on both sides of the ball, be it against Purdue, Penn State, UCLA, or his own practice squad.
As my colleague Gene Ross said on social media during the game, the Buckeyes were essentially using the game as a live scrimmage to work on the running game and get guys reps on both offense and defense. Every game week, the Ohio State football program releases a trailer for the game, and this week’s was titled “It’s About Us.”
This is a saying that Day has been using for quite some time to remind his players (and, in turn, their fans) that the focus should always be on getting better as individuals and as a team. It is about addressing issues within themselves, rather than worrying about what their opponent is doing. It is a reminder that if Ohio State plays its best football, no one in the sport can beat them.
While that sounds like a nice platitude, something you could put on signage around the team meeting room, something that you can pay lip service to in order to get guys focused on putting forth effort in midseason practices, Day has proven that if he is going to stress both internally, but especially in public, then it carries significant weight.
We know that the OSU defense is the best in the country, as is the passing game, but the rushing attack has left a little to be desired to this point, and it was clear that Day, offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, and run game coordinator Tyler Bowen had a plan for what they wanted to see in action on the day. The offensive line has struggled with injuries over the past week, which meant that Joshua Padilla and Phillip Daniels did not play, and Ian Moore started at right tackle. Wide receiver Carnell Tate also did not play today due to some pregame tightness.
At every opportunity, the Buckeyes ran or screened to the right side of the field. It didn’t always work; in fact, I would say that this might have been the worst performance by the right side of the line all season. Every yard that the Buckeye backs picked up seemed to be gained in spite of their blocking. The line gave up its fourth and fifth sacks of the season, and starting right guard Tegra Tshabola continued to look utterly overwhelmed at times.
On the day, Buckeye running backs went for 166 yards on 33 carries for a 5.03 yards per carry, while Julian Sayin continued his astounding play, going 27-for-33 for 303 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 shocking interception.
Despite the difficulties on that side of the line, OSU continued to plug away, not only getting extra reps but also giving coaches film to break down and see what their players can genuinely be expected to do in a game setting. Ohio State didn’t score in either the first or third quarter, but they continued to stick to their game plan and got 15 players touches. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was a win, and Day and company accomplished what they set out to do from a progress standpoint.
In the 12-team College Football Playoff era, style points don’t matter, especially for a team like Ohio State, so Day is focusing on getting his team into the proverbial midseason form when the games really matter, beginning with Saturday, Nov. 29, when the Buckeyes head to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in the regular season finale.
Day admitted that he wasn’t really attempting to get the most out of his team earlier this week on his radio show. He told Paul Keels that the Buckeyes would “turn up the gas” when the time was right; clearly, in West Lafayette against Purdue was not the right time.
In a way, it feels a little like OSU is sandbagging. They are playing slowly (the slowest in the country), and it is clear that there is a ton of untapped potential with this offense, but as I wrote earlier this week, the Buckeyes don’t care. They are focused on themselves, not their opponent. According to cleveland.com’s Stephen Means, OSU played eight offensive linemen, five tight ends, five wide receivers, four running backs, and two quarterbacks in the first half of this game alone, not counting the second and third-stringers that got in during garbage time. That is what you do when you still have some things to figure out as the postseason approaches.
So, there might be some disappointment, annoyance, and consternation amongst Buckeye Nation following a game that was less thrilling and dominant than they probably would have predicted, but it was exactly what the coaching staff wanted all along… well, strike that, I am confident that Day would have preferred that his offensive line played better and there were fewer penalties and blown assignments on both sides of the ball, but when it comes to crossing things off of the coaching check list, it was a success; even if it meant playing with their food.
