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Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes offense believes it has 'way higher' ceiling

IMG_7408by:Andy Backstrom•09/12/23•

andybackstrom

Emeka Egbuka by Matt Parker -- Lettermen Row --
Ohio State wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. (left) and Emeka Egbuka (right) before a play against Youngstown State. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Buckeyes offense believes it has ‘way higher’ ceiling

Ohio State is tied for second nationally in scoring defense. The Buckeyes have allowed a combined 10 points through two games, albeit against Indiana and Youngstown State, but there appears to be significant improvement on that side of the ball.

Perhaps most notably, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit has yet to give up an explosive touchdown and has conceded just two plays of 20 or more yards.

Head coach Ryan Day is on record that he thinks this could be Ohio State’s best defense since 2019. That year, the Buckeyes were top five in both scoring defense and scoring offense.

Uncharacteristically, the Ohio State offense is nowhere near the top 10 in points per game right now. The Buckeyes are averaging 29.0 points, tied for the 71st most in the FBS.

They went into their season opener at Indiana having posted 50.8 points per game versus the Hoosiers the previous four meetings. Then they mustered just 23 points to open Big Ten play. This past weekend, Ohio State finished with 35 points against FCS Youngstown State.

“I felt like we played harder,” wide receiver Emeka Egbuka said postgame. “And I felt like we executed better than we did last week. Last week, I didn’t feel like the offense was really hitting on any cylinders. This week, we still have a lot to go, a long way to go. But I feel like we’re definitely taking steps in the right direction.

“But, as Ohio State, 35 points is good, but our ceiling is way higher than that.”

The Buckeyes are still figuring out how to navigate the new NCAA rule that stops the clock after all first downs outside of the final two minutes in each half.

“We got to really focus on staying on track, getting rid of some of those holding penalties and whatnot to be able to execute the way that we want to,” Egbuka said.

Efficiency on third down is important on both offense and defense. So is keeping penalties to a minimum — Ohio State had holding calls wipe out a pair of touchdowns this past Saturday, only one of which they ended up getting back.

Plus, opponents are using the clock change to their advantage against traditional offensive powerhouses like Ohio State. Essentially, they’re chewing as much time as they can.

“That’s why we took the ball early,” Day said postgame. “I felt like maybe that would be their game plan. I didn’t know that they would huddle and milk it all the way down to inside of 10 seconds and then try to run it on third down just to keep the clock going. But they did. And that’s smart on their end. Maybe some teams are going to do that more and more. And it does create a level of anxiety. Because we’re used to getting about 15 possessions a game and scoring 60 and 70 points [in these games].”

Instead, Ohio State has been averaging 10 possessions per game and fewer than 30 points per game. The Buckeyes’ ceiling Egbuka spoke of features a markedly higher points per possession outlook.

Ohio State defense responds after slow start in home opener but still not satisfied

Ohio State held YSU to just seven points, but those seven points came on the Penguins’ first offensive series of the game.

The Buckeyes allowed an explosive, and YSU marched 75 yards in 11 plays for a game-tying score. Ohio State bounced back, not allowing another big play and, more importantly, not another point.

But Knowles’ defense isn’t satisfied with the bounce-back effort.

“It was kind of really a disappointing win,” junior cornerback Denzel Burke said. “Got a lot of things to clean up. We were supposed to mug these dudes, and I didn’t feel like we did that today.”

For the full story, go here.

Storylines to track ahead of Buckeyes home tilt against Western Kentucky

Ohio State is hosting a pass-happy Western Kentucky team this week.

The Hilltoppers are led by quarterback Austin Reed, last year’s FBS passing leader, and wide receiver Malachi Corley, who had 1,293 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022.

Will the Buckeyes’ secondary be up to the task? That’s one of the major storylines heading into Week 3 for Ohio State. Check out the others here.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Western Kentucky: 4 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 74 days

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