Improved rushing attack will be key for tweaked Ohio State offense

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What are Ohio State's primary areas of focus on each side of the ball going into summer practice?

— OsuSuperman (@OsuSuperman) May 8, 2019

The first two months of practices for Justin Fields are only a starting point, and his struggles in the Ohio State spring game itself shouldn’t be taken all that seriously. But it’s fair at this point to acknowledge that for all of the potential the five-star transfer brings to the Buckeyes, he’s not going to be the same kind of passer that Dwayne Haskins was last season.

But Haskins could also never dream of being the kind of dual-threat weapon that Fields will be this year. So, that’s just one reason to look to the rushing attack for the Buckeyes as being critical to keeping Ryan Day’s attack humming along.

Ohio State is still going to throw the football plenty. With the quality receivers and tight ends they have returning, the hard-to-defend concepts Day has brought to the offense and Fields not exactly lacking when it comes to arm strength or accuracy, the Buckeyes will air it out. But they should be much more balanced this season, especially with J.K. Dobbins returning to carry the load at tailback and an offensive line that looks to be deeper and likely with a higher upside than last year.

Fields is going to be part of that equation, of course. And while Ohio State isn’t likely to go back to the days of racking up huge numbers of carries for the quarterback like it did with Braxton Miller or J.T. Barrett, some of the option plays Day has installed are likely to feature Fields using his feet in spots where Haskins used his arm. Considering his athleticism, it would be foolish not to use that mobility.

But it’s Dobbins who should really benefit from the training-camp emphasis on the ground game. The junior has been upfront and honest in his assessment about his play a year ago, recognizing that he tried too hard at times looking for huge gains at the expense of doing what the Buckeyes asked of him. Part of that, obviously, was due to the split workload with Mike Weber, but that’s not going to be a problem anymore. Dobbins will be the guy, and the way he attacked offseason workouts and spring camp suggests he’s ready to get back on track and take another step forward as a rusher.

As for the offensive line, it’s still too early to make a final judgment on what that unit will look like. But the chance to get more physical, aggressive and nasty in the trenches will be embraced wholeheartedly by those Buckeyes. After publicly addressing some difficulties handling the Run-Pass Option blocking scheme a year ago, offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and a couple returners with experience like Thayer Munford and Wyatt Davis should be more comfortable with what’s being required up front. Throw in an experienced transfer like Jonah Jackson, a future star at right tackle in Nicholas Petit-Frere and a do-it-all veteran like Branden Bowen and Ohio State should be in great shape.

Everything ultimately revolves around the quarterback, though, and Justin Fields will dictate how that offense is going to really look. But in terms of an area to improve heading into training camp, for the Buckeyes that will start on the ground.

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