Ryan Day likes the efficiency of the Buckeyes’ rushing attack led by freshman Bo Jackson. But he and the blockers aren’t giving up on the possibility that some breakaway runs are coming.
Columbus, OH – Halfway home and Ohio State’s running game sometimes performs like it’s still in the paddock, prancing, pining to break away.
But sometimes – like Bo Jackson accelerating through a well-blocked hole – you can almost see the quarter pole, the explosion to the finish line, the defense in the dust.
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The fits and starts of the running game aren’t by design. Football teams don’t enter a season with a mindset to start slowly at anything and rely on a strong homestretch kick. But maybe there’s a strategy to the anticipated growth of this half of the offense for the No. 1 team in the nation. And maybe inexperienced ball carriers necessitated this strategy.
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Ryan Day offered the following, somewhat cryptic, information after practice Wednesday night about the possibility of eventually producing more breakaway runs: “We do have some different things that we can get to as time goes on to try to create those things.”
Like what? Are you saving plays? Coaches don’t admit that, but they all do it. Don’t want to put too much on film too early. And they must surprise and attack Michigan differently. Watching and rewatching USC’s romp over the Wolverines is a must.
Also, are there plays that don’t look good enough in practice yet to call in the game? Maybe.
Whatever the case, the blocking generally seems good enough to produce more explosive runs. The running backs, especially Jackson, seem talented enough. It’s been good enough on the backstretch to help produce a 6-0 start. And should be more than enough Saturday at struggling Wisconsin.
Brian Hartline is calling plays for the first time. His style and sequencing of plays is different than how Chip Kelly or Day did it. Perhaps, it’s because the group is largely inexperienced.
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“It’s just the difference in playing style and play calling,” center Carson Hinzman said. “I’ve never been more confident in a coach calling plays than right now because, obviously, it’s working.”
The numbers, however, tell us this is a slightly above average running team at 62nd among 136 teams in rushing yards per game: 160.7. The Buckeyes are 46th in average per carry: 4.7. They are tied for 50th in rushing touchdowns: 12.
Don’t be depressed by those numbers. Because the quite possible unintended consequence of an average running game is this: Maybe it’s OK if this is the part of the team that is average. The passing game and defense are strong enough to carry this team across the finish line first.
Ryan Day (backgrpound) certainly likes what he’s seeing from freshman Bo Jackson (407 yards and 7.0 yards per carry).
One reason for the 160 yards a game is this: The Buckeyes are 93rd in rushing attempts (204) and 129th in plays per game (60.4). These numbers reflect Day’s decision to shorten games and rely heavily on the best defense in the nation to keep the offense as fresh as possible for an anticipated deep playoff run. That strategy worked last year when TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins ran in January with the freshness of September.
If the Buckeyes were running 78 plays a game as they did six seasons ago and half of those were runs, they would be averaging 203 rushing yards a game. That number would make everyone relax.
In 2019, the Buckeyes were fifth in the nation with 266.8 yards rushing a game and 5.6 per carry on the spry legs of 2,000-yard rusher J.K. Dobbins. Nobody on the current roster is quite ready to be a workhorse like Dobbins.
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The result Day likes most is efficiency. During his tenure as head coach, the Buckeyes averaged over five yards a carry in each of his first four seasons. The average dipped to 4.2 in 2023 and was 4.99 last year. Despite the three-year trend of under five yards a pop, Day isn’t publicly down on the run game. And noteworthy is the fact that no running back has fumbled.
“We’re giving great effort, we’re continually trying to figure out how to put our guys in positions to be successful in those moments,” Day said. “We’re not designing a ton of plays to just create explosives because we feel like we can be efficient.”
CJ Donaldson has become the goal line and short yardage specialist with the Buckeyes run game.
Jackson, an 18-year-old freshman from Cleveland, has been the most efficient, averaging 7.0 yards a carry for 407 yards on 58 attempts. He didn’t play in the opener against Texas but became the starter two games ago. C.J. Donaldson, the transfer from West Virginia expected to be the frontrunner, has 237 yards in the same number of carries, somewhat because he is the short-yardage and goal-line back. James Peoples has 202 yards on 40 carries.
Expect more of the shared load unless Jackson begins to separate himself even more from the pack as this season turns toward home. In Day’s system of rotating backs to keep them fresh for the playoffs, don’t expect a 1,000-yard rusher through the 12-game regular season. He won’t wear out Jackson, who will begin to feel the wear and tear of a college season if he’s overused.
The averages and totals will rise if breakaway runs become part of the equation. Jackson had a 64-yarder against Ohio and a 51-yarder against Grambling. Donaldson’s longest is 27 against Grambling, and Peoples’ longest is 33 against Minnesota. The Buckeyes are 77th in runs of 10 yards or more and 106th in runs of 20 yards or more.
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The longest touchdown run this season? A 17-yarder by wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
“It would be nice to hit a long run,” Day said. “We’ve been very efficient. … There’s no rule saying that we can’t break one of these runs.”
The blockers would love to see one of their guys cross the goal line long after they fulfilled their blocking assignments.
James Peoples has plenty of dash with his game…has 202 yards in 40 carries through the first six games.
“Every time you run the ball that’s the plan,” said Will Kacmarek, considered the team’s best blocking tight end. “It always comes down to one little block that doesn’t get done. If everything gets blocked up, it going to spring. And that’s soon to come.”
Kacmarek admits he has been the guy to miss the block or not hold it long enough to help spring the long run.
“I don’t know the exact number, but there’s definitely plays I want to get back like everybody else,” he said. “It’s just the ability to get back in the lab and fix that and just come back with great energy and not let that happen again.”
Shortcuts to explosive runs and a feared running game don’t exist. Kacmarek said good practice reps and the coaching staff’s guidance will eventually produce the 60-yard touchdown runs everyone wants to experience.
“They bring out the best of us every day,” Kacmarek said. “Let’s say we come out maybe a little slower than other times, they’ll get us up to speed quickly. It’s just the way we practice and how we handle our business.”
Day, ever the optimist about continued improvement, won’t settle for 4.7 yards and a cloud of dust. He sees the finish line of the season approaching fast, and, perhaps, someone like Jackson using his blocks perfectly, seeing the hole and exploding down the homestretch into the winner’s circle.
“Efficient, yes,” he said. “Explosive … not yet.”
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