Ja’Kobi Jackson breaks loose for a 49-yard touchdown run in his first game as a Buckeye. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Angie Greenwood)
Next week we should find out if Ohio State found anything with its ground game in the second half against Ball State.
Columbus, OH — Ohio State ran for 237 yards on 35 carries Saturday.
After an offseason of angst about the Buckeye ground game, those are pretty good numbers, right?
Well, in the simplest of terms, yes.
That is a nice number — except I probably don’t have to tell you the opponent was Ball State.
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Next week, the opponent will not be Ball State. Texas is a much bigger challenge. The Longhorns allowed Ohio State to run for 77 yards on 34 tries last season, foreshadowing what would be an issue at the end of the season in losses to Indiana and Miami.
Head coach Ryan Day’s team can only play who is in front of it for now, so we might as well examine what went well on Saturday afternoon.
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Early, it was not much.
Bo Jackson and Ja’Kobi Jackson both had their turns, and neither found much room to run.
Whether it was because someone beat a block or just wasn’t blocked, the Cardinals continually frustrated the Buckeye ground game in the first 30 minutes.
The Jacksons went to the half with a combined 39 yards on 13 carries. Throw in one carry for minus-1 yard by Isaiah West, and Ohio State’s running backs averaged less than three yards per carry against what is not expected to be a good Ball State team.
Bo Jackson lost a yard on his first try of the second half, but then something clicked.
He took a simple zone handoff to the right and picked up blocks from Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman and Chris Henry Jr. to get into the open field. The sophomore stiff-armed one defender near the sideline then kept his feet high enough not to be tripped by another diving at him from behind — a tackle attempt that likely would have succeeded last season.
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He cut back to daylight and eventually outran the rest of the pursuit for a 65-yard touchdown that jumpstarted the running game in a big way.
One possession later, Ja’Kobi Jackson took his turn, this time trying the right side. There he had right tackle Phillip Daniels and reserve tight ends Christian Bennett and Mason Williams lined up side by side. They outnumbered the Ball State defense and gave the senior Florida transfer room to operate. He took advantage by making a man miss then running through some more traffic and eventually dragging a defender into the end zone.
Bo Jackson’s 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter sparked the running game.
That went down as a 49-yard score, but the Buckeyes weren’t done.
Legend Bey, a prize freshman from Texas, showed why there was so much excitement about him behind closed doors this offseason. He caught a pass behind the line of scrimmage and juked not one, not two but three Cardinals on his way to the end zone, showing off an electric pair of feet Ohio State hasn’t had in the backfield in recent memory.
West also had a 14-yard run before the day was done, so the final tally of explosive runs (10 yards or more) was six.
Is that a big deal?
Well, again, it was Ball State — but it sure beats the alternative of having none.
Will it carry over to next week?
No one will know for another seven days, but Ja’Kobi Jackson said seeing Bo break loose sparked something in the running backs.
“We needed that spark, and that’s what Bo does — Bo goes and creates a spark, and everybody else is gonna do our job when our number’s called,” Ja’Kobi said.
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Jackson said not much changed from a schematic point of view, but Day praised offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and offensive line coach Tyler Bowen for making adjustments at halftime.
Sometimes it’s just a matter of hitting them where they ain’t or knowing to look for the curve instead of selling out for the fastball.
“There was a couple of things early on that they did movement-wise that we finally got identified,” Day said. “I think Arthur and Tyler did a good job of recognizing that at half, making a few adjustments on some of the schemes. And then the offensive line did a really good job there as well. So we know that as the competition increases, those things are going to get magnified.”
Legend Bey flashed his running skills, giving the Buckeyes another running and receiving option.
Halftime adjustments are sometimes overblown — more an idea in the minds of fans than a reality for players and coaches — but this seems to be a case where one really mattered.
Zooming out, that looks like an even bigger deal because Smith was brought in to fix the running game by any means necessary.
Last season, Ohio State was efficient at running the ball but lacked big plays — especially in big games.
Smith’s adjustments might be subtle, especially to the average fan in the stands, but games are won in the margins when talent is close to equal, something he knows all too well from his time as an offensive coordinator and head coach in the NFL.
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Day acknowledged afterward something everyone knows — the Cardinals aren’t as talented as the Buckeyes, but the Longhorns could be.
“They have really good talent across the board, so going down there is something that we’ve obviously been working towards all summer and looking forward to,” Day said.
“They have a great program and a great team, so it’s going to be a great environment, but this is what we’re going to have to do this year. When you look at our schedule, we’re going to have to be able to go on the road and win games like this, so our preseason, our offseason was all designed around this. So it’s here. Time to go prepare for these guys.”
How prepared are they?
More than they were a week ago might be all we can say for sure, but that could mean a lot — unless it doesn’t.
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