Ohio State is on a quest for the program’s first back-to-back titles. It gets to suit up for a College Football Playoff Quarterfinals matchup on New Year’s Eve. As the two-seed, the Buckeyes get to face off against the ninth-seeded Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl. It’ll be Ohio State’s second Cotton Bowl in 2025 and third in 731 days. Heading into that matchup, the Buckeyes have had a methodical approach to the offense. It resulted in the Buckeyes playing the 21st fewest plays at the FBS level (64 per game). Despite that, the Ohio State offense has the 17th-best scoring offense, 24th-best total offense, 25th-best passing offense, and 64th-best rushing offense.
When the Buckeyes travel to Jerry World, the offense may look a little different. Offensive Coordinator Brian Hartline has been pulling double-duty after being hired as the head coach for USF. There will be changes to who calls the plays and sets the game plan. At the same time, a few key injuries have resulted in a shakeup on the offensive line. With a vaunted, confusing defense in Miami (FL), the Buckeyes will need to be as ready as possible.
Ohio State Offense To Undergo Changes for CFP
Back To Roots
In the fallout of the Big Ten Championship loss, some within the Lunatic Fringe™ thought it best to call for Hartline to just leave the program and focus on USF. The Ohio State offense looked both underprepared and as if the staff was overthinking everything. For some reason, when the Buckeyes got into the red zone, they focused on multiple-tight-end sets and took their future first-round talents off the field.
Perhaps unrelated to that specific performance, Ryan Day announced on Monday that, moving forward, the entire offensive staff will chip in on game planning, and that Day himself will take over playcalling. For the first five years as the Buckeyes’ head coach, Day juggled both the head coaching role and the playcalling on offense. He initially named Hartline as offensive coordinator in 2023, but took the reins back before the season began. In 2024, Chip Kelly called the offense that went on to win it all. Before all of that, Day was calling plays for Urban Meyer’s teams in 2017 and 2018.
What should Buckeye fans expect from Day taking over? Well, if he brings his Michigan game plan, it’s going to be frustrating. If he remembers how many weapons there are on offense, it will be much more fun.
Day said earlier this year that despite the slow approach on offense, the Buckeyes can turn up the heat when they want. Against an aggressive Hurricane defense, it might be time.
Fixing The Offensive Line
This year’s Ohio State offensive line has been a tad disappointing. While the Buckeyes are solid at left tackle, left guard, and center, the right side of the line has been a problem. Tegra Tshabola and Minnesota transfer Philip Daniels have manned the guard and tackle positions all year, respectively. However, whenever there was pressure, it was coming from that right side. Against Indiana, the Buckeyes allowed five sacks… they allowed six in the 12 other games.
There was an obvious weakness behind Tshabola and Daniels. If Pro Football Focus is your thing, those two were the worst-graded Buckeyes with at least 28 snaps. Tshabola, as it turns out, has been playing with a pretty severe injury, so he was pulled in favor of Gabe VanSickle, the highest-graded player on the offensive line.
Day said that VanSickle and Josh Padilla will rotate at right guard to make sure he gets the best combination of the five. This year, VanSickle has done an impressive job stepping up, so he will likely get his opportunity to shine against Miami (FL).
Against a defensive front that neutralized everything Texas A&M wanted to do and has amassed a combined 41 sacks on the year, the Buckeyes will need to do whatever they can to open holes for the run game and keep Julian Sayin upright. VanSickle has shown that he’s ready for the job.
Fully Healthy and Motivated
Another injury that was highlighted all year was Jeremiah Smith‘s. In the UCLA win, Smith was a bit hobbled. He, like Tshabola, was trying to play through an injury. On Monday, it was revealed that he was trying to play through a strained quad, and his prognosis left his participation against Michigan up in the air. He knew he could not miss The Game.
Now, Smith is fully healthy heading into a matchup with his hometown program. If you remember, Miami (FL) made a furious push to land Smith all the way until he put pen to paper for the Buckeyes on Early Signing Day in 2023. When he signed, he said he prioritized development over money. So, he stuck with the Buckeyes, causing Day to fake pass out at his press conference.
Smith also brought up the infamous but correct call at the end of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, when Ohio State beat the last iteration of “The U” for the BCS Championship. He warned, “They’re still worried about it 20 years later… we got something coming for them New Year’s Eve.”
As a Miami native, Smith must have had all kinds of out-of-pocket fans and family members trying to get him to come home. Yes, the idea of him and Malachi Toney on the same offense would be exciting. As we’ve said before, anyone can sign a five-star receiver. However, it takes a skilled talent developer to ensure they reach their potential. Miami (FL) has had eight first-round receivers, the most recent being in 2015. Ohio State has had 13, and five have been since 2022.
If Day truly is ready to open it up and turn up the heat, Smith should be expected to star.
Main Photo: Photo Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
