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Ohio State not planning any offensive line changes amid rushing struggles

Ohio State has struggled running the ball, particularly in short-yardage the last three weeks. (Birm/DTE)
Ohio State has struggled running the ball, particularly in short-yardage the last three weeks. (Birm/DTE) (Birm/DTE)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that he doesn’t expect any shakeup along the Buckeyes’ offensive line following three sustained games of rushing struggles.

“Right now, we feel like we’re playing the best five,” Day said.

The offense followed back-to-back games in which it labored for an average of 2.9 yards per carry against Iowa and Penn State with a game against Northwestern in which the rushing totals were better, but shortcomings in short-yardage situations persisted.

Day on Tuesday pinned those struggles on myriad issues, not just one glaring defect — which he said made finding the answers all the more frustrating — but the play of the offensive line has come under some scrutiny of late. In particular, the play from the guard positions appears to have taken a step back since Ohio State returned from its off week following a win at Michigan State — the fourth in a string of four consecutive games in which the offense posted at least 230 total rushing yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry.

The Buckeyes once ranked among the best in the country in a variety of offensive-line-driven metrics, but have slipped in recent weeks in a couple of key areas. Per Football Outsiders, they now rank No. 87 in the country in stuff rate (runs stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage) and No. 105 in power success rate (percentage of runs on third or fourth down with two yards or less to go that achieve a first down or touchdown).

It would be unfair to pin the rushing struggles solely on the individual play of right guard Matthew Jones and left guard Donovan Jackson, but those are seemingly the two problem spots up front as Day and his staff work through all of the issues — not just offensive line play — that are plaguing the offense right now.

Jones, a fifth-year senior who earned a full-time starting role for the first time this season, has been playing through an undisclosed lower leg injury that requires him to wear two different-sized shoes (which has at times become an equipment issue that’s caused him to miss a few snaps).

“There’s a lot of things that guys are fighting through,” Day said. “He’s a tough player. We think he gives us our best chance to go be successful, but he’s like a lot of our guys that have these bumps and bruises right now that he’s fighting through. It’s that time of year.”

Jones’ play has hardly been bad down-to-down, and he’s remained a strong pass protector over the past three weeks despite some issues with run-blocking. Jackson, meanwhile, has arguably had more struggles with both, as the sophomore and first-year starter appears to have hit a bit of a wall in the back half of the season.

While Pro Football Focus Grades shouldn’t be considered in a vacuum when judging player performance, they can be a useful tool. Jones’ overall offensive grades in the last three games, on a scale of 0-100, are 55, 70.4 and 65.9 with run-blocking grades of 49.7, 69.6 and 68.4. Jackson’s overall grades are 63.2, 58.7 and 58.3 with run-blocking grades of 65, 52.7 and 56.4. By PFF’s metrics, a grade in the 50s is deemed to be that of a replaceable player.

Day didn’t sound like he’s considered making any changes at the guard position with two games to go before the Nov. 26 tilt against Michigan, but did leave the door open for some potential rotation, especially as it pertained to Jones’ injury status.

“I think you can do that on the offensive line, you can spell some guys if we think they need that,” Day said. “That’s something that we usually decide before the game. We get the injury report and talk to guys, see if we feel like we need to put a player on a pitch count. If we do, then we can do that. With the offensive line, if it’s just one guy, it’s not the end of the world.”

Offensive line depth was a major concern of Day’s coming into the season. The Buckeyes are seemingly in a better place now with Enokk Vimahi and Josh Fryar available to play guard if needed. Vimahi has logged a few snaps in an emergency capacity, mostly when Jones has had an equipment issue, and performed well. Fryar, meanwhile, has been the player the staff turns to when it wants an extra offensive lineman on the field in bigger personnel packages.

Fryar has continued to make good progress from an ACL injury that caused him to miss the spring and part of the summer.

“I think he’s gotten better,” Day said. “When you come back after that ACL, it takes a while to not only be healthy, but to get to the level of play you were before. He’s getting to that point. I don’t know if he’s quite there yet, but he’s getting there. He had some good snaps on Saturday.”

Either Fryar or Vimahi could be an option to log some snaps at guard if the staff decides it wants to give Jones or Jackson some rest in hopes that doing so will lead to better play down the road.

But it doesn’t sound like any wholesale changes are in the plans with the Buckeyes nine games into the season.

“We feel like, based on what we see in practice every day, that those five are our best five,” Day said.


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