COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took the podium after his team’s 35-28 loss to Oregon, he was handed a stat sheet. Before he made his opening statement, Day shook his head, sighed and looked up.

The former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach was not satisfied with what he saw.

It wasn’t the stats themselves. On paper, redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Stroud and the rest of the Buckeyes passing offense had a field day: accumulating 484 yards through the air — second most in a single game in Ohio State history — primarily split between three receivers: senior Chris Olave (126 yards on 12 receptions), junior Garrett Wilson (117 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions) and sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba (145 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions).

It was what those numbers represented, the disparity between what Day wants as a balanced approach.

After a first quarter in which the Ohio State offense rushed 11 times for 53 yards compared to 10 pass attempts, the Buckeyes more than doubled its pass attempts than rushes in the final three quarters, attempting 44 passes compared to 20 carries.

“We didn’t do a great job of running the football,” Day said, leading an offense that averaged only 4.1 yards per carry. “Because of that, I think they controlled the game. We moved the ball at times, but it didn’t work on fourth downs. Because of that, we were always playing catch up.”

It was an offense that Day described as “out of whack.” But it was an offense with a sense of direction.

Instead of five backs sharing 26 carries like Ohio State did in the season opener, the Buckeyes split its 31 carries between three ball-carriers: Stroud, redshirt freshman running back Miyan Williams and freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson. Williams and Henderson accounted for all but five carries for Ohio State.

“I don’t think we were getting some of the holes that we thought we were going to get, but even when they weren’t there, they were still pressing the ball, lining forward, getting two, three extra yards,” Stroud said.

“They did what we asked them to do.”

While the Oregon defensive front was nothing Ohio State hadn’t seen before, redshirt senior offensive tackle Thayer Munford admitted the Ducks gave a usually dominant offensive line issues.

Munford equated it to the Clemson defensive line in the 2020 Sugar Bowl: showing every type of blitz and sending linebackers through gaps on the line. While the Buckeyes advanced to the National Championship, it was a game that Ohio State backs averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 44 tries, scoring only once on the ground.

“We just got hit in the mouth and have to try and respond,” Munford said. “We responded, but we have to keep going, though.

“It doesn’t matter who’s right there. We have to move the ball.”

Day said Ohio State’s inability to run the ball led to distrust late, helping lead to the Buckeyes’ lack of success on fourth down: turning the ball over on downs three times against Oregon.

But while Oregon snuffed out Ohio State’s running attack, it fell victim to the Buckeyes’ wide receiver room, including Smith-Njigba, who, after recording only two receptions for 12 yards in the 2021 opener, exploded for career highs in both receptions and receiving yards, eclipsing his total from all of last season in 60 minutes against the Ducks.

“He was in my ear saying my time’s going to come,” Smith-Njigba said of Stroud. “Coaches too: my time’s going to come. Just trying to stay on my path and do the best I can.”

Day saw this on the stat sheet. He sees the potential of the tandem of Olave, Wilson and Smith-Njigba, combining with the arm of Stroud. But he still shook his head, saying it wasn’t good enough.

This isn’t the Ohio State offense he wants.

“We want balance,” Day said. “We don’t have balance on this sheet.”