Ohio State's Midseason Report Card: Strengths, Weaknesses, and What's Next
- Ben Latham
- Oct 17
- 3 min read
Believe it or not, we are officially halfway done with the college football regular season. And if you're a fan of the defending national champs, the first six games went about as well as you could've asked.
There have been moments of dominance and stretches of inconsistency, but overall, the Buckeyes have handled every challenge thrown their way.
Although the Buckeyes' remaining schedule doesn't look nearly as daunting as the first six games, they will need to tighten up some areas if they want to enter the postseason unblemished.
So, let's break it down: how has each phase of the team performed so far?
Offense: B-
The offense has shown flashes of brilliance with Julian Sayin under center, but there are still some areas of concern that need to be addressed if this team wants to win back-to-back titles.
Let's start with the running game, the most glaring cause for concern through six games.
While Bo Jackson has certainly provided a spark, the running backs have consistently struggled to reach the second level of the defenses they've faced, especially in conference play.
The most worrisome stat from the Buckeyes' 34-16 win over Illinois last Saturday is that they ran for under three yards a carry, which is obviously not where they want to be.
Despite the lack of running game, Sayin has made up for it with his ability to make accurate throws down the field, but his opportunities to do so have been limited due in part to what I'm about to talk about next: the playcalling.
The playcalling has been mostly conservative and has lacked creativity at times. There have been a lot of runs between the tackles on early downs, which is not a good recipe when the running backs have struggled to get yards after contact.
Ryan Day addressed concerns over the lack of explosive plays during his presser earlier this week, mentioning that "You have to look at how other teams are playing us as well."
I understand not taking an aggressive approach when opposing defenses want to keep everything in front of them, but when you have Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate on your team, you need to find more ways to get them the ball.
The good thing is they haven't been forced to open things up all that much given how dominate the defense has been.
Still, Hartline's playcalling and the running game will be something to monitor over the coming weeks.
Defense: A+ (Is A+++ an option?)
This grade is pretty self-explanatory. The Buckeyes had the No. 1 scoring defense a season ago with Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator. But somehow, some way, this defense is even better under Matt Patricia despite most of last year's starters leaving for the NFL.
It can be easy to take credit away from Matty P when he has players like Caleb Downs and Arvell Reese to work with, but he has been masterful at disguising coverages and confusing opposing quarterbacks.
This defense is arguably faster and more athletic than last year's unit, which has made them even more dangerous.
They are gap sound, rarely give up explosive plays, communicate at an elite level, and force opponents to execute perfectly just to move the chains.
Simply put, this group looks like the backbone of another championship run.
Special Teams: C+
Outside of one brilliant trick play on a punt return against Minnesota, the special teams unit has left a lot to be desired.
Jayden Fielding has yet to make a field goal over 47 yards in his collegiate career, Brandon Inniss returning punts has been mediocre at best, and Joe McGuire has struggled to punt the ball over 40 yards lately.
In fact, the Buckeyes rank 128th in the FBS in punting distance (averaging 40.9 yards per punt). Yikes.
It hasn't bitten them yet, but it could loom large in tighter games down the stretch.
How do YOU think the Buckeyes have performed so far this season? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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