The season kicked off for the Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon with a 23-3 victory over Indiana. The performance left fans feeling underwhelmed with the offense’s performance as they struggled more than many expected.
Although the Buckeyes retained a lot of talent in the skill positions, the Buckeyes lost star quarterback C.J. Stroud, as well three all-conference performers on the offensive line in Paris Johnson Jr., Dawand Jones, and Luke Wypler.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsThe good news is it is just week one and the Buckeyes’ next two opponents before Notre Dame, are Youngstown State and Western Kentucky. Thus, they’ll have time to find their groove offensively heading into a big matchup with the Fighting Irish.
With that in mind, will we break down each offensive position group’s performance using Pro Football Focus grades for each player. While PFF grades aren’t the end all be all, it is a great tool to break down individual players’ performance.
Quarterbacks
Starter: Kyle McCord
PFF Grade | 68.2 (64 snaps)
Stats | 20-of-33 (60.6%). 239 Yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Other: Devin Brown
PFF Grade | 70.8 (6 snaps)
Stats | 1-of-3 (33.3%), 2 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
What It Means
Kyle McCord got the starting nod for Week 1, and while he showed flashes of his arm talent, he struggled to connect on throws downfield, going just 3-of-13 on throws 10+ yards downfield. After an up and down performance from McCord, Devin Brown shouldn’t be ruled out getting more time going forward.
Running Backs
Starter: TreVeyon Henderson
PFF Grade | 65.0 (34 snaps)
Stats | 12 attempts for 47 Yards (3.9 avg.), 0 TD, 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Other: Chip Trayanum
PFF Grade | 78.2 (24 snaps)
Stats | 8 attempts for 57 Yards (7.1 avg.), 0 TD, 1 reception, 12 yards
Other: Miyan Williams
PFF Grade | 73.8 (15 snaps)
Stats | 7 attempts for 25 yards (3.6 avg.), 2 TD, 1 reception, 12 Yards
Other: Dallan Hayden
PFF Grade | 61.2 (3 snaps)
Stats | 1 reception, -2 Yards
What It Means
The Buckeyes used three main running backs with Treveyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, and Chip Trayanum all getting carries. Trayanum’s play indicates that he will be part of the running back rotation. He forced four missed tackles and 45 of his 57 rushing yards came after contact.
Wide Receivers
Starter: Marvin Harrison Jr.
PFF Grade | 54.7 (58 snaps)
Stats | 6 targets, 2 receptions, 18 Yards, 0 TD
Starter: Emeka Egbuka
PFF Grade | 56.0 (53 snaps)
Stats | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 16 Yards, 0 TD
Starter: Julian Fleming
PFF Grade | 65.2 (36 snaps)
Stats | 8 targets, 6 receptions, 58 Yards, 0 TD
Other: Carnell Tate
PFF Grade | 54.9 (14 snaps)
Stats | 3 targets, 1 receptions, 15 Yards, 0 TD
Other: David Adolph
PFF Grade | 39.6 (3 snaps)
Stats | 1 target, 0 receptions
What It Means
The Buckeyes struggled to get the ball in the hands of their superstar receivers. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka combined for just 34 yards. I expect there to be more focus on the downfield passing game in the next couple of games in preparation for the Notre Dame game.
Tight Ends
Starter: Cade Stover
PFF Grade | 85.8 (56 snaps)
Stats | 7 targets, 5 receptions, 98 Yards, 0 TD
Other: Gee Scott Jr.
PFF Grade | 58.2 (25 snaps)
Stats | 1target, 1 reception, 10 yards, 0 TD
Other: Joe Royer
PFF Grade | 53.0 (16 snaps)
Stats | 1 target, 0 receptions
What It Means
Cade Stover was one of the MVP’s of the game for the Buckeyes. He led the team with 98 receiving yards including a 49 yard catch. He is a great weapon in this offense and will continue to be moving forward throughout the season.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle: Josh Simmons
PFF Grade | 60.5 (70 snaps)
Stats | 55.8 run block grade, 67.8 pass block grade, 0 Sacks Allowed, 3 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Left Guard: Donovan Jackson
PFF Grade | 53.4 (70 snaps)
Stats | 46.8 run block grade, 74.7 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 0 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Center: Carson Hinzman
PFF Grade | 76.6 (70 snaps)
Stats | 72.1 run block grade 80.1, pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 1 pressure allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Right Guard: Matthew Jones
PFF Grade | 62.5 (70 snaps)
Stats | 56.8 run block grade, 86.7 pass block grade, 0 sacks, 0 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Right Tackle: Josh Fryar
PFF Grade | 69.6 (70 snaps)
Stats | 60.7 run block grade, 85.5 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 0 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
What It Means
One of the biggest questions marks for the offense coming into the season was the offensive line after losing three starters. The unit pass protected pretty well with neither quarterback getting sacked on 37 drop backs. The run blocking was inconsistent however, as the Hoosiers had five tackles for loss.
Moving forward this is a unit that needs to improve throughout the season for the Buckeyes’ offense to get back to an elite level.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Evan Bachman on X.
