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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Michael Chen

Ten things Ohio State football hopefully accomplishes during its bye week

Through the first four games of the 2023 season, Ohio State Football has managed to stay undefeated.

The Buckeyes have not been perfect, by any means, but with a bye week, they have a golden opportunity to work on multiple aspects of their game that need to get cleaned up.

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Head coach Ryan Day has his team in a very good position, 4-0 with a big win under its belt defeating Notre Dame on the road. The win was enough to move the Buckeyes up in the polls.

Although the bye week might seem like no work for Ohio State, there still is plenty to get done. Here are ten things that I would love to see the OSU football team accomplish during the off week.

Get healthy

Why

This isn’t just directed at Marvin Harrison Jr., there could be other players that we don’t know that are nursing injuries. The Buckeyes won’t get another rest week, so they need to make sure they are as healthy as can be for the rest of the year.

Offensive play calling

Why

This is a great week to self-scout, find tendencies that have been used that have not worked, and maybe running constantly to the weak side is my major change. Now that Kyle McCord has settle into the starting job, the offense needs to play to his strengths. Now is time for Day and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline to work out the kinks in their game plans.

Sacks

Why

The Buckeyes are killing it with pressures, but aren’t generating nearly enough sacks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of make the quarterback panic, but putting him on the ground will do a bit more to his psyche. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles needs to figure out a way to do this without sacrificing the ability to prevent big plays.

Offensive line play

Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Why

This unit has gelled fairly quickly but still has some issues. Penalties continue to be an issue and they need to work on that. False starts can’t happen, those are just mental mistakes. The interior has been great, but the tackles have been so-so. Both Josh Simmons and Josh Fryar need to make that extra jump and start being more consistent.

Keep the intensity

Why

It’s not uncommon to see teams come out of bye weeks playing flat. That can’t happen against Maryland, because the Terps aren’t going to roll over just because they’ll be in the ‘Shoe. The Terrapins are underrated and have a great passing offense that will once again be tested. Ohio State, as a unit, needs to come out firing on all cylinders in two Saturdays. It can be a challenge to keep that during the off week.

Recruiting

Why

The 2024 class is almost complete, just needs a few more prospects to finish off the class. The 2025 cycle is very light, with just one commitment from quarterback Tavien St. Clair at the moment. The Buckeyes are behind and need to get more traction with verbals in the class. The coaches have racked up a lot of frequent flyer miles, so I know they’re out. They need to lock a few of those prospects in.

Figure out short yardage

Why

One aspect of this Buckeye team that worries me for the future is short yardage. The struggles to find the right play calls, personnel and execute have been glaring. No quarterback sneaks when your best and most seasoned linemen are in the middle makes no sense to me. Jet sweeps don’t either. Day and Hartline need to get this fixed.

Create more turnovers

Why

There are not many aspects of this year’s defense that we want improved, but taking the ball away is always nice. The unit has grabbed three interceptions and recovered two fumbles, which is good but not great. For this defense to really take the next step, causing more turnovers will get it there.

McCord and chemistry between wide receivers

Why

The connections have been very solid, but there have been some missed opportunities. McCord has had a week to just work on timing, route recognition and experience with this group. Who knows how healthy Harrison Jr. is, so that becomes even more important. McCord has other weapons at his disposal and could very well need to use them in the future.

Learn from last week

Why

Emotionally, that win was huge for the Buckeyes. The Irish have a very similar playing style to a certain team that Ohio State will play later in the season. By the time Michigan week rolls around, this game will be in the distant past, but the lessons learned need to be utilized. Notre Dame was a “practice” for The Game and getting back on track against our rivals will go a long way for this season and the one’s to come.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X.

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