“We get a little defensive because it seems nitpicky at times, but you know what?” the Ohio State head coach said Saturday after his Buckeyes beat Michigan State 49-20. “We want to be the best in the country. That’s our goal. We want to challenge to be the best in the country.”
The numbers point to Ohio State, ranked second in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, actually having the best offense in the country. The Buckeyes lead the nation in scoring (48.8 points per game) and are second in total offense (543.7 yards per game) behind Tennessee.
Ohio State is No. 1 in passing efficiency and among four teams with a perfect red zone scoring percentage while trailing only Minnesota nationally in third-down conversion rate (58.0).
C.J. Stroud leads the country in passing touchdowns (24), passing efficiency and passing yards per completion (15.4) while Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison are fourth and 18th in the nation in receiving yards, respectively, with 655 and 536. Stroud on Monday was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after his six-TD performance vs. Michigan State.
The running game has also shown improvement despite both top backs, Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson, being in and out of the lineup because of injury.
They’ve been running behind an offensive line that is No. 1 in the nation in “average line yards,” a metric from Football Outsiders that attempts to measure only the front’s contribution to a running play.
But Day wants more.
“We have to figure out how to get better in different areas,” he said. “We’re not going to sit here and say, ‘It’s a great game, we’re good.’ No, we’re not. We have to keep building and keep growing.
“We have to make sure that’s what we address during the bye week. Here’s what we did in the past six games — they don’t mean a thing as we go forward.”
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
The defense has shown great strides after being a liability the last two seasons, but it still has room to grow in the first season under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
The Buckeyes are seventh in total defense (253.5 ypg) and tied for 15th in points allowed per game (15.7) while ranking 15th against the run and eighth in passing yards allowed per game (160.3).
Ohio State is 31st in passing efficiency defense, and the cornerbacks have struggled at times, including Saturday at Michigan State when senior cornerback Cam Brown was pulled following a pair of penalties.
The same thing happened to sophomore Denzel Burke earlier in the season when he struggled in the Toledo game.
“When I look at it, it seems like we are there but we just aren’t making the plays, so we have to figure that part out,” Day said. “I think if it’s something where guys are just creating separation and we can’t cover anybody that’s one issue. I know we can address it. We have the guys over there and they are pressing a little bit, but that’s ok because they’ve been doing some really good things.”
Overall, Day said the defense is playing well in his view, and he praised linebacker Tommy Eichenberg for raising his level of play this season and safety Ronnie Hickman for this leadership.
“I think you can see what we’re capable of and that’s exciting, but any given Saturday anything can happen,” Day said. “These guys are still 18-, 19-, 20-, 21-year-old players. The competitive stamina is the stance that we have taken, that we have to bring it every single week. I think you are seeing some of that.”
NEXT GAME
Saturday, Oct. 22
Iowa at Ohio State, Noon, Fox, 1410
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