Buckeyes Now

Ohio State's Offensive Grades vs. Minnesota

Here's what we thought of the Buckeyes' offense during their season-opener against the Golden Gophers.

Tommy Zagorski

The Buckeyes came away with a 45-31 road victory in a wet, Huntington Bank Stadium on Thursday night. C.J. Stroud made his first start as a Buckeye and finished with four touchdowns and nearly 300 yards passing. The offense exploded for some big plays and looked as good as fans are used to seeing. Huge credit to Ryan Day and his staff for not panicking at half time and executing a great game plan in the second half. 

The offense will continue to rally around C.J. Stroud as he grows and matures. 

As far as how to interpret the following grades:

Grading Key

  • A: National Championship-level play ... dominates the opponent and executes at the highest level.
  • B: Big Ten Championship-level play ... consistently beats opponents, but leaves a few areas to grow.
  • C: Bowl Eligble-level play ... does enough to win in a close game to just get bye. Needs to improve quickly.
  • D: Home for the Holidays-level play ... Exposed multiple times and a major liability to the greater whole.
  • F: Losing-level play ... unit was dominated in many facets of the game and is a major detriment to success. Major changes needed immediately.

If you missed our defensive grades, check those out here. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a positional breakdown of how Ohio State fared against the Golden Gophers.

Quarterback: B-

C.J. Stroud is young, but has a great tool kit. He doesn’t get phased by the ebb and flow of the game (which will pay dividends as the season goes forward.) From a mental standpoint he looked prepared. Credit Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson for putting him in advantageous plays. Running the ball effectively on 1st and 2nd down became essential to his success. Young quarterbacks get happy feet in the pocket and Stroud was no different, he rolled out to evade stress. As he grows more confident, he will stand in a little longer before he begins to get flushed to the sidelines.

His one interception of the night was off of a split flow, inside zone RPO on which he made the correct read, but he made an errant throw. Stroud read the safety who was coming down to add into the run fit as Chris Olave filled the open space. To be a freshman on National Television and miss throws physically more than mentally is a promising sign for the young signal caller in Columbus.

Offensive Line: A-

The group of Nick Petit-Frere, Thayer Munford, Luke Wypler, Paris Johnson Jr., and Dawand Jones looked as good as advertised. They were physical and pushed around a talented Minnesota defensive line. The ability to drop back to pass 22 times and not yield a sack is outstanding. Part of that is the execution, but also kudos to the offensive staff for putting themselves in advantageous situations.

C.J. Stroud vs. Minnesota

The combination of elite route runners that can work one on one, affords the Buckeyes the ability to leave seven or more blockers in the protection. They also did a tremendous job of matching up the run game with the play action. The third quarter touchdown to Chis Olave was setup earlier in the drive with an explosive counter run followed by a play-action, that pulled the guard and bought time to open up the long developing route. A blend of inside zone (split flow,) outside zone, and counter led the way to a 202-yard evening. 

They will continue to grow as a unit, but the group had a great night. They were also clean on combination blocks to the second level and only lost two yards all night on the ground.

Tight End: A+

Jeremy Ruckert was a man! He was physical and fast all night. He flashed with remarkable effort. He sprung two touchdowns, purely based on his effort. Kevin Wilson has him playing at a tremendously high level. He won't jump off the stat sheet, but he is my Offensive Player of the Game. Rucket’s relentless pursuit of contact in the run game was outstanding to watch. He didn’t position block, he attacked defensive players all night. His effort should be contagious to everyone on offense. 

Jeremy Ruckert

Cade Stover looked young, but was not a liability by any stretch of the imagination. As Stroud matures, the Buckeyes have a legitimate 12 personnel package that will give them the ability to stretch the field with shots and run the ball by cultivating extra gaps. This room was originally looked at as a question mark, but as the other guys follow Ruckert’s effort, it will be a strength for Ohio State.

Running Backs: B

The future is bright in the running back room. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams are elite. Both flashed open field speed and big play ability. Williams made the safety miss on the 71-yard touchdown run, that from the defense's perspective, should have been a gain of 4.

Williams flashed high elite play making ability. Henderson only had two carries, but his catch on the screen in open space was encouraging to see. Minnesota was completely out of position as no one accounted for the back and Ohio State capitalized.

Master Teague had an average night. He did a great job of cramming the ball inside, when the rare moments that there was nowhere to go presented itself. However, he does not have the skill set that Henderson and Williams have. Teague’s run of 10 on the split flow inside zone early, could’ve yielded far more yards. The room is stacked and will continue to have big nights as each player passes the baton around.

Wide Receiver: B+

Chris Olave is different. He can catch, run, and block. He is a highlight machine and I am sure at the top of the Buckeye call sheet in BOLD letter is “Ways to get the ball to 2.”

Garret Wilson is a nightmare as well. His unique blend of speed and hands make him a matchup issue for teams. This group will be nearly impossible to defend this regular season. It was good to see Jaxon Smith-Njigba involved early as well. This group will have far more production as Stroud continues to develop.

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Buckeye Report: Checking In On Ohio State After Beating Minnesota

Instant Analysis: Buckeyes Escape Minnesota Thanks to Explosive Offense

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Game Observations: Ohio State Offense vs. Minnesota

Game Observations: Ohio State Defense vs. Minnesota

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Tommy Zagorski
TOMMY ZAGORSKI

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