Ohio State Offensive Line Issues

[NittanyChris]

I'm reading a lot about the tOSU O Line having some problems this season, which is unusual for a school that has recruited and developed many good Pro O Linemen. In particular, their LT, a RS SO, Josh Simmons is getting criticism. If their LT is subpar, I think it could be a real long day for Kyle McCord, with Chop, DDS and Manny's myriad of blitz packages giving them fits.

Wondering if there are any tOSU fans who could provide an honest, in-depth analysis of their O Line, strengths and weaknesses. If not, anyone else with more detailed info on their O-Line.

Not getting much work done this week!

WE ARE!!!

 

[PSU20]

First half against Maryland, OSU had "16 yards rushing." Lets hope our defense can do the same.

 

[ejb25]

I remember last year against Michigan, there was critique against their OL. And we all remember what happened. I'll believe OSU has a weak OL when I see it.

 

[bluehair666]

not a buck fan, but i study them as well as psu....the guards are very solid, center is talented but is a first time starter who has struggled..RT is average overall, LT is a G5 transfer who was picked up in the second window of the portal..LT simmons was thought to be a plug in at RT, and started off there in fall camp...camp revealed that none of the other options at LT were good, so they shuffled him over there..these guys are better than average in pass pro, have shown zero ability to run block..any gains by the RB, such as henderson's 61 yard run at ND, is pretty much done in spite of the offensive line. have not been able to convert on 3rd or 4th and short by running, terrible at short yardage run conversion..psu should be able to pressure mccord all day, the key will be, will ryan day structure a gameplan to negate the rush, such as shorter pass routes and the QB getting the ball out quickly...i'll be watching to see if manny gets blitz happy in single coverage, that would play right into osu's hands if day dials up short cross and slant routes...

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

I remember last year against Michigan, there was critique against their OL. And we all remember what happened. I'll believe OSU has a weak OL when I see it.

Huh??? duhO$U's Rushing Offense is 92nd in FBS (135 Rushing YPG) and their 4.3 YPC also stinks. In terms of pass protection, duhO$U is 8th in the Conference having allowed 10 Sacks. Their OL numbers are middle of the pack to third-quartile both Nationally and In-Conference. Nowhere near good, let alone great.

 

[Sooner Lion]

Ohio State will come out and try to establish the run. If they are successful, it could be a long day for us. If they are not successful, I could see us creating tremendous pressure, getting sacks and forcing turnovers.

Penn State 24
Ohio State 14

 

[bluehair666]

Ohio State will come out and try to establish the run. If they are successful, it could be a long day for us. If they are not successful, I could see us creating tremendous pressure, getting sacks and forcing turnovers.

Penn State 24
Ohio State 14

osu doesn't follow that script, haven't all year...if i was ryan day, i'd dust off the playbook from the don brown era..diaz, like brown, loves to blitz, even moreso since psu has the CB's to play man coverage..as good as psu is defensively, if day catches them in man coverage blitzing, a simple slant or crossing route could go to the house..

 

[rrdd2021]

I remember last year against Michigan, there was critique against their OL. And we all remember what happened. I'll believe OSU has a weak OL when I see it.

It's not "weak" by any means but maybe the best way to describe them is "a work in progress." They seem to be getting better as a unit as the season goes along but many of their fans were constantly complaining about missed blocking assignments and just plain confusion earlier in the year - FWIW

 

[ryoder1]

osu doesn't follow that script, haven't all year...if i was ryan day, i'd dust off the playbook from the don brown era..diaz, like brown, loves to blitz, even moreso since psu has the CB's to play man coverage..as good as psu is defensively, if day catches them in man coverage blitzing, a simple slant or crossing route could go to the house..

PSU has King a 1st team AA and our other corners, Dixon and Hardy are very good so we have the talent for single coverage when blitzing.

 

[NittanyChris]

It's not "weak" by any means but maybe the best way to describe them is "a work in progress." They seem to be getting better as a unit as the season goes along but many of their fans were constantly complaining about missed blocking assignments and just plain confusion earlier in the year - FWIW

Maybe not “weak”, but sounds like definitely not as strong as a typical tOSU O Line. With as dominant as our D Line has been, this is fantastic news.

 

[rrdd2021]

Maybe not “weak”, but sounds like definitely not as strong as a typical tOSU O Line. With as dominant as our D Line has been, this is fantastic news.

Agree, not the typical OSU O-Line. They can end up being good but not the typical somewhat overpowering OSU line of the past. Many of their fans are even pointing to the PSU DL vs the OSU OL as the key matchup. Should be a great game

 

[Wallace Breen]

Agree, not the typical OSU O-Line. They can end up being good but not the typical somewhat overpowering OSU line of the past. Many of their fans are even pointing to the PSU DL vs the OSU OL as the key matchup. Should be a great game

I think both lines are equally bad. Theirs's may be a little less bad. Regardless, I highly doubt Diaz dials up the entire package as there isn't a corner in American that can cover Harrison one on one while dealing with their tight end package. They will get pressure on Allar, we will get pressure on McCord. The interior on our line looked very weak against WVU and hasn't done much all season. Conversely, we haven't seen an interior pass rush like they have either. If I were a better man, I would say OSU ends up on the positive side of the equation.

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

PSU has King a 1st team AA and our other corners, Dixon and Hardy are very good so we have the talent for single coverage when blitzing.

PSU leads the nation in Passing Yards Allowed Per Game (121.2). They also lead the nation in Passing Yards Per Pass Attempt (4.6 yards) and 0pponent Completion Pct. (49.1%). So there's that.

 

[NittanyChris]

I think both lines are equally bad. Theirs's may be a little less bad. Regardless, I highly doubt Diaz dials up the entire package as there isn't a corner in American that can cover Harrison one on one while dealing with their tight end package. They will get pressure on Allar, we will get pressure on McCord. The interior on our line looked very weak against WVU and hasn't done much all season. Conversely, we haven't seen an interior pass rush like they have either. If I were a better man, I would say OSU ends up on the positive side of the equation.

It’s bettor. I wouldn’t expect much different from you. Our O Line is far from bad. That aside, Devon Ellies and Izzard have been coming on strong and Durant is explosive. That’s not even mentioning our all-world DEs. McCord is gonna have a very long day if their O Line is subpar in any way.

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

I think both lines are equally bad. Theirs's may be a little less bad. Regardless, I highly doubt Diaz dials up the entire package as there isn't a corner in American that can cover Harrison one on one while dealing with their tight end package. They will get pressure on Allar, we will get pressure on McCord. The interior on our line looked very weak against WVU and hasn't done much all season. Conversely, we haven't seen an interior pass rush like they have either. If I were a better man, I would say OSU ends up on the positive side of the equation.

Their's is "less bad" - how precisely is that given that PSU leads the b1g in Rushing Yards Per Game (203.3), while duhO$U is 9th in Rushing Yards Per Game (135.0). PSU is 4th in the b1g in Yards Per Carry (4.6) while duhO$U is 8th in the Conference in YPC (4.3). PSU has 17 Rushing TDs while duhO$U only has 12 Rushing TDs. PSU has 76 First Downs via the run, duhO$U has 38 First Downs via the run. PSU leads the Conference in Sacks Allowed (4 in 6 games), while duhO$U is 8th in the Conference allowing 10 Sacks in 6 games......

But according to you duhO$U has the slightly better OL [insert eyeroll] - whatever you say troll-boy.

 

[bluehair666]

PSU has King a 1st team AA and our other corners, Dixon and Hardy are very good so we have the talent for single coverage when blitzing.

ok, guy

 

[ryoder1]

ok, guy

The truth.

 

[bluehair666]

The truth.

nobody doubts the talent of psu's DB's, but there is a reason why even the best defenses "can't lock up WR's"..osu under day made "man killers" common parlance, it's not gonna be 4 WR's running vert's, gonna be lots of slants and crossers, and when they do run deep routes, that's gonna clear out short and intermediate routes for the TE and RB...and when you're in man, is it press coverage?..

 

[underoath437]

OSU fan with my thoughts:

Simmons - LT, transfer from SDSU who has slowly gotten better but is known for stupid penalities at the wrong time. He excells when his assignment is simple, but has many breakdowns when, for example, he is asked to get to the second level or shed DT assignments for blizers.

Jackson - LG, the only 5-star on the line, who has not lived up to that billing quite yet. Solid against the pass, can pull on run plays as needed, but needs to take another step this week.

Hinzman - C, first-year starter who was thrusted into the fire a year early when Wypler left early. Has held his own and continues to get better. Would be more worried if this was in Happy Valley because of noise.

Jones - RG, sixth year in the program I believe, solid starter who is who he is. Won't wow you, but doesn't make stupid mistakes. Solid puller when used, like him in pass-pro as well.

Fryar, RT, limited athletically and has been only alright so far. Think this is more the case of him being a 3-star and you can't expect anything beyond that. Last two weeks have not been his best.

TEs - Everyone is talking about Stover in the passing game and rightfully so, but his blocking has been suspect this year. Inline blocking has been solid, but out in space has been feast or famine. Many bad attempts that stopped a 15-20 yard play in the backfield. Just remember how bad he was in this game last year with blocks in space on screens. I expect we will play 12 personnal (Gee Scott, former WR turned TE is the second TE) to help out the tackles and I suspect OSU feels comfortable about the interior.

Overall - we have been solid in pass pro and middle of the road at best in run block. Last week was by far the best game on the ground, but it was against Purdue so you take it with a grain of salt. With that said, ,this is by far the weakest Oline I can remember in a long time and the entire fanbase has been saying this since before the season. If we can get 4-5 a pop on the ground I will be pleanstly surprised.

 

[NittanyChris]

OSU fan with my thoughts:

Simmons - LT, transfer from SDSU who has slowly gotten better but is known for stupid penalities at the wrong time. He excells when his assignment is simple, but has many breakdowns when, for example, he is asked to get to the second level or shed DT assignments for blizers.

Jackson - LG, the only 5-star on the line, who has not lived up to that billing quite yet. Solid against the pass, can pull on run plays as needed, but needs to take another step this week.

Hinzman - C, first-year starter who was thrusted into the fire a year early when Wypler left early. Has held his own and continues to get better. Would be more worried if this was in Happy Valley because of noise.

Jones - RG, sixth year in the program I believe, solid starter who is who he is. Won't wow you, but doesn't make stupid mistakes. Solid puller when used, like him in pass-pro as well.

Fryar, RT, limited athletically and has been only alright so far. Think this is more the case of him being a 3-star and you can't expect anything beyond that. Last two weeks have not been his best.

TEs - Everyone is talking about Stover in the passing game and rightfully so, but his blocking has been suspect this year. Inline blocking has been solid, but out in space has been feast or famine. Many bad attempts that stopped a 15-20 yard play in the backfield. Just remember how bad he was in this game last year with blocks in space on screens. I expect we will play 12 personnal (Gee Scott, former WR turned TE is the second TE) to help out the tackles and I suspect OSU feels comfortable about the interior.

Overall - we have been solid in pass pro and middle of the road at best in run block. Last week was by far the best game on the ground, but it was against Purdue so you take it with a grain of salt. With that said, ,this is by far the weakest Oline I can remember in a long time and the entire fanbase has been saying this since before the season. If we can get 4-5 a pop on the ground I will be pleanstly surprised.

Thank you for taking the time to post this honest, thoughtful analysis. Given the way Diaz likes to mix up his blitzes, nothing will be simple out there for any of these linemen. Here's to a fun game and hoping everyone gets out of it healthy. Cheers!

 

[ryoder1]

nobody doubts the talent of psu's DB's, but there is a reason why even the best defenses "can't lock up WR's"..osu under day made "man killers" common parlance, it's not gonna be 4 WR's running vert's, gonna be lots of slants and crossers, and when they do run deep routes, that's gonna clear out short and intermediate routes for the TE and RB...and when you're in man, is it press coverage?..

Yeah I got it but you make it sound like the OSU passing game is unstoppable and they go and will go for 60 every game no matter the opponent defense, talent level, etc.

 

[ryoder1]

OSU fan with my thoughts:

Simmons - LT, transfer from SDSU who has slowly gotten better but is known for stupid penalities at the wrong time. He excells when his assignment is simple, but has many breakdowns when, for example, he is asked to get to the second level or shed DT assignments for blizers.

Jackson - LG, the only 5-star on the line, who has not lived up to that billing quite yet. Solid against the pass, can pull on run plays as needed, but needs to take another step this week.

Hinzman - C, first-year starter who was thrusted into the fire a year early when Wypler left early. Has held his own and continues to get better. Would be more worried if this was in Happy Valley because of noise.

Jones - RG, sixth year in the program I believe, solid starter who is who he is. Won't wow you, but doesn't make stupid mistakes. Solid puller when used, like him in pass-pro as well.

Fryar, RT, limited athletically and has been only alright so far. Think this is more the case of him being a 3-star and you can't expect anything beyond that. Last two weeks have not been his best.

TEs - Everyone is talking about Stover in the passing game and rightfully so, but his blocking has been suspect this year. Inline blocking has been solid, but out in space has been feast or famine. Many bad attempts that stopped a 15-20 yard play in the backfield. Just remember how bad he was in this game last year with blocks in space on screens. I expect we will play 12 personnal (Gee Scott, former WR turned TE is the second TE) to help out the tackles and I suspect OSU feels comfortable about the interior.

Overall - we have been solid in pass pro and middle of the road at best in run block. Last week was by far the best game on the ground, but it was against Purdue so you take it with a grain of salt. With that said, ,this is by far the weakest Oline I can remember in a long time and the entire fanbase has been saying this since before the season. If we can get 4-5 a pop on the ground I will be pleanstly surprised.

Really helpful, thank you and appreciate you posting this.

The PSU defense has been very good. We had questions about the interior of our D line at the beginning of the season and they have done well. No player is that dominant but Zane Durant seems to have emerged as a playmaker. He is very fast as in faster than any D lineman at the NFL combine in the last 20 years. The competition has not been great, Iowa has been the best running team but they were missing a couple starters. Our DEs have 3 studs, Chop Robinson, Adisa Isaac and Dani Dennis-Sutton (former 5 star).

This should be a great game.

 

[underoath437]

NittanyChris - Both Indiana and Purdue blitzed heavily and the OLine held their own the vast majority of the time, but PSU is obviously a completely different animal. I wouldn't be surprised to see some counter trey's in the run game to use PSU's speed against them. Expect some 50/50 balls to Harrison as well. Day vs. Diaz will be great to watch.

ryoder1 - From the OSU perspective, I see your interior DL as probably the weakest part of an otherwise stout defense. As I mentioned above, counter-treys or duo (interior OL have been better getting to second level when needed) make sense. Your DEs should have the upper hand against our OT. In fact, a "draw" between our OL vs. PSU DL is a win in my book, considering how dominant you guys have been this year.

I am conflicted on this game and don't know which OSU team shows up. Injuries, obviously, are part of my hesitation, but we are onto game 7 and still haven't seen this time firing on all cylinders. Should be a great game either way.

 

[ryoder1]

NittanyChris - Both Indiana and Purdue blitzed heavily and the OLine held their own the vast majority of the time, but PSU is obviously a completely different animal. I wouldn't be surprised to see some counter trey's in the run game to use PSU's speed against them. Expect some 50/50 balls to Harrison as well. Day vs. Diaz will be great to watch.

ryoder1 - From the OSU perspective, I see your interior DL as probably the weakest part of an otherwise stout defense. As I mentioned above, counter-treys or duo (interior OL have been better getting to second level when needed) make sense. Your DEs should have the upper hand against our OT. In fact, a "draw" between our OL vs. PSU DL is a win in my book, considering how dominant you guys have been this year.

I am conflicted on this game and don't know which OSU team shows up. Injuries, obviously, are part of my hesitation, but we are onto game 7 and still haven't seen this time firing on all cylinders. Should be a great game either way.

Is Egbuka playing or is that a game time decision? You have a RB out, right but the guy you have playing is very good I seem to recall.

You are right, the interior of our D line is the weak link of a very good D. We will see if they can hold up.

 

[underoath437]

Is Egbuka playing or is that a game time decision? You have a RB out, right but the guy you have playing is very good I seem to recall.

You are right, the interior of our D line is the weak link of a very good D. We will see if they can hold up.

Egbuka: He is a game-time decision and was seen walking gingerly after practice last night. He has a similar ankle issue to what Harrison had against ND. If I had to bet, I would not expect him to play or at best be limited.

RBs: Our top three were either out vs. Purdue or got injuried. Henderson, our top back, has warmed up the past two weeks but ended up not playing. The expectation is he will be full-go on Saturday. Our second back, Trayanum, had what looked like a concussion against Purdue so I think he will play, but it depends on symptoms. Williams, our third back, didn't play last week and nobody knows why.

Also our top CB, Burke, came off in the third quarter last week and nobody knows exactly the extent of his injury. Some theories being thrown around on message boards, but he would be a huge loss if he can't go. He has been playing at an elite level thus far.

 

[bono47]

I think both lines are equally bad. Theirs's may be a little less bad. Regardless, I highly doubt Diaz dials up the entire package as there isn't a corner in American that can cover Harrison one on one while dealing with their tight end package. They will get pressure on Allar, we will get pressure on McCord. The interior on our line looked very weak against WVU and hasn't done much all season. Conversely, we haven't seen an interior pass rush like they have either. If I were a better man, I would say OSU ends up on the positive side of the equation.

Of course you would.

 

[bono47]

nobody doubts the talent of psu's DB's, but there is a reason why even the best defenses "can't lock up WR's"..osu under day made "man killers" common parlance, it's not gonna be 4 WR's running vert's, gonna be lots of slants and crossers, and when they do run deep routes, that's gonna clear out short and intermediate routes for the TE and RB...and when you're in man, is it press coverage?..

You are presuming a first year starter from Pennsylvania playing at home with the weight of Ohio on him facing the best pass rush he has seen all year will make the right read and throw strikes while staring at man coverage. It is just as likely that his throws get eaten for Ints or are not perfectly placed for these stud wrs. We know you want your rival lover to be undefeated for the Game but c'mon, man.

 

[tboyer]

I'm reading a lot about the tOSU O Line having some problems this season, which is unusual for a school that has recruited and developed many good Pro O Linemen. In particular, their LT, a RS SO, Josh Simmons is getting criticism. If their LT is subpar, I think it could be a real long day for Kyle McCord, with Chop, DDS and Manny's myriad of blitz packages giving them fits.

Wondering if there are any tOSU fans who could provide an honest, in-depth analysis of their O Line, strengths and weaknesses. If not, anyone else with more detailed info on their O-Line.

Not getting much work done this week!

WE ARE!!!

OL is not considered talented by Ohio State standards but would be considered very good by recent Penn State standards. Their strength is the interior, where PSU has been vulnerable against the run sometimes this year. Their relative weakness is tackle. PSU's DEs may be a bit much for their tackles in which case Day will provide TE help, run screens, and generally try to stay out of obvious passing situations (i.e. the best antidote to dominant defensive ends is to run the ball up the middle). They will definitely be scheming for PSU's DEs, and PSU no doubt knows this and will have prepared counter-schemes, probably involving moving the DEs around and bringing pass rush from different places.

This might be one of those games where both teams are willing to be very patient on offense and punt a good bit and see what their defenses can do for the 1st half.

 

[NittanyChris]

OL is not considered talented by Ohio State standards but would be considered very good by recent Penn State standards. Their strength is the interior, where PSU has been vulnerable against the run sometimes this year. Their relative weakness is tackle. PSU's DEs may be a bit much for their tackles in which case Day will provide TE help, run screens, and generally try to stay out of obvious passing situations (i.e. the best antidote to dominant defensive ends is to run the ball up the middle). They will definitely be scheming for PSU's DEs, and PSU no doubt knows this and will have prepared counter-schemes, probably involving moving the DEs around and bringing pass rush from different places.

This might be one of those games where both teams are willing to be very patient on offense and punt a good bit and see what their defenses can do for the 1st half.

Listening to the BlueWhite Podcast today and T Frank said that many of the Ohio State passing plays involve deeper routes that require some time. In addition, McCord has an old-fashioned throwing motion with a long windup. If you add subpar OTs against our all-world DEs to that equation. I like our chances.