This Week in Ohio State Football: More Cotton Bowl analysis

Vo. 1, No. 19

This week in Ohio State football we have more thoughts on the Cotton Bowl loss.

I know I already wrote this was just a 12-2 team all along, but I guess seeing the results of the other quarterfinals reminded me a two-loss team can still win it all.

Ohio State did last year, and Miami could this year.

Also I know saying the Big Ten Championship Game didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things was fashionable (and incorrect), but the loss to Indiana was very damaging to Ohio State’s repeat hopes because of the resulting playoff draw.

If OSU got to play a weakling like Alabama perhaps that lets the Buckeyes get that first win in the postseason and develop a rhythm and winning formula. Maybe not, but it’s hard not to wonder.

Nonetheless, the loss to Miami shouldn’t undo the goodwill Ryan Day earned with the playoff run last year. The 2024 national championship trophy is staying at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The big banner there isn’t coming down.

Of course the loss provides more data points for things that need to improve.

No. 1 is obvious…

(After the ad break. Just a click from you means I get compensation, but you won’t be charged anything. That helps me keep this newsletter free!)

Ready to lose weight with a plan that actually works? MedVi provides highly effective GLP-1 treatments, personalized guidance, and everything you need to see real, consistent fat-loss results.

There are no membership fees, nothing confusing, and no insurance required. Just one simple, science-backed program that helps you get healthier each week.

Start today for only $179 and get free shipping.

Take the Assessment

_{Read all warnings before using GLP-ls. Side-effects may include a risk of thyroid c-cell tumors. Do not use GLP-1s if you or your family have a history of thyroid cancer. In certain situations, where clinically appropriate, a provider may prescribe compounded medication, which is prepared by a state-licensed sterile compounding pharmacy partner. Although compounded drugs are permitted to be prescribed under federal law, they are not FDA-approved and do not undergo FDA review for safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality.}

That has been well known for at least five years.

The 2019 offensive line was awesome, but it’s never been the same since then.

Greg Studrawa was a good on-field coach, but he was fired four years ago for being a bad recruiter, and they are still paying for his mistakes.

Justin Frye couldn’t fix them all before becoming the offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals after last season, and those problems came home to roost this year when they had no natural tackles ready to play.

We won’t know what the 2026 line looks like until the transfer portal, which opened today, is closed.

As of this writing, OL coach Tyler Bowen has a solid nucleus to build on, but I don’t think just relying on the guys in the room to improve is going to be enough.

The good news is that can be fixed much easier in one offseason than in the past. They can bring in multiple offensive linemen to raise the ceiling of this group big time, and they’re not starting from scratch. Experience shouldn’t be a factor when figuring out who will be the starters next year. May the most physical and technically sound man win.

They have been hit-or-miss with OL in the portal. Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin were good pickups. Phillip Daniels had a decent year at right tackle this year despite maybe having to play a little early (and/or out of position), but they whiffed on Ethan Onianwa of Rice.

I love relying more on 12 personnel and using a lead blocker more. It worked well at times. It should remain the focus but needs a lot of work.

There is a case for going back to the 11-personnel base that made Day’s name as an offensive coach, but I don’t think it’s that simple. The game has changed. Defenses have evolved. This is a shift many offenses are making at the NFL and college levels because defenses evolved to become much better at preventing big pass plays.

(Also worth mentioning they got a lot of production out of two-tight end sets in the 2014 national title run but were unable to recreate that for the rest of the Urban Meyer era and never won another national title.)

Of course, just being physically better up front can go a long way toward making this strategy more effective.

This style is be harder to execute in some ways, especially for the offensive line, but there is no cheating the process. You have to be able to block. Period. If you can keep teams from loading the box, that becomes easier.

That is the art of making a game plan.

When the opponent can run with you on the perimeter, the line deficiencies become much more apparent.

Then the quarterback needs to be Superman, and Sayin was only able to be pretty good. He’s young. He’ll improve. His pocket sense and awareness should get better with more experience, though very few quarterbacks are very effective when under a lot of pressure. If he were bigger and faster to be more dangerous on the run, yeah, that would be great, but there are tradeoffs. You’d rather have his accuracy and smarts than any other trait.

I do think the efforts to be more physical have had some payoff. The defense really punished people. The want-to is there on offense, and they beat up Michigan. What about the rest of the season?

The drop at running back was also significant despite Bo Jackson and Isaiah West showing potential. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins were better at hiding home runs and maximizing small gains, respectively, but that also comes with more experience.

At least once he sees them?

I wrote earlier this year maybe he was getting better at fixing problems before they get too big, too. Maybe I was wrong, but in an organization like a college football team there are a lot of things happening in a given day.

I still think Day has a good handle on all the things it takes to keep the program operating near peak efficiency, though special teams might be an exception.

That group continues to struggle in all phases, starting with the lack of a championship-quality kicker but continuing with an inability to even line up correctly sometimes.

First thoughts on Ohio State's Cotton Bowl loss

We covered the OL.

Day also needs more experience and brainpower in the offensive strategy room.

Other than that, the challenges remain the same of just maximizing the talent at each position, keeping a positive culture and working hard to get better every day.

If you have any suggestions (or questions), please send them! I look forward to reader feedback so I can stay in touch with your feelings and opinions!

(Like what you see? Please share by forwarding this email, sharing the link on social media or sending someone this link)