I watched the game again and focused in on the offensive line since there has been so much talk about that group. I don't have any fancy video examples but I'll breakdown what I saw based on each blocking scheme.

Pass protection: No complaints here. The pass protection was pretty good. There was a couple times where Akron sent an extra pass rusher and it wasn't picked up. This could be Will Howards fault as he is responsible for setting the protection in Ryan Days system.

Gap Scheme: this is where the line down blocks and then you pull one or two offensive linemen across the formation and send them as a lead block in the running lane. This is your power run game and counter plays. The results were mixed based on which lineman was pulling. Josh Simmons was absolutely terrible in this situation. He was routinely beaten or just missed the block. Hinzman also struggled in this situation. When the pulling lineman was Tegra or Seireveld these plays were very successful.

Inside Zone: this is basically where the offensive line moves straight forward and drives the man in front of them off the ball. The line eats when this scheme is ran. They mowed Akrons front off the line of scrimmage by at least 3 yards every single time. The consistency in this scheme proves the line issues are not toughness related.

Stretch Zone: this is an outside run where the line has to move diagonally up field. In this scheme it's important to have clear communication and understanding of which guy you need to block and it's extremely important that you have an athletic offensive line because it's very common that you will need to get across the defenders face and then drive him upfield. If you aren't athletic enough it's very easy for a defender to create penetration. The line struggled mightily in this scheme which has been the theme the last 3 years. Our guys just simply aren't athletic enough to get in front of the defender as they are shooting gaps. I didn't see any issues with IDing blocking assignments which was an issue the last couple years. Guys knew who to block they just weren't getting in an advantageous position to block those assignments. I understand why Day continues to run this scheme even though it has never been successful. He runs a lot of RPOs and play action off this run play which has great results. This scheme is going to be very frustrating for fans but just know that it is necessary to set up other plays. If our line was more athletic (like it was in 2019-2020) then we would have more success.

Overall, watching it a second time I was more pleased with the line play. They just need to keep Simmons out of pulling situations and let him do what he does best which is pass pro. I was overall impressed with the gap scheme plays and it should be deadly when Donovan Jackson returns. This line likes to maul guys in inside zone. Anyone who claims it's a toughness issue needs to watch these plays and tell me if you still think they are soft after they just buried the defense 5 yards down field. The problem seems to be athleticism in stretch zone. This might be a little improved when Jackson comes back.