Ohio State’s 2016 season came to an end in rather stunning fashion Saturday night.
The Buckeyes’ 31-0 blowout loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl was as lopsided a result as Urban Meyer has ever experienced in his coaching career. It was the first time Meyer had ever been shutout and it was the worst loss Ohio State surrendered since he arrived in Columbus prior to the 2012 season.
Changes are likely coming. Meyer isn’t exactly the type to just sit back and do nothing. If he thinks there’s a problem, it will be fixed.
“Any time you struggle a little bit," Meyer said, "you always take a hard look."
But while it’s clear Meyer and the Buckeyes need to make some tweaks to the way they do things, there was still plenty to like from Ohio State’s perspective throughout this 11-2 campaign. All's not lost.
We’re going to look at both sides and try to assess what went right and what went wrong during the 2016 season for the Buckeyes.
What Went Right?
College Football Playoff Berth
Ohio State made the College Football Playoff. Ultimately, that’s where a program like this one wants to be each season. The Buckeyes were one of the four best teams in the country and had an opportunity to play for a national championship.
Would Ohio State have liked to put up a better showing in its national semifinal against the Tigers? Of course. But if you told fans before the season one of the youngest teams in all of college football would be one of the four CFP teams, I think many would have viewed that as a successful year.
The Buckeyes want to contend for national championships, but the fact of the matter is they can’t win it every season. That’s not realistic. In this new era, sometimes you’re a Playoff team but not a national championship team. That’s what Ohio State was in 2016.
New Stars Emerge As Talent Gets Replenished
The term “rebuilding year” is not one Ohio State fans ever want to hear, but after having nine players declare early for the NFL Draft and seeing 12 guys selected, the Buckeyes were as close to that dreaded term as they could get.
Ohio State safety Malik Hooker seemingly came out of nowhere this season for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State had to find a way to replace 16 starters and, well, some new stars emerged to say the very least. First-year starters Malik Hooker, Marshon Lattimore, Jamarco Jones, Curtis Samuel, Mike Weber and more turned themselves into All-Big Ten caliber players. Some of those even have a chance to go pro despite only having one full season under their belts.
What the talent reload shows is Meyer’s recruiting is working. He has brought in incredible classes each season in Columbus and there certainly aren’t any signs of slowing down anytime soon. When players leave Ohio State, there are ones just as good waiting for their turn.
All About Defense
Ohio State became a defensive juggernaut in 2016 as the Buckeyes featured one of the most aggressive defenses in all of college football.
The addition of Greg Schiano to the staff made Ohio State one of the best in the country at forcing turnovers — and turning those into points — as the Buckeyes changed games with their in-your-face defensive style. Luke Fickell is leaving to become the head coach at Cincinnati, but Schiano looks like he’ll be sticking around for a second season. That only means more good things are ahead for Ohio State’s defense.
What Went Wrong?
Offensive Passing Struggles Continue For Second-Straight Year
Ohio State struggled to throw the ball with a ton of success in 2015 but it was partially masked by Ezekiel Elliott, J.T. Barrett and the offensive line’s ability to pound teams into submission on the ground.
It didn’t exactly work the same way in 2016. Elliott, along with two offensive linemen and a trio of wide receivers left for the NFL and Ohio State struggled to throw the ball all season against top competition. It was a combination of poor pass protection, the wide receivers’ inability to consistently create separation and Barrett’s inconsistency throwing the football.
If there are changes, it’s likely coming on the offensive staff. Tim Beck, Ed Warinner, Zach Smith and Greg Studrawa will all be evaluated by Meyer, and the Buckeyes’ head man will have some decisions to make.
Ohio State struggled all season to consistently throw the ball down the field.
“We will become a good passing team, we will," Meyer said. "Next year."
Lack of development, depth at wide receiver, offensive line
We hinted at it above, but Ohio State struggled at both positions this season against top competition. Outside of Curtis Samuel, the Buckeyes never generated a consistent outside receiver — Noah Brown was close, but had far too many games where he was almost nonexistent — and Barrett was constantly harassed by defensive lines against the best teams on Ohio State’s schedule.
A couple of misses in recruiting didn’t allow the Buckeyes to have the necessary means to replace Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and Braxton Miller adequately. Players like Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell and James Clark may be nice complementary pieces and special teams contributors, but they failed to give Ohio State any sort of vertical threat in the offense.
The Buckeyes had two All-Americans up front in Pat Elflein and Billy Price, with an All-Big Ten performer at left tackle in Jamarco Jones, but they also started a true freshman in Michael Jordan at one guard spot and the right tackle, Isaiah Prince, struggled big time in a handful of games this season. Malcolm Pridgeon’s injury in fall camp certainly didn’t help things, but Ohio State group was thin up front and it brings up some questions about the development of linemen in the program.
Special teams inconsistencies
Meyer takes plenty of pride in his special teams units, but this season there were some big moments that plagued Ohio State.
The blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown against Penn State certainly stands out as a lowlight for the Buckeyes — the Nittany Lions also blocked a punt in that game — and missed field goals against Michigan and Clemson also cost Ohio State.
