Welcome to Inside the Box Score, where we delve into the box score of the last game and highlight some interesting stats and trends across Ohio State seasons and across the country.
The result against Army is a happier one for Ohio State fans. It was always going to be. Army presented its own unique challenge to the Buckeyes but that's a far cry from playing the No. 5 (now No. 2) team in the country.
Still, there are some of the same reasons for concern after Army as there were after Oklahoma. There are even a few superlatives after digging into the box score from the Army game.
Army's Touchdown Makes Its Mark
Army's vaunted rushing offense mustered just one scoring drive for the game, but the one it scored will resonate in the Meyer era. Ohio State conceded 99-yard touchdown drives before but this will likely be the longest touchdown drive Ohio State's defense will concede in the Urban Meyer era.
| Season | Opponent | Drive Length (Time) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Army | 18 plays, 99 yards (9:37) |
| 2013 | Michigan | 5 plays, 99 yards (2:15) |
| 2014 | Cincinnati | 4 plays, 97 yards (1:25) |
| 2014 | Michigan | 15 plays, 95 yards (7:13) |
| 2016 | Wisconsin | 4 plays, 95 yards (1:08) |
| 2015 | Michigan | 11 plays, 92 yards (4:01) |
| 2012 | Nebraska | 7 plays, 92 yards (3:03) |
| 2017 | Oklahoma | 4 plays, 92 yards (1:40) |
| 2015 | Rutgers | 10 plays, 90 yards (4:04) |
| 2013 | Wisconsin | 8 plays, 90 yards (4:54) |
These are the ten longest touchdown drives Ohio State conceded since 2012, ranked first by yards and then by number of plays. It includes the length of the drive as well since more than a few of these (e.g. Cincinnati's 97-yard touchdown drive in 2014) were almost all quick-strike and big-play drives.
Army's touchdown drive stands out both in terms of yardage, plays, and time consumed. All are or tie records for worst drive outcomes. That drive ties Michigan's 99-yard drive against the Buckeyes in 2013 and ties an unlisted 18-play, 80-yard touchdown drive by Penn State against the Buckeyes in 2012. The time consumed on Army's touchdown drive is a clear record, beating Michigan's 15-play, 95-yard drive in 2014 by more than two minutes.
Started From the Bottom, Now We're At Least Here
Starting the season with pass-happy offenses like Indiana and Oklahoma put Ohio State's pass defense in an immediate bind. The fact the defense did so poorly against both put the Buckeyes' pass offense at dead-last in the country.
| Metric | Rank After Army | Rank Last week |
|---|---|---|
| Yards/Game | 102 | 130 |
| Yards/Attempt | 83 | 96 |
| Attempts/Game | 103 | 128 |
| Rating | 94 | 110 |
| Yards | 103 | 129 |
| Completion Percentage | 100 | 120 |
Playing a flexbone triple-option team that completed just two passes before this game and might throw the ball ten times a day is exactly what the pass defense needed. Ohio State no longer has the country's worst pass defense, but it's still... grim.
These metrics should improve as water ultimately finds its level. Teams regress to their mean, whatever that mean is, during the conference schedule. Ohio State's defense won't be what it was last year but it could claw into the mid-50s by season's end.
Games against the likes of UNLV (No. 80 passing offense), Rutgers (No. 108), Maryland (No. 97), and Nebraska (No. 47) should help before Penn State rolls into town.
Barrett's No Worse Than Average, Despite What You'd Think
Here's a hot #take: I find it bizarre that Ohio State fans wanted to bench a guy after the Oklahoma game that was en route to surpass Drew-damn-Brees' Big Ten record for total touchdowns in the following week.
| Metric | Barrett Rank | B1G Leader |
|---|---|---|
| Yards/Game | 3 (252.3) | Clayton Thorson (280.7) |
| Yards/Attempt | 9 (7.3) | Alex Hornibrook (10) |
| Yards | 3 (757) | Clayton Thorson (842) |
| Rating | 8 (137.96) | Alex Hornibrook (188.98) |
| Touchdowns | 5 (5) | Nate Stanley (10) |
| TD/INT Ratio | 4 (5/1) | Nate Stanley (10/1) |
| Completion % | 7 (62.1) | David Blough (76.1) |
I'll follow that with my own hunch. Barrett is among the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten and, at his worst, is no worse than average in the league. Sure, the Big Ten isn't a quarterback league like the Pac-12 with guys like Jake Browning, Sam Darnold, and Josh Rosen, but he's still good on the whole. He's also certainly our best quarterbacking option at the moment, warts and all.
Three weeks into the season, that's largely the case. Barrett isn't the Big Ten's best quarterback, but he's pretty good and his worst is ultimately around the conference's average.
I think the stats to date largely show that most of Ohio State fan's misgivings about J.T. Barrett cluster on one stat in particular: yards per attempt. Here, Barrett ranks ninth in the Big Ten.
The explanations here are multiple and are all familiar to Ohio State fans. Ohio State's receivers struggle to get open deep and Barrett struggles to throw that far. Ohio State's pass protection, certainly at right tackle, can be spotty as well.
All the same, the point still holds that Barrett is a good quarterback who is no worse than average at his nadir.
Also, be grateful, Ohio State fans. You could have Tanner Lee for a quarterback.
Could J.K. Dobbins Finish as a Top-Ten Rusher in the Nation?
Ohio State hasn't had many bright spots early into the season, except for J.K. Dobbins. The freshman tailback has supplanted Mike Weber as the de facto main rushing threat for the Buckeyes and has made big plays every game.
Three games into the season, he seems a credible threat to ultimately land in the top ten for all backs in the country for rushing offense.
| Metric | Dobbins Rank | National Leader |
|---|---|---|
| Yards/Game | 11 (141.67) | Rashaad Penny [San Diego State] (196) |
| Yards/Carry | 32 (7.73) | Ty Johnson [Maryland] (15.06) |
| Yards | 8 (425) | Rashaad Penny [San Diego State] (588) |
| Touchdowns | 41 (3) | Royce Freeman [Oregon] (9) |
Three weeks into the season, Dobbins is already in the top ten in rushing yards among all rushers with 425 yards through three games. The per-game statistcs weights his rank down to No. 11. In both cases, he's looking up to San Diego State's Rashaad Penny who seems to be on pace to lead the country in rushing after the Aztecs' 3-0 start against UC Davis, at Arizona State, and most recently its home upset win over Stanford.
There is one caveat to these statistics that the table won't quite communicate. Keep in mind that Dobbins is only arguably the best freshman running back in the Big Ten, let alone the country. Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor is having a stellar start to 2017 and ranks ahead of Dobbins in yards per game, yards per carry, and total rushing yards.
