This week's "Inside the Box" looks into another blowout win for the Buckeyes. These box scores are generally uninformative even if they look pretty to fans. Certainly, the Rutgers box score is preferable to Buckeye fans than the Clemson or Oklahoma box scores. However, it's tough to infer about the Buckeyes from a game against the likes of Rutgers.
However, there are a few comments we can make about the Buckeyes from the Rutgers game that conform well with other trends we observed in the previous four games. We'll start with what was the clear blight on the Buckeyes' win.
Penalties are Costing the Buckeyes Big
The worst thing you can say about shutting out an opponent like Rutgers is the Buckeyes took an inefficient route to a blowout win. The Buckeyes racked up a season-high 10 penalties and 106 penalty yards in beating Rutgers.
Some of these were entirely preventable, certainly Terry McLaurin's double-whammy. On that play, Barrett was en route to the sideline after a 30-yard scramble that brought him to Rutgers' 15-yard line and comfortably gave the Buckeyes a first down. McLaurin could not forgo an opportunity for what was practically a cheap shot. He compounded the problem by taunting the defender while the Buckeyes were up 35-0.
Penalty yards moved Ohio State back to the Rutgers' 45-yard line, effectively neutralizing the yardage Barrett gained. Ohio State scored four plays later, but took an inefficient route to get there.
This has been a season-long problem for the Buckeyes, which rank No. 113 in penalty yards per game. Only lowly Illinois is worse in the Big Ten.
Ohio State could stand to cut down on the penalties.
To make matters worse, the Buckeyes also rank No. 115 in opponent penalties, the worst in the Big Ten. Ohio State is more generous in conceding penalty yards to the opposition than teams are in conceding penalty yards against it.
It won't matter against the likes of Rutgers, but it will when Penn State comes to town. That much of these penalties and penalty yards come on defensive pass interference calls should cause some concern.
How Ohio State's Receivers Rank
Love "Zone 6?" Hate "Zone 6?" This game had something for each of you.
Consider Ohio State's third touchdown drive as a microcosm of the frustrations. Therein, an inexplicable dropped pass on 2nd-and-17 set up a 3rd-and-17 on Ohio State's 30-yard line. Johnnie Dixon scored on a 70-yard touchdown pass.
Yes, it was a busted coverage, but Ohio State's receivers had odd highs and lows. Even Binjimen Victor had a rookie drop on a sideline pass before he "Mossed" a Rutgers defensive back for Ohio State's sixth touchdown on the day.
There is variance in the wide receiver performance but, incidentally, the Buckeye receivers rank well in the aggregate relative to Big Ten peers.
| Metric | Parris Campbell | Johnnie Dixon | K.J. Hill | Terry McLaurin | C.J. Saunders | Binjimen Victor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards/G | 68.4 (6) | 57.0 (14) | 37 (31) | 35.4 (33) | 30.5 (36) | 28.4 (43) |
| Rec/G | 3.8 (t18) | 2 (43) | 3.8 (t18) | 3.4 (28) | 2 (t43) | 2 (t43) |
| Touchdowns | 2 (t17) | 4 (t2) | 1 (t26) | 2 (t17) | 1 (t26) | 3 (t9) |
| Yards/Catch | 18 (5) | 28.5 (1) | 9.7 (42) | 10.4 (39) | 15.2 (t11) | 14.2 (19) |
"Zone 6" best punctuates the variance of its play in the yards-per-catch metric. Here, Johnnie Dixon leads the conference in averaging 28.5 yards per catch. Parris Campbell is No. 5. C.J. Saunders and Binjimen Victor rank No. 11 and No. 19 respectively.
Big-Play Barrett
We know Ohio State has struggled to beat receivers deep. Instead, Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson have found better paths toward the same result by working underneath routes and relying on the athleticism of players like Parris Campbell to make guys miss and turn 10-yard plays into even bigger gains.
This also manifests in a curious pattern for J.T. Barrett as well and has allowed him to emerge as the top big-play passer in the Big Ten.
| Name | Team | Yr | Pos | G | 10+ | 20+ | 30+ | 40+ | 50+ | 60+ | 70+ | 80+ | 90+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trace McSorley | Penn State | JR | QB | 5 | 52 | 21 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Tanner Lee | Nebraska | JR | QB | 5 | 47 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Brian Lewerke | Mich St | SO | QB | 4 | 42 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | J.T. Barrett | Ohio State | SR | QB | 5 | 41 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Nate Stanley | Iowa | SO | QB | 5 | 41 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Clayton Thorson | N'western | JR | QB | 4 | 40 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Alex Hornibrook | Wisconsin | SO | QB | 4 | 36 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Richard Lagow | Indiana | SR | QB | 4 | 27 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Conor Rhoda | Minnesota | SR | QB | 4 | 24 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Kyle Bolin | Rutgers | SR | QB | 5 | 23 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Here are the long passing plays data through five weeks in the Big Ten for the top ten passers in the Big Ten. Observe that Trace McSorley, who might be the best overall quarterback in the league, leads all passers in passing plays of 10 yards or more with 52. J.T. Barrett ties for No. 4 with Iowa's Nate Stanley with 41.
However, Barrett climbs to No. 3 in long passing plays of 20 yards or more. He moves into a tie at No. 1 with McSorley of long passing plays of 30 yards or more with eight. Thereafter, Barrett is the number one in passer in the league of plays of 40 yards or more, 50 yards or more, 60 yards or more, and 70 yards or more.
McSorley is the only quarterback in the league with an 80-yard pass play and no one in the league has a 90-yard pass play this young season.
There any number of ways to interpret the data, though the findings would be consistent with how dropped passes undermine the Ohio State's receiving game and compound how Ohio State receivers struggle to get open deep. Thus, the coaching staff compensates by working underneath crossers and hoping a guy like Parris Campbell can turn that into an even bigger gain.
The results are largely there to support that, but let that underscore a theme from the Rutgers game and the season through five games. The Ohio State offense is racking up the yards and the passing game is much improved from last year. Still, the Buckeyes take a circuitous route to get there, penalties included.
