When Kevin Wilson arrived on campus at Ohio State, most assumed it would be the former Indiana head coach that did the most to help fix or enhance the Buckeye offense.
While Wilson has definitely had a hand in helping Ohio State's offense improve, it was quarterbacks coach Ryan Day that earned a shoutout from Urban Meyer on Monday. When discussing a particular play on which Johnnie Dixon in particular has benefitted from this season, Meyer singled Day out as the man behind the crossing pattern.
"Ryan Day brought us that whole package to us. It's been dynamic," Meyer said. "The big hits we had against Indiana were the same package. So now (we have) about seven, eight different concepts off of that."
Day spoke to the media on Tuesday for the first time since the beginning of the season and gave credit to the entire offensive staff for the changes that have been made in the passing game, specifically the crossing routes Ohio State has had so much success with.
"Everybody had their hand in it. One of the things we see is man coverage, so some of those crossing routes really fit well," Day said. "We have some really talented receivers with speed so we get those guys running and spread the field horizontally and getting guys going sideways. Getting the ball out on time is critical. The guys have really run with it too. They have done a great job."
The crossing routes were particularly effective against Indiana as both Parris Campbell and Dixon were able to shake loose for touchdowns on short to intermediate throws. As the season has unfolded, teams began to play more zone against Ohio State in an effort to take away the deep ball, which led to more run-pass option concepts from the Buckeyes. These plays simplify the reads for the quarterback, yet still get the ball out to players in space (see below).
Against Rutgers, however, the Scarlet Knights played plenty of man coverage against Ohio State and the Buckeyes once against utilized the crossing routes, but out of different sets and formations. The ability to show different looks but run the same plays has been another area in which Day feels the Buckeyes have improved.
"Our wide receivers are like pros," Day said. "You can change a split or a motion or who is doing what, and it may not be much to us, but it's a different presentation to the defense. They are able to put it on the field from the meeting and Coach (Zach) Smith does a great job of that with those guys. That is a huge weapon for us to be able to change up the looks against a defense."
A perfect example of what Day is talking about can be seen below.
In the first play, as illustrated by our own Kyle Jones, Ohio State runs its 'Rams Mesh' concept out of a 'tight' two-by-two wide receiver look. This play resulted in a 59-yard touchdown catch and run from Dixon, his first score of the year.
Against Rutgers, Ohio State ran the same play, but out of a different formation. While it doesn't change the routes for the Buckeyes, it disguises the play itself, making it difficult for the defense to diagnose.
The 'mesh' plays have been a staple for Ohio State any time it faces man coverage, and combined with some deep passing plays in certain situations, appear to give the Buckeyes a solid arsenal to attack defenses with. Even with a subpar performance against Oklahoma, Ohio State boasts the top pass-offense (323.8 yards per game) in the Big Ten and rank 13th overall among FBS teams.
"We have been doing it from the beginning of spring ball, so I think the timing and the spacing has been good," Day said. "The guys have done a nice job."
