You might be surprised by the fact Ohio State's passing offense ranked No. 36 in the land last season.
You might even be more surprised to know that No. 36 finish is good for the highest single-season passing offense ranking of the entire Urban Meyer era at Ohio State.
Past passing offenses turned in rankings of No. 81 in 2016, No. 100 in 2015, No. 52 in 2014, No. 90 in 2013 and finally, No. 105 in 2012.
A myriad of variables drive just how many passing yards per game a team will average including but not limited to things like the quarterback's accuracy, playcalling, game flow and score, pass protection, overall strength of the team's running game and effectiveness of its receivers to gain separation.
Last year, J.T. Barrett took a lot of flak for his struggles throwing an accurate deep ball but criticism also came toward a receiving corps that while touted as deep, lacked consistent, go-to performers.
Basically, touting depth is great and all but it's nice for a quarterback to have a small handful of guys he can truly count on to run the right route, gain separation, hold on to the football and hopefully churn out some YAC after all that.
Having about three or four such receivers of that ilk is optimal especially when complemented by other rotational guys that could run hot-and-cold pending a particular matchup, gameplan etc.
Last year, the offense largely lacked those consistent go-to performers and instead just about everyone fit into the rotational guys that run hot-and cold mold.
| YEAR | RECEIVER 1 | REC YPG | RECEIVER 2 | REC YPG | RECEIVER 3 | REC YPG | TOTAL REC YPG | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | P. CAMPBELL | 44.9 | K.J. HILL | 39.2 | T. MCLAURIN | 31.1 | 115.2 | 6 |
| 2016 | C. SAMUEL | 66.5 | N. BROWN | 30.9 | D. WILSON | 29.3 | 126.7 | 4 |
| 2015 | M. THOMAS | 60.1 | J. MARSHALL | 39.8 | B. MILLER | 26.2 | 126.1 | 5 |
| 2014 | D. SMITH | 62.1 | M. THOMAS | 53.3 | J. MARSHALL | 33.3 | 148.7 | 1 |
| 2013 | C. BROWN | 55.1 | D. SMITH | 47.1 | J. HEUERMAN | 33.3 | 135.5 | 2 |
| 2012 | C. BROWN | 55.8 | D. SMITH | 51.5 | J. STONEBURNER | 22.4 | 129.7 | 3 |
In fact, the per game yardage output of the top three receivers last season ranked last when compared to the other five teams of the Urban Meyer era. (Further, the last three years rank No. 6, No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.)
Was that a function of supreme depth, coaching philosophy, or a problem in which too many guys weren't able to separate from their teammates as the most viable options deserving of the most snaps?
H-back Parris Campbell led the Buckeyes with 44.9 receiving yards per game thanks to blazing speed he was able to showcase on more than few short crossing routes that blossomed into big gainers. Still, his 44.9 average was the lowest of any team-leader since Meyer's arrival.
Similarly, H-back K.J. Hill posted the second-lowest receiving yards per game of any second-leading receiver since 2012 at 39.2 per game though Hill did lead the Buckeyes with 56 receptions.
To be clear, this isn't a knock on Campbell or Hill directly but more about the pass offense's need to get the ball downfield more effectively as a whole. Campbell is a stud in space even if his hands are lacking. Hill emerged as a reliable guy especially in the back half of the regular season highlighted by a 12-catch, 102-yard outing against Penn State.
Behind Campbell and Hill, Terry McLaurin chipped in 31.1 receiving yards per game though his primary reason for seeing the field was as a blocker, a skill Meyer and Zach Smith hold sacred.
So what does any of this mean for 2018? Who knows.
It's a fair expectation that Campbell and Hill again rank in the top three on the receiving yards front with Hill potentially doing a good bit of that from the outside instead of just in the slot.
From there, the Buckeyes could really use a breakout season from Austin Mack or maybe even Bin Victor. McLaurin will obviously be a starter. And of course we can't forget about Demario McCall should the staff indeed deploy more of Hill's reps on the outside thus freeing up some snaps for McCall in the slot. Plus, Johnnie Dixon is still around, C.J. Saunders will probably play for the Patriots some day and Jaylen Harris should keep pushing Victor.
That's a lot of names. And while I know the staff loves having a deep rotation, count me as a guy who'd much prefer knowing about three of four guys will be responsible for the heavy lifting.
As if those aren't enough x-factors, there's still the matter of who will be the quarterback. Both Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow appear to offer a better downfield ability than did Barrett but only time will tell if that reality holds up over the course of a season and if the winner of the QB battle can develop the type of chemistry needed to push the passing attack to greater heights.
