Ryan Day Says Buckeyes “Need to Be Better” in Short-Yardage Situations, Admits Struggles Have “Been Frustrating”

Following Ohio State's lone bye week of the 2023 season, the common theme to begin Day's weekly media session had to do with the Buckeyes' short-yardage conversion rate, or lack thereof, through the first four games of the season.

After Ohio State had just a 30.43% conversion rate (tied for 114th in FBS) through the first two games of the season, converting 7-of-23 opportunities, it has improved on that mark two games later. A third of the way through the season, the Buckeyes have now converted 22-of-50 third-down opportunities, a 44% conversion rate (47th), meaning OSU has converted 15 of its last 27 third-down opportunities for first downs.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that the Buckeyes are still not where they need to be in short-yardage situations on third and fourth down (within three yards of a first down). Through the first four games of the season, Ohio State has been successful on 12-of-22 third- and fourth-and-short (54.5%) conversions. The Buckeyes went 5-for-5 against Western Kentucky, but against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes converted just 2-of-6 short-yardage situations, even though they did so on the biggest play of the game.

"We wanna be 100%," Day said. "But 3rd-and-1, 3rd-and-2, you have to at least be north of 80%. 3rd-and-3, It comes back a little bit, but yeah, we want to win every short-yardage situation. We work hard to get into those situations and we gotta at least be over 80. ... We need to be better."

Ohio State has been able to move the ball at times throughout each game so far this season, but when it comes to plays that are close to the sticks, its offense hasn’t been consistent. With fewer possessions per game due to the clock running after first downs this season, there's a bigger emphasis on each drive now more than ever, putting a larger microscope on short-yardage success.

"It's been frustrating," Day said. "Certainly look back on the film and see the way we move the ball up and down the field but not finish those drives is extremely frustrating."

That became even more noticeable with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter in South Bend two Saturdays ago. The Buckeyes were unable to convert a 3rd-and-1 (TreVeyon Henderson fullback dive) and 4th-and-1 (Emeka Egbuka jet sweep), giving the ball back to Notre Dame with a chance to ice the game. While Ohio State still found a way to beat the Fighting Irish by scoring a touchdown on 3rd-and-goal from the one-yard line as time expired, it remains a problematic area for OSU’s offense.

The inconsistencies on short-yardage plays have led to Day and company trying to find different ways to help change that. One play that Ohio State's offense could try and use going forward is the quarterback sneak. Some have suggested the Buckeyes should take a page out of the Philadelphia Eagles’ playbook and use the “tush push” that Jalen Hurts has run so successfully in short-yardage situations.

Jalen Hurts QB sneak TD!

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— NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2023

"When you line up under center, that's probably the first thing in a short-yardage situation that everybody tries to take away and then you go from there. So, it's part of our short-yardage package," Day said. "Whether it's appropriate to use or not, we try to do that on a game-to-game basis. I look at what the Philadelphia Eagles did with (Jalen) Hurts. He's a very big, strong, powerful player."

A big, strong, powerful player, you say? Hurts is listed at 6-foot-1, 223 pounds. Kyle McCord, meanwhile, is listed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. Height and weight aren't the be-all and end-all, but it seems as though the Ohio State quarterback has the body type needed to do what Hurts does.

It's not like the Buckeyes haven't had it as part of their playbook, either. Justin Fields, who is arguably the best quarterback in OSU history, is tough to compare to the majority of Buckeye signal-callers in terms of his overall accomplishments throughout his two seasons in Columbus. That said, Fields was listed at 6-foot-3, 228 pounds during his college days. The same height but 13 pounds heavier than McCord.

"With Justin Fields we did it a lot," Day said. "He can really move the pile. We've practiced it. If we think it gives us a chance, we'll do it. But as you can imagine, we're really working hard on short-yardage."

While the quarterback sneak is in Ohio State's short-yardage package, it seems as though the Buckeyes don't know how McCord will perform in that role until it actually happens in a game given that practice is much different than in-game situations.

"We haven't really given him many opportunities and in practice, it's hard to tell. Time will tell," Day said.

In order for Ohio State to succeed in short-yardage situations, everyone must fulfill their specific role. The linemen must dominate the line of scrimmage. On a run play, the running backs must use their speed and power to get past the line of scrimmage and vision to find a hole at the line. The quarterback must use his legs and/or arm to make a play if given the opportunity. While it's a team effort, the mission likely fails if one of the units doesn't perform its responsibilities.

"Any time you're in those situations you look at matchups. There's always going to be extra people down towards the ball and you have to win your one-on-one matchups – whether you're on defense or offense," Day said. "You look at angles and all those types of things to try and give your guys an advantage.

"Sometimes you just gotta get better than the other guy, get stronger than the other guy. Move 'em. If the guys up front are moving their guys forward and the running backs are running hard, that's part of it. Other times, you have to look at getting the ball on the perimeter or throwing down the field when you're just banging your head against the wall. There are a lot of different ways to look at it but in big games, a lot of it comes down to short yardage."

With eight games to go in the regular season, Day and the coaching staff are still exploring ways to be more efficient in short-yardage situations. Whether it's different play calls or perfecting plays they’re already running, Day says the Buckeyes will leave no stone unturned.

"We'll try to do whatever we can to get the first down," Day said. "We're gonna try and do what we can schematically to get it done."

In the end, efficiency in that area of the game – on both sides of the ball – could be the difference between a good team and a great team. More specifically, a good season and a championship season.