Ryan Day held court with the media on Tuesday afternoon to recap the happenings during last weekend's win over Akron while looking ahead to this week's matchup with Western Michigan.
After Brandon Inniss had a big day with four punt returns for 60 yards including a 36-yarder, Day was asked if making a more concerted effort to field punts - not just with an eye on taking possession but in positively influencing field position - was a focus heading into the season.
This was an important question because if we're being real, Ohio State hasn't been remotely close to the upper tier in this aspect of special teams since 2015 when the Buckeyes ranked 18th nationally, averaging 13.1 yards per return on the back of Jalin Marshall (28 for 379, or 13.5 per attempt).
We worked hard this offseason on special teams.. One of the studies we did is that every time a ball hits the field on a turf field, there's an average of like 10 yards of roll there. We want to make sure that we're aggressive in fielding those punts and at the same time, we can't be foolish because with some of those punts you put yourself at risk of a fumble.
So, the first thing we gotta do is get the ball back. The second thing we're trying to do is field it. Again, especially on a turf field when that ball can really roll, you've seen some really poor punts just kind of take off on the turf and so we're trying to eliminate those.
Brandon Inniss for example, a couple of those, in particular one he returned, it was rolling down probably inside the 10-yard line, he stopped it then returned it back. That was worth probably three of four first downs. It's a big deal so we're trying to educate our guys.
To put Inniss' 60 punt return yards last Saturday into proper perspective, since Day became head coach in 2019, Ohio State's leading punt returner has tallied anywhere from 49 to 86 total yards for the entire season.
| SEASON | RETURN MAN | RETURNS | TOTAL RETURN YARDS | AVG PER RETURN | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | GARRETT WILSON | 14 | 86 | 6.1 | 52 | 0 |
| 2020 | GARRETT WILSON | 7 | 51 | 7.3 | 22 | 0 |
| 2021 | GARRETT WILSON | 13 | 68 | 5.2 | 23 | 0 |
| 2022 | EMEKA EGBUKA | 11 | 75 | 6.8 | 18 | 0 |
| 2023 | JAYDEN BALLARD | 9 | 49 | 5.4 | 18 | 0 |
| 2024* | BRANDON INNISS | 4 | 60 | 15.0 | 36 | 0 |
Of course it's likely unrealistic to expect Inniss will average 15.0 yards per return the rest of the season but with Day's comments about enhanced focus on special teams overall and a different strategy specifically for punt returns, maybe he can make a run at double-digit yards per return. Even if he doesn't, Inniss only needs to average just 7.4 yards per try to become the best punt returner of the Day era.
The change in strategy to effectively try to not only catch but return the ball could also give Inniss/Ohio State significantly more opportunities to make a big play. Across Day's first five full seasons at the helm, the Buckeyes have returned an average of just 1.6 punts per game. Only the 2019 season (2.1) saw a Day squad return more than two punts per contest.
| SEASON | GAMES | RETURNS | TOTAL RETURN YARDS | AVG PER RETURN | NATL RANK - AVG PER RETURN | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 14 | 29 | 212 | 7.3 | 72 | 0 |
| 2020 | 8 | 10 | 62 | 6.2 | 73 | 0 |
| 2021 | 13 | 23 | 132 | 5.7 | 100 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 | 17 | 141 | 8.3 | 59 | 0 |
| 2023 | 13 | 17 | 75 | 4.4 | 114 | 0 |
| 2024* | 1 | 4 | 60 | 15.5 | 23 | 0 |
While former special teams coach Parker Fleming wasn't retained this offseason for a number of reasons, punt return was certainly one of them. Ohio State ranked 114th in the country with an average of 4.4 yards per return (and while I don't have it at the ready, they very well may have averaged more punt team penalty yards per game than return yards per game).
Coming off a string of seasons featuring downright awful to mediocre special teams play, Buckeye fans have to be excited for what they saw versus Akron. Inniss is the perfect build for a punt returner, has great hands and is shifty.
Yes its only one game but the modified strategic approach plus having what looks to be a skilled return man back there has many fans wondering if this could be the year Ohio State breaks the drought and springs a punt return for a touchdown for the first time since November 22, 2014 when Jalin Marshall did the damn thing against Indiana (and added three more touchdowns taboot).
No. 9 Indiana visits Saturday.
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) November 16, 2020
That makes us think of @JalinMarshall's clutch 2014 day.
We asked him, earlier this year, about the TD spree that helped @OhioStateFB make the inaugural CFP. pic.twitter.com/Q5Bg4tiuP2
Even if the Buckeyes don't find the end zone on punt return in 2024, adding some yards to the punt return average and truly punishing teams in the field position game from time to time would be a welcome change.
