Run blocking has always been more of a team endeavor than it is given credit for.
Much of the attention for a team’s success or failure on the ground is paid to the offensive line and running backs, and those positions shoulder a majority of the responsibility. But perimeter blocking is a factor, too.
Ohio State has arguably the best running back tandem in college football and its offensive line has taken clear strides through the first month of the season, but the lane-clearing efforts of the Buckeyes’ tight ends and wide receivers are another reason why they’ve vaulted from 4.2 yards per carry in 2023 to 6.6 thus far in 2024.
“(It’s) something that we work on going back to spring ball and a little bit of the offseason with the OTAs and then in fall camp, we work that,” tight end Gee Scott Jr. said on Wednesday. “We take a lot of pride in blocking on the perimeter. Anywhere we're blocking, we take pride in it. It's not a joke. And so I think when you take that mindset to practice, showing up on Saturdays and doing that is just a result of what you're gonna get (in practice).”
Better blocking was a major point of emphasis for Scott and the tight ends this offseason. Pro Football Focus grades should always be taken with a boulder of salt, but starter Cade Stover ranked 35th on the team with a run-blocking grade of 54.4 in 2023, while Scott was 43rd at 41.1 as his backup.
Ohio State brought in a blocking-minded Will Kacmarek from the transfer portal at the position. Scott’s taken a jump both qualitatively from this writer’s viewpoint – it’s subjective but so are PFF scores, there just aren’t many metrics to judge an individual’s blocking – and in his run-blocking grade, going up to 55.6. Kacmarek is at 67.6 while Jelani Thurman, the third tight end on the Buckeyes’ depth chart, grades highest in the room and third on the team at 79.9. Bennett Christian has also worked in and has a run-blocking grade of 68.3.
“I think it starts from the top down, from Coach Day emphasizing that this team's going to be built on toughness,” Scott said. “That's where it starts. And from the beginning of time all the way back to spring ball and summer and camp, the emphasis of this team has been toughness. And so that's what we're going to show up every day and do is be tough. And I think we've done a great job of doing so.”
Meanwhile, there’s been a clear focus on blocking from the Buckeyes’ wide receivers. With all the screens and outside runs Chip Kelly has deployed as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, great receiver blocking can take a 6- or 7-yard gain and make it an explosive play.
Watch on the receiver screen below as Jeremiah Smith seals off Marshall’s nickel and Carnell Tate sprints downfield to ensure the Thundering Herd’s safety can’t chase down Emeka Egbuka en route to a 68-yard touchdown.
A healthy Emeka Egbuka pic.twitter.com/scK4zr9B14
— Full-Time Dame (@DP_NFL) September 23, 2024
It’s been far from the only blocking highlight Ohio State’s wide receivers have posted. Egbuka sealed off Michigan State’s nickel on Smith’s 19-yard touchdown run last Saturday, with Scott also helping to clear a lane for Smith to cruise untouched to the end zone.
“For Emeka to do that, make that block on a linebacker and then come back and pin the nickel the way he did. And then he was more excited about that (than his catches),” Ryan Day said. “He was fired up after that play with Jeremiah scoring. He's 20 feet away, blocking a nickel. Jeremiah is scoring a touchdown and he's over here just celebrating. To me, that’s winning football.”
Jeremiah Smith scores his fifth touchdown in four games for the Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/jFBDK0rSWJ
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 29, 2024
Here’s a runny pancake from Egbuka, too, just for good measure.
No block, no rock.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) October 1, 2024
Emeka Egbuka's blocking was all over the MSU tape. That won't go unnoticed by NFL scouts. pic.twitter.com/3lE2Yfmb7g
Egbuka also de-cleated Michigan State linebacker Cal Haladay quicker, which caught center Seth McLaughlin's attention on film.
“That's awesome,” McLaughlin said. “When you get wide receivers pulling around in the box like that and just laying out a guy that's known to be a tough guy, (Haladay), it's electric to see.”
Having star wideouts willing to put their bodies on the line to move the ball on the ground and in the screen game is a sign of the identity Day’s wanted to establish this year.
“It's the dirty work. It's all that stuff. And it just, that's sign of good team and a team that's playing hard and playing physical,” Day said. “That's the stuff that we would constantly watch with our guys on Sundays, the effort plays. And we're going to need them this Saturday, but that's it. And that's being unselfish. Why are you playing so hard? For your teammates. And we got to keep building on that. That's got to be a huge part of our identity this season. Has to. Has been so far.”
Iowa will provide the stiffest test yet of the Buckeyes’ perimeter blocking and its run-blocking as a whole. The Hawkeyes are No. 4 nationally in rush yards allowed per game (62) and No. 5 in opposing yards per carry (2.4). The two teams face off at 3:30 p.m. on CBS Saturday.
“This will be a good test to see where we are at this point in the season,” Scott said. “These are the games that we kind of come here for, these physical matchups. And so we'll see where we are on Saturday after the game.”
