Greg McElroy Reveals How To 'Neutralize' Ohio State Passing Game
The Ohio State Buckeyes answered one offensive question they had coming into this year, but what about the second?
Head coach Ryan Day announced Kyle McCord will be the Buckeyes full-time starting quarterback Tuesday, but the offense won't function at all if the offensive line can't protect for him. Ohio State's biggest test of the season will be Week 4 in South Bend, Indiana, against Notre Dame, and Greg McElroy revealed that he's not confident in the Fighting Irish having a "war daddy off the edge."
"The best way to neutralize Ohio State’s passing attack is by creating a pass rush,” McElroy said on "Always College Football" Wednesday. “And at this point, I have my question marks as to whether or not a pass rush can be legitimately created from Notre Dame.”
Ohio State's offensive line registered the ninth-best pass-blocking grade among Football Bowl Subdivision teams, according to Pro Football Focus, but opponents have to be taken into account. The Buckeyes played Indiana and Youngstown State, and they had their deficiencies on the offensive line at times in both games.
After the Indiana game, only right tackle Josh Fryar graded out a Champion — above an 80-percent success rate.
"When I watch Ohio State, I do feel like the offensive line is the tiniest bit of a liability, and we've seen that already this year," McElroy said. "You look at the edges of the offensive line, I think they are relatively gettable."
Western Kentucky defensive back Kendrick Simpkins already has 2.5 sacks this season, so the Buckeyes' communication and adjustments to pressure from the Hilltoppers' secondary will be tested.
In a week that Ohio State is expected to throw the ball more to keep pace with Western Kentucky's air-raid attack, the Buckeyes' offensive line should have a better benchmark about where they're at heading into Notre Dame, despite the Fighting Irish not having an "Isaiah Foskey or a Chase Young" type of edge rusher, McElroy said,
