Grading the Buckeyes Offensive Performance vs. Maryland

Ohio State's clinical execution when they had the ball earned our highest grades of the year so far.

Author:
Tommy Zagorski
Oct 10, 2021 10:33 AM EDT

The Ohio State Buckeyes came away with a resounding win on Saturday against the Maryland Terrapins. The Buckeyes were able to hold the terrapins to 17 points on the day and had a video game-like 598 yards of offense! Ryan Day has the Buckeyes clicking on all cylinders going into the bye week.

As far as how to interpret the following grades:

Grading Key

A: National Championship-level play ... dominates the opponent and executes at the highest level.
B: Big Ten Championship-level play ... consistently beats opponents, but leaves a few areas to grow.
C: Bowl Eligble-level play ... does enough to win in a close game to just get bye. Needs to improve quickly.
D: Home for the Holidays-level play ... Exposed multiple times and a major liability to the greater whole.
F: Losing-level play ... unit was dominated in many facets of the game and is a major detriment to success. Major changes needed immediately.

If you missed our defensive grades, click here. Let’s take a look at how the offense graded out.

Quarterback: A

Statistically speaking C.J. Stroud is having the best season of any quarterback in recent history at Ohio State - and that's saying something, considering the guys that have played here the last 20 years! Stroud is the first quarterback in the history of Ohio State football to throw for over 400 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. He is playing like a seasoned veteran.

Stroud does reap the benefits of possibly the best wide receiver corps that Ohio State has ever had. However, he continues to make plays and is leading this team to shattering most of the modern era offensive records. Great job by the coaching staff sticking with him. He has done a phenomenal job, and looks healthy and confident.

Running Back: A-

TreVeyon Henderson has once again marveled Ohio State fans. We joked on the podcast that he had a pedestrian 6.4 yards per carry against Maryland. Henderson is elite, he runs behind an elite offensive line, and he plays in an elite offense. His catches out of the backfield today were a direct result of Ryan Day attacking the man coverage schemes of Maryland. When you run mesh so many times, the wheel to the running back becomes a natural check down that quarterbacks love! It is a low risk throw with a home run possibility.

Master Teague also saw the field today, and ran extremely well. His touchdown run in the first half was powerful. The room continues to dominate week in and week out.

Offensive Line: A

Greg Studrawa is commonly referred to as “Stud.” His group of Offensive Lineman are playing up to his moniker. The group is big, physical, and athletic. I have not had the pleasure of watching every offensive line in college football this season, but I’d be hard-pressed to say this group is not one of the best. This rare breed of people playing upfront has quietly allowed Ohio State to have historic numbers. If this unit continues to stay healthy, the offense will continue to have ridiculous numbers. Maryland came into today’s game as one of the more productive defensive lines in the Big Ten. They were abused for 4 quarters. There are definitely more formidable fronts coming to Columbus in the near future, but I think this offensive line will be ready. This group can bully people around and pass protect.

Tight End: B+

The unit blocked incredibly well again today. Every week I discuss how incredibly well this group is coached. Kevin Wilson is not only great for these guys, but the entire offense. Jeremy Ruckert and Cade Stover are playing at an elite level. The biggest play of the day for this unit, was actually an incompletion.

Jeremy Ruckert’s play on the sideline where he kept his feet in bounds and continued to follow through on the football, even though it was not going to be a catch; is a testament to the technique and competitiveness these players are playing with! This team is growing every week and can be scary when they peak.

Wide Receiver: A+

This group continues to shine every single weekend for the Buckeyes. They are not good, they are great! Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are elite. The three combined for 307 yards receiving, four touchdowns on only 17 catches! However, the person to focus on this week is Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka is going to be special. He accounted for more yards than any other Buckeye today and looks to be a dominant force going forward, he is quietly putting himself in contention for a 10 personnel package that gets him more well-deserved touches. He is the closest thing to a home run hit the Buckeyes have had in the return game since possibly the Ted Ginn Jr. era. He is going to score soon and be a weapon going forward. There are a lot of mouths to feed and Ryan Day is doing a good job of trying to satisfy.

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