Key Takeaways: Ohio State Offense vs. Minnesota

Here are my lasting impressions of the Buckeyes' offense after digesting win over the Golden Gophers.

Author:
Brendan Gulick
Sep 5, 2021 4:27 PM EDT

After Ohio State erupted in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Thursday night, here are my key takeaways from their offensive explosion. And don't forget - if you missed our offensive grades from the weekend, check those out here.

Ryan Day, The Calm Steady Composer

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day didn't (outwardly) waver in his confidence in brand new starting quarterback C.J. Stroud. Who knows what his gut was feeling like at half time when the Buckeyes were down by four points on the road against a worthy opponent.

"That was his first game ever," Day said afterwards. "There's a lot going on there ...it takes some time. You gotta give him a lot of credit."

Now watching him begin his third season, I think the thing that most impresses me about Ryan Day is his ability to stay even-keeled. He doesn't panic if the game plan isn't working well or if guys aren't performing at a high level. He made it clear they were going to "keep swinging" no matter what happened on Thursday.

A fairly conservative play-calling first half to get Stroud back in rhythm of playing a game again, followed by opening up the play book and using the play-action beautifully was exactly what the doctor ordered. Ohio State took some deep shots in that second half and it was fun to see them score four touchdowns on 22 offensive plays.

Stroud's Solid Effort

Speaking of C.J. Stroud, I thought he settled in nicely. His deep ball looks effortless - the ball just explodes out of his hand - although his timing was a bit off on a few first half plays.

That said, his offensive line gave him all the time in the world to make good choices with the ball. Most of the time, he made the right call and executed good throws. He wasn't perfect, but I liked his presence on the field and I thought he commanded the offense pretty well. He looked prepared to me.

I'm very interested to see how he plays next weekend against the Ducks.

Welcome to the Miyan and TreVeyon Show

With all due respect to Master Teague (who seems to have a heart of gold and incredible respect from his teammates), I think this offense needs to feature Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield far more often moving forward.

Each guy showcased break away speed on their long TD's, but I loved the confidence and the toughness they showcased on plays where they never touched the ball. This tandem has a chance to be really special.

Garrett Wilson Is a Full-Fledged Superstar

It's not really secret to Ohio State fans, but Garrett Wilson is really making a name for himself on a national stage. This guy has unbelievable top-end potential. He runs crisp routes, he makes no-gain plays become 3-4 yard positive plays. My favorite play of the game was watching him make a fool of the safety on his long touchdown reception. You can't run a better route than that (nor could C.J. Stroud have thrown a better ball).

As good as Chris Olave is, Garrett Wilson might even have a higher ceiling.

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Game Observations: Ohio State Defense vs. Minnesota

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