Coach ,

Ohio State had one of the most potent offenses in 2020 and rode it all the way to the National title game. They are back at it again in 2021 with some big games ahead of them.

After an early-season stumble, the Buckeyes have been dominant and have handled the challenge of each week.

With any offense, it starts with guys up front, and at Ohio State, Coach Greg Studrawa leads those efforts. The Buckeyes have talent across the board and it’s led to them having one of the most explosive offenses in the country.

Currently ranked #2 in in total offense 542.2 yards per game (189.9 rush/352.8 pass), #2 in scoring (44.9 points per game), and #2 in yards per play at 7.92 yards, the Buckeyes attack can hurt a defense both in the air and on the ground.

Coach Studrawa points out that it starts with plays that you believe in and that you can tie together so they fit into a cohesive attack.  For the Buckeyes that is the zone read and the stretch. Coach Studrawa explains his philosophy here:

In order to make their two base plays fit together, the Buckeyes use one set of calls upfront. The angles of the run may change, but the combination calls work exactly the same way so they know who is working with who. They ID a front and make their call in order to get specific on who is working together as well as to which defender. However, Coach Studrawa points out that in order to be uptempo, they also learn to run tracks. He explains it here:

There’s one call for all of the zone run combos. The verticality changes based on which play it is - Tight Zone, Mid Zone, or Stretch. Here is an example of the Cage call and how it works:

Coach Studrawa explains how all of this works together in this example:

The beauty of the Buckeyes run game system is that it allows them to do what most teams choose as either/or... they make line calls and get specific of how it will work out, and they also block tracks adjusting on the move.

It’s a big part of what has become one of the most potent offenses in football year in and year out.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski