Ohio State is staring down some seriously unfamiliar territory, a stretch of play not seen in Columbus since the absolute chaos of “Tattoogate.” After dropping their second regular-season game of the season, a tough loss to USC last week, Ryan Day’s crew has now lost four of their last 10 games. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans deserve serious credit, their backs were against the wall and they seized every opportunity.
The Tattoogate Echoes in Columbus
Think about that 6-4 record over a 10-game stretch, that’s wild for the Buckeyes. The last time Ohio State looked like this was way back in 2011. That was the year the program was deep in the fallout from Jim Tressel’s resignation. Luke Fickell, as interim head coach, led them to a 6-7 finish before Urban Meyer rolled in and basically rebuilt the program, delivering a national championship and an undefeated record against “that team up North.” This current situation feels heavy, and it’s clear the Buckeyes have some serious work to do.
Red Zone Woes and Fahey’s Frustrations
Here’s the kicker, though: Ohio State’s problems go deeper than just true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey, even if he’s the one under the microscope. If you just peeked at the box score from that USC loss, you’d scratch your head. How did the Buckeyes dominate almost every statistical category but still lose by two scores? It comes down to one critical area that seriously gets overlooked: red-zone touchdown percentage. Settling for a field goal instead of punching it in the end zone makes all the difference, especially over a whole game. Those missed chances kill you.
Against USC, Ohio State hit the red zone four times but only came away with one touchdown and a measly 12 total points. Yeah, you heard that right, 12 points from four red zone trips. But wait, it actually gets worse. Out of 11 offensive drives in the game, eight of them reached USC territory, what we call the “fringe.” That includes drives that got to the USC 21-yard line (field goal), the 31 (fumble, yikes), the 22 (another field goal), and even the 36 (ending in a punt after a negative run and a five-yard penalty). That part of the field, where you’re not quite in the red zone but definitely in field goal range, is where offensive coordinators usually take deep shots at the end zone.
This is where defenses get tricky. Most defensive coordinators change up their approach in the red zone. They can play more two-high, middle-of-the-field-open (MOFO) coverages like Cover 2, Cover 4, or variations of quarter-quarter-half. This lets defenders play more aggressively against the run without worrying as much about getting beat over the top. It also makes it super tough to isolate a star receiver like Jeremiah Smith. Defenses can throw two defenders at him and still keep enough guys in the box to stop the run. This is exactly where Ohio State’s offense got jammed up. From USC’s 40-yard line and in, Fahey completed just 7 of 20 passes. Ouch.
This season is absolutely not over for Ohio State. But if these Buckeyes have any hope of getting back into the College Football Playoff conversation, they seriously need to adapt their offense to give true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey the support he needs. It’s time to figure out how to finish those drives.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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