PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Ohio State is showing there might not be anything wrong with being a second-half team. Especially when you know that’s who you are.
The Buckeyes know that’s their offensive identity now. They had six first-half offensive drives in their 35-16 win over Rutgers on Saturday. They scored on just one. They had four drives in the second half. They scored on three. They pulled away in the end to improve to 9-0.
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It’s become a common theme throughout this Ohio State football season. In seven games against Power 5 teams, Ohio State has scored 127 second-half points compared to just 70 in the first half.
That alone isn’t a problem when you can rely on a defense that has given up a paltry 31 first-half points to Power 5 opponents. After all, Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings for a reason. The issue becomes when the ratio is so consistently skewed one way and you’re playing a dynamic offense like Michigan, Florida State, Georgia or Washington. Any of those teams could be a College Football Playoff opponent, if Ohio State gets there.
Can the Ohio State offense do enough in the first half to win a higher-scoring game against a Playoff team?
“Execution, that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day,” said receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who had two fourth-quarter touchdowns Saturday. “Whether it’s a play here or there … the offense just needs to execute better.”
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Ohio State takeaways: Buckeyes must figure out offense after sluggish win at Rutgers
The second half of Saturday’s game, when Ohio State totaled 200 yards on 25 plays, should offer glimmers of hope for Buckeyes fans. It can also provide a blueprint for what a better first-half strategy would look like for the offense.
Ohio State isn’t getting completely shut down in first halves. That was true again Saturday, even when it scored just seven points. The Buckeyes went three-and-out just twice in the first half, but the trend of one bad play derailing promising possessions continued.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, it was a first-down sack after right guard Matt Jones and right tackle Josh Fryar miscommunicated and let a blitzer run untouched at Kyle McCord. The next drive, Julian Fleming dropped a pass on second down that put Ohio State behind schedule. On the next drive, it was a drop by Gee Scott Jr., who was wide-open across the middle of the field on third down in Rutgers territory. Finally, McCord threw an interception on the next drive.
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Those are plays that are killing Ohio State.
So what’s behind the first-half mistakes? It might sound too simple to say it’s just execution, but the Buckeyes insist they come out ready to play.
“We come into every game extremely focused,” Scott said.
Whatever it is, the second half was nearly perfect from the Buckeyes, as they averaged 8 yards per play, converted 6 of 7 third downs and scored three touchdowns in four offensive drives — all after a crucial 93-yard pick six by Jordan Hancock to give them the lead after they trailed 9-7 at halftime.
Part of the offensive turnaround was adjustments. Ohio State coach Ryan Day said they realized Rutgers was playing a lot of two-high-safety coverage and forcing Ohio State to just run the ball all the way down the field. So that’s what the Buckeyes did on their first drive of the second half: TreVeyon Henderson had four carries for 38 yards, capped by a 9-yard touchdown.
After that, Henderson took over. He had 208 total yards, including a 65-yard third-down reception that he caught before the first-down marker and turned into a big play.
𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟗: 207 total yards, 1 TD
𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟏𝟎: 208 total yards, 1 TD
TreVeyon Henderson is on an absolute roll. 💥@TreVeyonH4 x @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/VVKkmNMO5Y
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 4, 2023
Henderson is a game-changer. His return from a three-game injury absence has added a dynamic playmaker to the Ohio State offense. In the past two games, he has 415 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
“He’s such an explosive playmaker and he has a chance to take the ball to a touchdown no matter where he’s on the field,” Harrison said.
Make no mistake: Harrison is the best player on this team. But Henderson can be the one to spark the offense, just like he did in the second half Saturday. Riding Henderson early in games can help Ohio State stay on schedule and give it a chance to break big plays with less risk.
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When Rutgers forced the Buckeyes to lean on Henderson, they did just that. And it broke open the game.
“They dropped the safeties real deep,” Day said. “We kind of recognized that at halftime and realized we have to be patient enough to run the ball all the way down the field.”
Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in the initial Playoff rankings largely because of its quality wins against Penn State and Notre Dame. It is undefeated and will say it’s not worried about style points, that it’s focused on the ultimate coaching cliche of going 1-0 every week.
It’s done just that so far, but it’s had to overcome slow starts all season to do it. Is that sustainable against the best opponents to come when the stakes are raised?
“We’re resilient regardless of circumstances,” Scott said. “Our coaches do a good job of keeping poise, telling us to keep going and telling us it’s a new half, it’s a new game.”
There’s nothing wrong with being a good second-half team. In actuality, it was a focus for Ohio State all offseason.
But Ohio State needs to show some life in the first half, too, if it wants to have a chance of achieving its goal of winning a national championship.
(Photo of TreVeyon Henderson: Rich Schultz / Getty Images)
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