The Ohio State football team had one of its most exciting victories in recent memory on Saturday as a Chip Trayanum touchdown with one second left lifted the Buckeyes to a 17-14 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The offense executed a thrilling 65-yard drive with 1:26 left on the clock that included three third down conversions and a fourth down conversion with clutch throws from Kyle McCord.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsThe other touchdown was a breakaway 61-yard run by TreVeyon Henderson displaying his elite explosiveness and speed that is back and as exciting to watch as ever now that he is fully healthy this season.
Putting up just 17 points isn’t what the Buckeyes offense is accustomed to but that point total is somewhat misleading considering this was a slug it out type of game.
Ohio State had just eight drives in the game and were able to move the ball pretty well as they nearly 46 yards per drive. So, while this wasn’t a necessarily a flawless offensive performance it was better than the score indicated, and they were able to execute in the most important moments on the final drive against a very good Notre Dame defense.
With that in mind, will we break down each offensive position group’s performance using Pro Football Focus grades for each player. While PFF grades aren’t the end all be all, it is a great tool to break down individual players’ performance.
Quarterbacks
Starter: Kyle McCord
PFF Grade | 69.0 (69 snaps)
Stats | 21-of-39 (53.8%). 240 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
What It Means
Kyle McCord showed that he’s ready to step up and make big plays in big moments in this game as he led the game-winning drive in just his fifth career start. He delivered multiple massive throws including a 21-yard strike to Emeka Egbuka on 3rd down and 19 to put the Buckeyes on the goal line.
McCord also did well to avoid sacks in this game. Although he was pressured on 20 of his 42 drop backs, he wasn’t sacked once.
Running Backs
Starter: TreVeyon Henderson
PFF Grade | 55.5 (50 snaps)
Stats | 14 attempts for 105 Yards (7.5 avg.), 1 TD, 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Other: Chip Trayanum
PFF Grade | 58.9 (15 snaps)
Stats | 6 attempts for 13 Yards (2.2 avg.), 1 TD, 1 reception, 12 yards
Other: Miyan Williams
PFF Grade | 55.4 (2 snaps)
Stats | 1 attempt for 0 Yards (0.0 avg.), 0 TD
What It Means
Treveyon Henderson showed why he is one of college football’s best running backs with on his 61-yard touchdown run. The burst to get into the open field and the speed to pull away from defensive backs is something not many other players in college football would be capable of.
Wide Receivers
Starter: Marvin Harrison Jr.
PFF Grade | 56.8 (66 snaps)
Stats | 7 targets, 3 receptions, 32 Yards, 0 TD
Starter: Emeka Egbuka
PFF Grade | 78.8 (64 snaps)
Stats | 11 targets, 7 receptions, 96 Yards, 0 TD
Starter: Julian Fleming
PFF Grade | 55.9 (57 snaps)
Stats | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 8 Yards, 0 TD
Other: Xavier Johnson
PFF Grade | 68.5 (6 snaps)
Stats | 1 target, 1 reception, 40 Yards, 0 TD
What It Means
Emeka Egbuka showed the college football world once again that Marvin Harrison Jr. isn’t the only superstar in the wide receiver room. Egbuka’s two third down catches on the game-winning drive were two of the biggest plays of the entire game.
Tight Ends
Starter: Cade Stover
PFF Grade | 70.3 (67 snaps)
Stats | 10 targets, 7 receptions, 52 Yards, 0 TD
Starter: Gee Scott Jr.
PFF Grade | 53.8 (13 snaps)
Stats | 0 targets
Starter: Joe Royer
PFF Grade | 59.9 (1 snap)
Stats | 0 targets
What It Means
This was another strong performance from Cade Stover who continues to be a key piece of the Buckeyes’ passing attack.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle: Josh Simmons
PFF Grade | 41.0 (69 snaps)
Stats | 44.4 run block grade, 59.9 pass block grade, 0 Sacks Allowed, 1 pressure allowed on 46 pass block snaps
Left Guard: Donovan Jackson
PFF Grade | 55.2 (69 snaps)
Stats | 60.4 run block grade, 29.2 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 3 pressures allowed on 46 pass block snaps
Center: Carson Hinzman
PFF Grade | 41.2 (69 snaps)
Stats | 60.0 run block grade, 7.9 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 9 pressures allowed on 46 pass block snaps
Right Guard: Matthew Jones
PFF Grade | 58.1 (69 snaps)
Stats | 57.1 run block grade, 54.9 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 1 pressure allowed on 46 pass block snaps
Right Tackle: Josh Fryar
PFF Grade | 58.4 (69 snaps)
Stats | 63.8 run block grade, 69.3 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 2 pressures allowed on 46 pass block snaps
Other: Luke Montgomery
PFF Grade | 69.5 (3 snaps)
Stats | 69.5 run block grade
What It Means
The Ohio State offensive line had question marks coming into the season having to replace three starters. The unit beat up on some weaker opponents, but against Notre Dame faced a tough test and struggled. In particular, Carson Hinzman struggled to protect for McCord as he conceded nine pressures.
Moving forward this season the offensive line’s growth will be very important for this offense. The Buckeyes were still able still come away with a victory despite struggling to protect McCord, but the big uglies must play better in future big games.
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