Oregon and Ohio State were in the same position this position. Both teams were looking for a quarterback to lead an offense full of dangerous weapons, including a group of receivers that is one of the best in the country.
Both teams landed a Big XII quarterback with the Ducks getting former Oklahoma Sooner Dillon Gabriel and the Buckeyes signing former Kansas State signal caller Will Howard.
The two quarterbacks have been very good for their respective teams. Howard has been very efficient for the Buckeyes as he has a 69 completion percentage to go with his eight touchdowns and just two interceptions for the season.
Predictably, Howard’s favorite targets, as they should be, are receivers Emeka Egbuka and true freshman Jeremiah Smith. Egbuka is one of the best receivers out there and should be a first-round NFL draft pick and Smith isn’t disappointing as a former No. 1 recruit.
Egbuka has 21 catches for 362 yards (90.5 ypg) to go with two touchdowns. Smith has shown he’s ready for the big time as he leads Ohio State with five touchdowns with his 19 receptions and 364 yards.
“They can catch the ball and they can turn into a big play right away. It’s not necessarily always their average depth of target is way down the field,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.. “It’s their ability to catch it in space and get vertical. They block really, really well on the perimeter. And those guys have big catch radius. So you see them win on balls that you can you call 50-50 balls. A lot of times they win on contested balls, they do a really good job there.”
What makes Ohio State’s offense so good is that opposing defenses can’t just concentrate on the passing game. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson is a powerful 1-2 punch out of the backfield.
Judkins is averaging 97.5 yards a game and has scored five touchdowns, while Henderson is averaging nearly nine yards a carry and has scored four times.
Lanning says offensive coordinator Chip Kelly doesn’t get enough credit for the Buckeyes’ rushing game.
“I think he’s always done a great job of utilizing his personnel. Moving guys around and allowing them to do things that they do really, really well. He always finds unique ways to run the ball,” he said. “I think that’s one thing that he probably doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to run the ball regardless of the situation. You know, he’s at UCLA last year, the number one rushing team in our conference for many reasons, and it’s because of his ability to run the ball.”
Ohio State has a big offensive line typical of most Big Ten teams. Each of them weigh over 300 pounds, led by senior guard Donovan Jackson. He was a First-Team All-Conference lineman in 2022.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]