The Ohio State Buckeyes were without star receiver Marvin Harrison in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri. Starting quarterback Kyle McCord transferred out of the program and went to Syracuse. No one was expecting OSU to score big against the Missouri Tigers on Friday night in Arlington, Texas. No one was thinking Ohio State would score 35 or more points against a solid SEC opponent.
However, no one was also expecting Ohio State to fail to score a single touchdown. No one was expecting OSU to score only three points in 60 minutes.
Ryan Day has done well at Ohio State, cranking out a lot of 11- and 12-win seasons, because he has had elite talent at the skill positions. Justin Fields was a dazzling talent. So was C.J. Stroud. OSU has had an abundance of talent at wide receiver: Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and others have been top-shelf pass-catchers with proven chops.
Scoring only three points in a bowl game? Even with backups in, that should not happen at OSU.
We have to ask: If Will Howard comes to Columbus, will that give Ohio State enough offensive firepower when matched against Miller Moss and USC? The Trojan offense looked awfully good with Moss leading the way. Oregon and Dillon Gabriel should be formidable, too.
Ryan Day and Ohio State face significant questions on offense heading into the offseason. This might be a minor blip, but it could be something more, and if so, that’s big news for USC and the other schools trying to knock the Buckeyes down a peg in the 2024 Big Ten.
Follow Buckeyes Wire for more coverage of Ohio State entering a very uncertain offseason.
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.