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Sep. 18—COLUMBUS — This week in Ohio State football we are talking about options on offense.
In short, the Buckeyes seem to have quite a few ways to line up when they have the ball.
Three receivers? Two receivers? One?
What about none?
Yes, that last personnel grouping — one running back, four tight ends, also known as “14″ — appeared in the win over Western Michigan two weeks ago.
While it is sure to be rare, going that heavy at all displays the commitment to trying new things brought by new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and provides the biggest piece of evidence a new day has dawned for the Ohio State offense.
A spread team since 2012 and a pass-happy offense in more recent seasons under head coach Ryan Day, the Buckeyes appear to be more committed to balance and variety with Kelly in Columbus.
The ability to put four tight ends on the field at the same time also represents a potential answer to one of the bigger questions of the offseason.
Just a month ago, Ohio State coaches were fielding questions about whether or not they would have one or two game-ready players at the position.
In the first two games, they displayed confidence in the top two — senior Gee Scott Jr. and Ohio transfer Will Kaczmarek — while getting reps for youngsters Bennett Christian and Jelani Thurman as well.
“I think it’s a credit to those guys in that all playing time here is earned,” Kelly said. “So you when you say, ‘Hey, we’re going to run three-tight end formations,’ it’s not, ‘Well, whatever three tight ends are there.’ That conversation comes up in staff meetings because we really believe in those guys and see what they can do.
“So the four of those guys have really earned it, and I think we’ll continue to work through some of those packages and see what’s the best fit for those guys.”
Deciding what to do week to week is not as…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/week-ohio-state-football-buckeyes-010700490.html
Author : Dayton Daily News, Ohio
Publish date : 2024-09-19 01:07:00
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