Ohio State’s Offensive Line Silenced The Critics In Epic Late-Game Fashion

Make no mistake: after a yawner of a performance against a Nebraska team that Ohio State thought it was going to annihilate, dissenting opinions of the Buckeyes were starting to get considerably louder.

But Saturday’s win in Happy Valley quickly hushed the doubters and reignited Ohio State’s national championship aspirations.

Remarkably, the win marked Ohio State’s first true road victory against a top-5 team since the team beat Texas 24-7 back in 2006.

The Buckeyes were 1-for-10 on third downs against Nebraska last weekend and quite frankly, they couldn’t run the football. An offensive line that entered the game without starting left tackle Josh Simmons turned to Zen Michalski to fill in, and before he left the game with an injury, Michalski’s performance was simply not good enough. It appeared the Buckeyes had a gaping hole up front.

So Ohio State had to listen to a whole lot of outside noise this week about how its offensive line ineptitude would keep it from winning a national title.

It was a fair observation from the outside. The Buckeyes clearly have an issue with depth at left tackle – Josh Simmons was probably the most important player on the entire talent-rich roster to keep healthy. Nobody else had proven they could handle protecting Will Howard’s blind side.

That’s what made Ohio State’s 20-13 win over Penn State on Saturday that much sweeter.

The defense was magnificent and kept the Nittany Lions out of the end zone the entire game. But the final offensive drive of the game was emblematic of what Ryan Day is his staff have been talking about for weeks. They needed to be significantly tougher in the trenches. The Buckeyes have done a lot of talking, but needed a performance to back it up.

After the defense stuffed Penn State four times inside the 3-yard line, Ohio State took over on its own 1-yard line with 5:13 to play. The Nittany Lions had all three of their time outs and they were ready to pack the line of scrimmage and try to put that Scarlet and Gray offensive line to the test.

Penn State never got the ball back.

Over the next 10 plays, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson and Will Howard got all the glory as they marched down the field and milked the clock to extinguish Penn State. But it was the guts of Donovan Jackson, Carson Hinzman, Seth McLaughlin, Tegra Tshabola and Josh Fryar that have Buckeye fans around the country sticking their chests out a little more prominently.

10 runs for 59 yards, plus a kneel down to end the game, without a single play moving the offensive line backwards. On a day where Ryan Day said they needed to play disciplined, but violent football, the Buckeyes ran the ball right down Penn State and James Franklin’s throat. The offensive line never committed a penalty over 64 snaps.

It wasn’t a perfect day. Abdul Carter, who sure seems like a top-10 pick next spring, beat Jackson twice for a sack. Jackson is an All-American left guard who said he is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team, including stepping into a position he has never played. Thanks to a good scheme from offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, Jackson regularly had help from a tight end on his side of the line and he performed admirably.

But when the Buckeyes needed to show they were capable of running the ball effectively, they did it in resounding and emphatic fashion.

For most Ohio State fans, there are three games on the schedule this year that have their undivided attention. Given that Indiana is undefeated and playing terrific football, you should add a fourth to that mix. But after losing the first one in Eugene in gut-wrenching fashion, and given all the negativity around Ryan Day from media and fans saying he can’t win a big game (Day was 2-7 prior to Saturday against top-10 teams), the Buckeyes couldn’t afford to lose Saturday.

Mission accomplished.