The Ohio State Buckeyes were dominant on the defensive side of the ball last year. But Ryan Day’s offense faced some issues against elite teams. On paper, the offense accumulated almost 6,000 yards. Yet it faced intense criticism for taking its foot off the gas and failing to physically impose on dominant defenses like Miami and Indiana. That finally changes this year, as Arthur Smith takes the reins as the program’s new offensive play-caller.
“We got some elite receivers. But just the scheme of how you set everything up and the runs that you call,” OSU’s RBs coach, Carlos Locklyn, said about Smith as JBook shared on X. “It fits the talent in the room and the mentality that Art brings here. Know Art for Memphis; Memphis is my second home. That grit, that grind. You can tell he’s a guy from Memphis because, as I said, he has a physical mindset.”
While OSU’s offense was decent in several games, it struggled to run the ball. In both 2025 losses, OSU managed fewer than 26 rushing attempts, leaving the offense reliant on passing…