COLUMBUS – Urban Meyer admitted he was repeating himself when he said Ohio State needed to improve its passing game after this season is over.
He said the same thing before this season. It’s still true, so he’s still saying it.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett has thrown for 2,428 yards and 24 touchdowns, with only five interceptions.
There have been only four Ohio State quarterbacks throw for more yards than that in a season – Joe Germaine (3,330) in 1998, Bob Hoying (3,269) in 1995, Barrett himself (2,834) in 2014 and Troy Smith (2,542) in 2006.
It has been 42 years since a full-time starting quarterback at Ohio State had as few as five interceptions.
So, despite a few critics, Barrett does not appear a major contributor to whatever problems exist.
He wasn’t near the top of Meyer’s list when he talked about the things that needed to improve in the Buckeyes’ passing game.
“I thought we would be better throwing the ball. Whether it be protection, whether it be separation by wide receivers, it’s not just one thing,” Meyer said. “We will get there.”
Ideally, No. 3 OSU would get there by its College Football Player semifinal match-up against No. 2 Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.
“We have to change that. In the offseason we’re going to become a good throwing team and expand on it. We’re good now, efficiency wise, but we’re going to really start expanding that and work hard at it,” Meyer said.
Interestingly, Ohio State has used the pass more this season than in 2015. This season, it has passed on 40 percent of its offensive plays versus 36 percent a year ago. And it has averaged more passing yards per game this year, 221 versus 188, than a year ago.
But finding consistency from the receivers and the type of passes OSU uses might be where OSU needs to improve.
H-back Curtis Samuel (65 catches, 822 yards, 7 touchdowns) has more than twice as many catches as the next receiver, Noah Brown (30 catches, 385 yards, 7 touchdowns).
No wide receiver other than Brown had more than 17 catches. Brown had six games of two or fewer catches and has only two touchdown catches in his last nine games after catching four of them against Oklahoma in what was viewed then as his breakout game.
OSU’s wide receivers have caught only 39 percent of the passes Barrett has completed this season. Ten years ago in 2006, even in the era of Tressel Ball, with receivers like Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie, wide receivers made 72 percent of the catches.
Young wide receivers like K.J. Hill, Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin have had some good moments but none of them have been consistent. Older players such as James Clark and Johnnie Dixon have added little to the passing game, and the often-injured Dontre Wilson has lost time to injuries again.
When asked about the drop in Brown’s production since the Oklahoma game, Meyer said, “We have to target him a little bit more. He has to separate a little bit better. And we have to protect the quarterback better. It’s not one thing, or we would fix the one thing.”
Offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said Brown’s big game in a 45-24 win over Oklahoma increased the attention defenses are giving him.
“Very seldom does he get straight, no-help, man-to-man coverage. I think Noah is capable of having a big game at any time. It just depends on the defense and how they play and who it is they try to stop,” Warinner said.
Clemson is second in the country with 46 sacks and has two first-team All-ACC defensive backs, so improving the passing game could be a challenge for OSU.
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