Ohio State head coach Ryan Day building his offense on efficiency and maximizes the plays on the field.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has experienced several different transformations in his team and his offense during his time as head coach. There have been no adjustments more important than the change that he made before the Buckeyes' run to the National Championship in 2024.
When the college football schedule changed from a four-team playoff to a 12-team playoff, the National Champion was going to be required to play 15 or 16 games. When you play that many games, the wear and tear adds up quickly.
In 2022, the Buckeyes averaged 67 plays per game, the 2023 team ran 63.9 plays; 2024 was 61.8, and then last year's team bumped up to 63 plays per game.
Last year's 63 plays per game ranked Ohio State 115th in the country out of 137 schools in the country. They ran, on average, 16 fewer plays per game than Florida Atlantic who averaged 79.8 plays per contest.
Some quick math shows that the Buckeyes ran 256 fewer plays than the Owls. That's 256 fewer times being tackled, 256 fewer routes run, 256 fewer blocks made, and so on.
It is critical as the season rolls on to maintain the health of the players as they try to win a National Championship.
This strategy is playing with fire a little bit, as it significantly increases the emphasis on efficiency. By running fewer plays, the level of execution has to rise significantly.
The positive for the Buckeyes is that they have done that over the past couple of years. Last year, while running 63 plays per game, they still averaged 33.4 points per game. They were averaging more than half a point per play all season long.
Their 33.4 points per game ranked 21st in the country, all while being 115th in average plays run.
That is kudos to the coaching and kudos to the execution that the players showed on the field.
The 2026 season will be a bit of a challenge for the Buckeyes as they go through the offensive coordinator transition from Brian Hartline to Arthur Smith. Now, the positive is that this strategy was an adjustment for Hartline, but for Smith, coming from the NFL game, it's all that he knows.
To be successful with this strategy, you need the right players to do it. Of course, the Buckeyes always have the best players at their disposal, but they have committed to efficiency, and they are still nearly impossible to beat.
