A Tale Of Ten Receptions, From 2016 To 2017

I was going to raise these points on The Silver Bullets podcast this week, but my man Shannon Sommers was feeling under the weather, so we were not able to record this week.  Next week, the focus will be exclusively upon the big game versus Penn State, as well it should.

If you have not yet read Tony Gerdeman's excellent piece on the 2017 Ohio State offense at www.theozone.net, please do so.  Here's a little teaser ~ "A whopping 10 Buckeyes have caught passes of at least 30 yards this season, which is more than any other season in school history."

I wanted to approach the Ohio State offense from a different perspective.  Below is a screenshot, courtesy of the official Ohio State website, that shows the 2016 receptions...

Below is another screenshot of where Ohio State currently sits, after only seven games in 2017...

While the number of players is the same (eight) in both pictures, a few subtle differences exist...

• The 2017 receivers in that screenshot have all caught at least one touchdown.  There were a few players (Mike Weber, Parris Campbell) in the first screenshot who did not catch a touchdown in 2016.

• The 2016 and 2017 screenshots reflect all of the players who have caught at least ten passes.  The 2016 screenshot reflects the total number of players who reached that milestone, while the 2017 screenshot is where Ohio State's receivers sit after only seven games.  

Among the players who could possibly exceed the ten reception mark by season's end are RB J.K. Dobbins ( seven receptions with no touchdowns receiving), TE Rashod Berry (currently has six receptions and two touchdowns), and possibly backup running back Antonio Williams (currently four receptions with no touchdowns receiving).  That doesn't even include the aforementioned Mike Weber, who is slowly being worked back into the offense, DeMario McCall, who has only two receptions but has one touchdown receiving this season, or backup tight ends such as Luke Farrell or Jake Hausmann, whom the coaching staff are looking to get more involved into the offensive game plans.

Ten receptions may not seem like a great deal, but look beyond those ten receptions for the deeper story.  With five games left in the regular season, Ohio State will look to add more players to that already impressive list.