Grading the Game: Ohio State

Passing Offense – 6/10

Quarterback – 6/10

Offensive Line – 7/10

Pass Catchers – 6/10

Demond Williams showcased his typical accuracy and ability to avoid turnovers, finish 18/23 passing. However, he finished with just 173 yards (zero touchdowns) and a 5.8 yard average depth of target, not being aggressive with his downfield throws, presumably to avoid interceptions. He also showcased his propensity to hold onto the football too long and take sacks, ending with six. Ohio State spied his scrambles and was always able close the running lane before he could take off. PFF assigns just one of those six sacks to the offensive line, who generally played well in pass protection against a tough opponent, despite a couple of false starts.

Denzel Boston received a lot of attention from Ohio State’s defense, with just three catches for 26 yards. On the other hand, Dezmen Roebuck continues to emerge as a legitimate downfield weapon, showcasing natural pass catching ability. He had grabs of 16, 18, and 20 yards.

Rushing Offense – 5/10

Running backs – 6/10

Offensive line – 5/10

Against a stout Ohio State defense, Washington was not able to do much on the ground. Jonah Coleman had just 13 carries for 70 yards but was unable to find any running room deep in the red zone when it mattered most. Nearly half of his yards came on one explosive 34 yard play, and otherwise Ohio State kept him mostly bottled up. A lack of run game was a big reason the Huskies averaged more than 8 yards per third down, and ultimately converted just 1-of-11.

Pass Defense – 6/10

Pass Rush – 5/10

Secondary – 7/10

Washington – down its best player in the secondary in CB Tacario Davis – did not allow a pass play longer than 19 yards and limited Jeremiah Smith to 81 yards total. The strategy was to keep everything in front of them and force Ohio State to dink and dunk their way down the field, which they mostly did. However, that plan only works if there’s an adequate pass rush or the quarterback makes mistakes. Neither proved to be true on Saturday. The pass rush was lacking and Julian Sayin just kept making the right decisions finding open receivers downfield. Every time UW got any pressure, he knew where to go with the ball.

Rush Defense – 6.5/10

Washington did enough in limiting Ohio State run game to win the game. They didn’t gash the Huskies, who even got a big fourth down run stuff in the red zone on Ohio State’s first drive. But, just one tackle for loss isn’t good enough against a workmanlike effort from the Buckeyes, who took 34 rushes for 149 yards (4.4 yards per carry).

Special Teams – 4/10

Special teams was mostly solid, but the poorly called and executed fake field goal will always be a black mark on this game. There was a shanked punt early that gifted Ohio State great field position.

Coaching – 5/10

On the one hand, this was a 14-6 ballgame in the fourth quarter, and a game that I think showcased how improved this UW team is from last year; last year’s team would have been non-competitive in this match up. On the other hand, Ohio State never felt threatened or uncomfortable at any point. They just stuck to their plan and eventually pulled away. Defensively, Washington probably did enough to potentially win the game, even if you’d like to see more havoc plays – tipped passes, tackles for loss, sacks, etc.

Offensively, Demond Williams needed to either take off and scramble much earlier, or take some more risks throwing downfield in hopes of generating an explosive play or touchdown. He did neither, and the Huskies couldn’t score a touchdown. This is something Jedd Fisch has to do a better job of coaching in him.