21st in scoring offense, 26th in total offense, 73rd in rushing offense, and 23rd in passing offense. If you were to evaluate this offense based purely on numbers, you wouldn’t say it was bad at all, except for that glaring rushing number. But you wouldn’t call it elite either. And especially for the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were fighting for another championship, this offense simply wasn’t it. Apparently, a key piece of that offense, star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, agrees wholeheartedly with this assessment.​

In a recent video with I AM ATHLETE, Jeremiah Smith shared his thoughts when asked about his favorite offensive performance this season. When questioned about the best game offensively, Smith gave a brutally honest answer: “Best game offensively? I don’t know. I don’t think we had a good game yet.” And when he was asked about his definition of a good offensive game, he did not disappoint, saying, “Scoring every drive. Scoring in the red zone. That’s what it is.” 

He also did not shy away from taking the responsibility, saying, “Going into my junior year, I’m going to just be on go like every game. I feel like this year they took something from me, and everybody got paid for it. So, that’s why I feel like my junior be like I’m out for everybody.”

The Buckeyes’ offensive issues ran deeper than the stat sheet suggested. Ohio State played at the country’s slowest pace in 2025. They averaged just 64 plays per game with 31.1 seconds per play. Yes, they saved snaps and managed the season-long grind. But they weren’t efficient enough when it mattered. The flash and sizzle of Jeremiah Smith’s acrobatics and Julian Sayin’s precision fooled everyone into thinking this was an elite unit. But it only worked until they faced some top-tier teams. Smith finished with 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Sayin posted solid numbers with 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns. 

The most damning evidence came against the three best teams Ohio State faced. The offense disappeared when it mattered most. They managed just 14 points against No. 1 Texas in the season opener, 10 points against No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten Championship, and 14 points against No. 10 Miami in the Cotton Bowl. The offensive line got exposed badly in those matchups. Against Indiana, Ohio State’s offensive line allowed five sacks, and the Buckeyes managed only 58 rushing yards. 

Making matters worse, offensive coordinator and play-caller Brian Hartline left for the South Florida head coaching job on December 3, 2025. His departure meant Ryan Day took over play-calling duties, something he hadn’t done since 2023. Play calling requires a feel for the game that takes practice or at least frequency, and it showed against Miami. 

With Smith and Sayin both returning for 2026, the Buckeyes need to go back to basics. They need to make running the football a prominent part of their identity again, setting the tone at the line of scrimmage. Dominate the line of scrimmage, run the ball, and mix it with a vertical passing attack, and get physical: that’s the trademark of Ohio State football.

Day takes the blame, but questions linger

Ryan Day didn’t shy away from accountability after the Cotton Bowl disaster. He told reporters he needed to “look at it all and figure out what that was and what that is, because it’s not good enough.” The head coach took full responsibility for the slow start, admitting, “I take responsibility for not getting the guys ready. We spent an inordinate amount of time putting the plan together to get everybody ready to go play in that first half, and we didn’t win the first half.”

It was a familiar refrain from Day. But jumping back into the role after a hiatus was always going to be a risk, especially against a physical Miami defense. Day had handed those responsibilities to Chip Kelly and then Brian Hartline for good reason. And jumping back into that role with championship stakes on the line exposed the offense’s limitations when things got tight.​

Despite the offensive struggles, Day still found reasons for optimism, particularly with quarterback Julian Sayin. “For Julian, this is somebody who hasn’t played a lot of football, and he competes,” Day stated. He added that “this guy right here has a very, very bright future ahead of him…now he’s gotta learn from this.” Smith’s warning about coming back “out for everybody” in 2026 suggests even the star players know this offense needs a complete overhaul. And Day’s post-game soul-searching is just the beginning of that uncomfortable process.

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