Everyone thought losing Brian Hartline would take a hard hit on Ohio State’s offense, since the program didn’t just change coordinators; it kept changing voices. However, Carson Hinzman seemed to make the most of it, as it meant learning three different systems under three different OCs in three seasons. Now, with Arthur Smith in charge, the message is simpler but louder: play with ‘violence’ in the run game.

“Yeah, it’s been cool. I mean, like he brings kind of a mentality to the run game that’s hard to put into words, you know what I mean?” OSU OL Carson Hinzman said to 247Sports. “It’s kind of like a tangible violence that he wants to put into the run game. So it’s pretty fun to be able to play under someone who’s like that. Knowing that they have confidence in the run game, knowing that they have confidence in the guys up front.”

For Hinzman, that word ‘violence’ isn’t about chaos. It’s about finishing blocks, hitting first, and not waiting for defenders to react. After years of adjusting to new play-callers, he finally sounds like someone who knows exactly what is expected

Carson Hinzman’s college journey hasn’t been steady. One year, it was Kevin Wilson, then Brian Hartline, then Ryan Day calling plays in crunch time. Every season meant new terms, new timing, new habits. For an offensive lineman, that constant change can slow instincts.

Now, the team has moved into a new phase with Arthur Smith’s influence on the offense, and Hinzman likes the approach. Arthur Smith designs his run game to be very physical and based on wide-zone running. The main idea is to move defenders first, create space, and then attack that space with speed and power. Instead of running straight into the defense, the offense runs “away from the mass of defenders”.

Once the defense is stretched, the running back looks for a gap and cuts upfield quickly. This helps the runner gain momentum and makes it easier to break tackles because he is already moving at speed. The offensive line also moves together in the same direction. Their job is to push defenders sideways and take them out of position. This creates confusion in the defense because they cannot easily guess where the run will go.

This approach helped the Titans big time and will now change Ohio State’s fate. In 2020, the Titans had nine games where they gained over 400 yards of total offense. This showed how strong and consistent their attack was. In the final 10 games of the 2019 regular season, they also had six games with over 400 yards, which showed the offense was already improving.

Derrick Henry was a major part of this success. Under Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, Henry had four games in which he rushed for over 200 yards. He also had 16 games where he rushed for over 100 yards across the two seasons. Apart from that, Ohio State needs a violent physical run game, especially after rushing 154.36 yards per game last year.

During his time in the NFL, Smith’s system was very effective at creating space before contact. Last season with the Steelers, his run scheme ranked 8th in the league in yards before contact per rush at 1.4. This helped players like Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell find easier running lanes. But that’s not the only area where Arthur Smith’s approach can come in handy for Ohio State.

Arthur Smith is tackling Ohio State’s weak links

Arthur Smith’s approach can help Ryan Day’s team in passing situations, especially in the red zone and on third downs. Last year, against Indiana and Miami, they reached the red zone seven times but scored only 23 points. Overall, they reached the red zone 66 times in 13 games, but scored on only 87.88% of those drives, ranking 44th in FBS. They also scored on only 66.67% of total drives, ranking 36th nationally, which shows inconsistency in execution.

Because of these issues, Ohio State brought in Smith to fix the run game and improve overall offensive efficiency. His system uses strong formations like 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends) and 13 personnel (1 running back, 3 tight ends). These formations add extra blockers and make the run game more powerful and physical.

So, overall, Arthur Smith’s addition is not just developing Ohio State’s offense more solid and aggressive, but also giving hope to players. Now, with this approach, let’s wait and see if Ryan Day’s team can tackle last season’s mess-ups or not.