Ohio State junior tight end Jeremy Ruckert (88) walks onto the field during the Ohio State-Rutgers game on Nov. 7. Ohio State won 49-27. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Although Justin Fields, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson have gotten a lot of the credit for Ohio State’s fast start on offense this season, the Buckeyes’ tight end unit has played a key role in the offensive success.
Ohio State’s tight ends, headlined by junior Jeremy Ruckert and senior Luke Farrell, have helped the Buckeyes secure the top-ranked offense in the Big Ten with their contributions in both the running and passing games. As their role in the passing offense has grown, Ruckert pointed to their work in other facets of the game as a reason for the receiving boost.
“It’s exciting, but I think that you can see that a lot of those catches are based off of how much we impact the game in the run game,” Ruckert said Wednesday. “A lot of play action stuff, a lot of things open up through us. So that just shows how dedicated our unit is.”
Through three games, the Buckeye passing attack has been one of the most productive in the Big Ten with Fields leading the conference with 11 touchdowns — three of which have been caught by Ruckert, who has accounted for all of the unit’s touchdowns to this point.
Ruckert and Farrell have combined for 12 receptions and 116 yards along with Ruckert’s three scores at this point. Through three games last season, Ruckert, Farrell and former Buckeye Rashod Berry combined for just five receptions, 54 yards and two touchdowns.
Although focused on every responsibility of the tight end position, Farrell said the increased involvement in the passing game is an added bonus.
“That definitely lightens the mood in our room,” Farrell said Wednesday. “Obviously we love everything that we do, but seeing our guys in the end zone and catching balls is great.”
The tight ends’ high production in the passing game to start the season is not due to an increased effort by the coaches to call pass plays for the tight ends, Farrell said.
Rather, Farrell said the production has come in the flow of Ohio State’s offensive attack.
“We kinda just go about our business on offense and based on the week, the look might be there, it might not be,” Farrell said. “We kinda just do what we do and I think we’re very successful with it.”
Head coach Ryan Day said that the goal of the offense is to move the ball down the field.
At times this season, the aim of the offense has best been carried out by a two-tight end formation. Day said having Farrell and Ruckert on the field together provides the offense with experience, but he emphasized that the attack varies week to week.
“We just kinda look at it on a game-to-game basis, what gives us the best chance schematically, and then if that matches up with our personnel, we go with it from there,” Day said Nov. 3. “There’s times in games where it’s working and you just keep going with it. If it isn’t, we kinda pivot to another area.”
Although the Buckeye tight ends have increased their role in the receiving game, Ruckert said his most significant improvements have come as a blocker.
With the strides he’s made as a blocker, Ruckert said he and the unit hone in on a stat called “knockdowns,” in which they block their assignment to the ground.
“The biggest thing we talk about in our room is trying to get as many knockdowns as we can,” Ruckert said. “It’s just something we think about, we talk with a lot of other guys about, just trying to get people on the ground.”
As the season wears on, Day pointed to the unit’s ability to bring it in both the running and passing aspects of the offense as a key to the Buckeyes’ success on that side of the ball.
“It’s their versatility that really helps us,” Day said Tuesday. “The ability to do a good job in the run game but then also make plays in the passing game. So, it’s been a weapon for us and hopefully we can continue to build on that.”
