In Depth Study: The Ryan Day Offense

Ryan Day has certain philosophies that don’t change, but how he get there sometimes does. His base offenses works out of 11 personnel and 12 personnel with sprinkling in four wideouts on 3rd and long. One thing he does is he puts guys in position to be successful. He does it with a physical offensive line, sound running game and excellent detail in his attack. He is also great at game planning and making those changes week in and week out in preparation, which makes his offense so tough to defend. You will also see some of Chip Kelly's offensive concepts within Ryan Day. These include tempo and some zone read components Chip used to run when they were together.

They also adapted in 2021, as you are seeing more tite fronts from a 3-4 look. So what does Day do, he incorporates counter and they ran a ton of it 2021. New scheme, similar result, but still runs his base zone plays.

The one thing you notice about his offense is he has consistency week to week in what he does. He has his staples and doesn't really change too much in what he does. He will make some subtle changes but his base runs in the offense from week to week really don't change. They just tag a few concepts and can change in the blink of an eye.

One thing Ohio State can do is score. They have averaged over 40 points per game the past 3 years and have had great success doing it. They have been a top offense for the past 3 years and have given teams fits.

2019 46.9ppg #2 in the country 530 yards per game #2 in total yards

2020 41 ppg #10 in the country 519 yards per game #7 in total yards

2021 45.7 ppg #1 in the country 561 yards per game #1 in total yards

Run to Pass Ratio:

Ryan Day likes a balanced attack. In 2021 they were 46% rushing and 54% passing which is fairly balanced.

Play Calling:

Ryan Day is a systematic play caller. He also will come back to a play that had success and run it later in the same series or later in the game. He also seems to have his basic schemes each week, and will tweak things each week depending on his opponent.

Things you see each week:

1. Tempo- Better throw those wristbands in th garbage! They play too fast. Get your calls in!

2. Run game of wide zone, mid zone and Tight zone. He will have a few variations and simple runs off each base play from week to week.

3. Jet sweep components with play action and runs off it

4. Some empty and routes called based on the coverage

5. A plan for formation to the boundary. How will the defense adjust?

5. Play action, boot and some RPO'S off their run game. Make no mistake, their play action is predicated off their effective run game.

6. Some type of unbalanced package out of 11 or 12 with some type of shift to it or away from it at times. But, he will have an unbalanced package week to week.

7. HB screen game

8. A highly effective passing game. Route concepts prepared for various coverages. They do a nice job calling plays based on coverages with zone and man beaters built in.

9. Counter game, especially vs some Tite and 3-4 shade teams

Personnel Groupings:

11- 1 tight end and 1 rb are common with Ryan Day

12- The other base personnel grouping you see quite a bit of is 12. He likes to go 12 personel and will use it more if he has tight ends he likes in the run game. These are his 2 primary personnel groupings

Will sprinkle in some 10 and other formation families but the top 2 are his bread and butter.

Base Runs:

The one thing you notice about the majority of their runs is they can tag it and do different things with both the qb in the read game and what they do with the TE at the Line Of Scrimmage. These variations give them a ton of options and gives defenses difficulty preparing for them. They can have 4/5 variations of each play.

Here are their base run plays(analysis to follow):

Outside/Wide Zone: Wide zone is the bread and butter. It's a great play to get defenses moving horizontally to create cut back lanes. Some runs will have read components, both front side and backside where the qb can keep it. They can run it with a slice component. The slice component sets up their boot game. They made a killing with this play with Dobbins in 19-20 and always seems to be the #1 play in their offense. Often times it will be the defensive tackle, but can also be the end or C gap defender.

Tight Zone: He runs tight zone at the center. He does this and can use the TE in a variety of ways. I've seen him use the TE play side, slice blocking and in a variety of ways. He can run it as a read or lock the TE. All have merit.

Inside/Mid Zone: This they run to the inside leg of the guard and have had great success with it. They love to run it with the slice component both out of base and unbalanced sets and can run their play action boot game off it.

Speed Sweep: You will see speed sweep in his offense and run plays off it. They do an excellent job running speed sweep, speed sweep out of unbalanced and then have some plays off it. They do a nice job packaging their speed sweep series.

Counter: In 2021, you started seeing more counter from the Buckeyes. They had more athleticism at guard so they adapted and started pulling more this year.

They always have a few wrinkles and tags with each play that they go into each game with off their 4 major principles. This gives them great flexibility to be simple but give the appearance of being multiple.

CLOSER LOOK AT THE SCHEMES

Wide Zone is the bread and butter. Let's start there.

Variation #1 Run to the H Back

Variation #2 3x1 split

Vs Northwestern they run it out of 3x1 because Northwestern takes their mike out of the box and plays a 4-1 box vs Ohio State. Northwester tries to go cover 3 weak and is know to play a ton of cover 3 while removing their mike out of the box vs true 3x1.

Wide Zone with a read component:

As discussed they can run wide zone in an array of ways.

In 2019, they played Wisconsin. They decided this game to put a qb read run component in off their wide zone. They ran it a few times.

Nice game plan adjustment here vs the Tite front.

A few plays later, they run it again, This time the De in the odd(under front) takes the QB so he gives the football.

Vs Clemson in 2020
They motion the TE Ruckert out.
They have a screen component presnap if the LB doesn't widen.
He widens so they run the zone read.
DE Takes the RB, the motion creates a huge running lane and Fields Keeps it for a nice 12 yard gain.

Mid Zone

Mid zone they can run some different ways. Out of the pistol, under center and to the tight end to name a few. Plenty of variations each game. Here they run it vs Michigan State. Looks a lot like Duo because they hang on the double a little longer.

Here's mid zone vs Michigan State

Mid Zone vs Clemson

2020

They go 11 to the boundary which gives them good angles for the play side guard to get to the safety. The center overtakes the DT and the backside G/T combo to the mike.

Tight Zone:

Counter:

In 2021, you started seeing more counter from Ryan Day. Here they get a 3-4 shade look and run counter away from the shade. Oklahoma is trying to get the ball to bounce, so the guard logs the DE/OLB and the TE released up to the next level.

Nice TD 40 yard run vs Rutgers

Here you can see the under shade look, they run with motion and the safety is the run support defender.

You can see the safety coming down to support it as they run with the jet motion with the Sam LB. He gets blocked by the TE. They spill it to him but the inside LB doesn't get over the top.

Spill it but NO LB getting over the top. Too much space for the safety

Result:40 yard TD

Another counter vs Rutgers. This time they motion the H back back into the box.

Another nice design against the shade with the 4i. They don't even block the 4i and get the Guard and TE up to the next level.

Unbalanced Package
There is an unbalanced package week to week. They came out in it vs Penn State in 2020. They went unbalanced Jet and then Unbalanced Tight Zone. Below they run jet for a 60 yard gain.

They go formation to the boundary and then shift to 3x1 unbalanced to the field.

Nice design. Later in the game they go play action off of it.

On the very next play they go unbalanced again, fake the jet and run tight zone. Nice design for a 10 yard gain. 2 plays and they were on the goal line.

Later in the game, they fake the jet, fake the mid zone and throw the ball to #2 on a wheel route. Great progression of play calling.

The above play went for 20 yards.

Vs Nebraska

11 personnel

This is a staple play you will see from unbalanced. They ran it in other games.

They forced the cover 3 rotation into a situation where they had no cb to play the run as a force defender. They ran about 9 plays of unbalanced vs Nebraska .It's cover 3 with a sam pressure from the defense. They slice it with the TE and get a great push and a nice 12 yard gain.

Another weekly design in the Nebraska game was formation to the boundary out of 12 personnel, They shift the tight end wing and then motion the slot.

They block the LT and both tight ends for wide zone and read the DT. The RG runs zone blocking for the qb going the other way. A nice design with a ton of movement with the shift and motion that created a nice 10 yard gain on the play.

nice 10 yard game and design.

Passing game:

Bootleg:

They are great at running bootleg off their run game. They do it with jet motion, formations to the boundary and a nice boot package out of 12 personnel as well.

Here they are in 11 and go formation to the boundary. They get the man coverage they want and motion the wr to the field and then back to the boundary. The other wr in a condensed set to the boundary gets wide open off the run action and cover 1.

You can see the CB running with the jet ma as the other wr comes across behind the line of scrimmage on the snap. Thats tough for the CB to get through off the run fake with a top wr. Nice design as the wr is wide open.

Man coverage, easy completion and 2o yard gain.

Later in the same game they run the same play vs Penn State

2nd and 5, this time Penn State goes cover 3, gets some edge pressure but the route is wide open. Ryan Day is a repeater and run the same play if he gets the look he likes.

vs Nebraska

Ohio State base concept is an out and up by #2. it stresses the outside LB and creates nice opportunities for the wr running the drag route. This is probably the concept they run the most off the boot with #2 on the wheel route with the TE coming across behind the LOS.

2 clips of the plays from above.

Day is Excellent play caller in the pass game. Also, very good in his preparation and route design vs certain coverages. Always see a sound plan in place in how they develop their pass game. We can talk about all the basic route concepts but it's the special situations and calling I love.

Below is an example of his witty play calling.

They motion and get no movement from the Michigan defense.

It tells them they are getting cover 2 or 2 trap. They run 2 verticals with 1 and 2 and they hit it for a nice 55 yard gain. Good call vs trap coverage which Michigan ends up playing. The safety takes a poor angle and Ohio State capitalizes.

VS MICHIGAN

Don Brown, As Day knows from their days at BC, loves man free and man concepts.

Ohio State anticipates man coverage by alignment and runs the shallow immediately by #1. They do a great job getting the defense to collision and get the WR across the field with no help from the safety for a 40 yard gain.

#1 wr is wide open off the pick by the LB on the CB. Michigan is sending 5 which opens the middle of the field up.

Nice execution of the crossing route.

Film clip below

Vs Penn State they go formation into the boundary. The why is because they want to get an advantage to the field.

They ran formation into the boundary quite a bit vs Penn State. They ran some wide zone into the boundary and boot to the field off it because they liked the look vs Penn State.

Also, below they take advantage.They got the coverage they wanted with the safety playing shallow to the 1 wr side, allowing no help over the top. They condense the split and run an out and up.

Vertical Passing Game
Ohio State is going to take their shots down the field. Here they run #2 on the seem route vs Clemson who is in cover 3.

Below the #1 wr runs an option route. If the middle of the field is open, imo, he can run the post, MOF closed he bends it back out on the post corner. This is an assumption but that's what I think he's doing.

Empty

They have a few concepts they run vs empty Here are some zone ones. They do an excellent job with their empty concepts and causing match up issues.

Tempo
The other problem when you play them is they will go really up tempo. They will have their 1st down plays ready and snap the ball quick. Here it is vs. Clemson. The 1st down play was H trips to the boundary, get up and run wide zone on 2 occasions. They caught Clemson 2x in this game for 42 yards and a td.

Here they catch Oregon looking at their wristbands. Get rid of the wristbands!

Wilson is by him on the right sideline before they even realize the ball is in the air and has been snapped.

Pass concepts

Here are a few:

on 2nd and 10 vs Ohio State they run Dover

Dover is a route concept effective vs zone and man. Here they get man coverage which opens the middle of the field for the Dover route.

2 beaters...dig with a deep out and up.

most team will run an out and up at 5-6 yards, Day runs it at past CB depth at 14 yards to make it really difficult on the safety and cb. The CB really needs to get depth to stay on top of #1/2 vs this 2 beater. Tough to defend with the world class speed at WR.