Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State Football: Have Young Players Hit the Wall?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Young Ohio State starters finding out how difficult a Big Ten schedule really is?

Everyone is aware of the problems the Ohio State offense has had recently. Could part of the problem be that some of the young players have hit the wall?

That’s a phenomenon commonly associated with distance runners, when they have to run 500 more yards and wonder if they can run 50. This happens to young college football players as well.

It tends to affect guys at certain positions more than others. Offensive linemen and running backs are particularly susceptible to it.

The young players at these positions are playing against bigger, stronger players than they have ever faced before. The pounding they receive can take it’s toll. Ohio State has young players in the offensive line and at running back who are first year starters.

Michael Jordan is the first true freshman offensive lineman to start the first game of the season since Orlando Pace. Isaiah Prince is a true sophomore who played as a true freshman, but usually it was a few plays at the end of the game when he was fresh and the defenders were tired.

Now the two players have played over half the regular season schedule going against their teammates in practice and then 70 plays during a game. That will take it’s toll on anybody, but for young players it takes some to get used to.

I took a lot of flack before the season started by saying the same thing could happen to Mike Weber. Everybody seemed to think he could carry the load like Ezekiel Elliott did the last two seasons.

The reason I said that Weber may struggle at some point is because it has happened to almost every freshman running back in the nearly 50 years I have watched college football. I figured the math was on my side.

A running back in high school may get sandwiched by a 220 pound lineman and a 190 pound linebacker on a dive play. In college, it might be 300 and 240. That takes a little more toll on the body. Also, Weber has now carried the football 115 times and has been hit harder on a regular basis than he ever has been before.

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If these players did hit the wall, that doesn’t mean it’s a permanent situation. Football players, like distance runners, learn through experience how to deal with it.

Urban Meyer and his experienced coaching staff have dealt with these situations many times. Also, J.T. Barrett, Pat Elflein and Billy Price have been through the wars and are great leaders. The young guys certainly have the right people around to help them out.

Another unit where hitting the wall can be a real problem is the defensive line, particularly at the tackle position. Although Ohio State has young players on the line, it doesn’t appear to be an issue. I credit coach Larry Johnson with rotating his players as often as he has to keep them fresh.

The Big Ten schedule is always a physical and mental grind, especially for an 18 or 19 year old. Ohio State gets everyone’s best shot as well. The young Buckeyes have also played two consecutive night road games against good opponents who were coming off a bye week.

It’s just part of the learning curve for all of the young Ohio State players players regardless of position. The Buckeyes should be just fine. After all, they have great leadership from the coaching staff and the players lining up beside them.

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