Ohio State offensive player-by-player PFF grades for Cotton Bowl loss
Ohio State football finishes the season with an 11-2 record after a poor performance in a 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
There was uncertainty coming into the game about what this offense would look like with starting quarterback Kyle McCord transferring to Syracuse and superstar wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. sitting out. Unfortunately, this performance only left Buckeyes fans with more questions headed into next season.
Ohio State produced one of the worst offensive performances in recent memory, managing just three points all game. In this article we dig deeper into each position group’s performance on the offense using Pro Football Focus grades.
Quarterbacks
Starter: Devin Brown
PFF Grade | 50.8 (17 snaps)
Stats | 4-of-6 (66.7%), 20 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 1 Attempt for -4 Yards
Other: Lincoln Kienholz
PFF Grade | 63.6 (40 snaps)
Stats | 6-of-17 (35.3%), 86 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 4 Attempts for 9 Yards
What It Means
After this performance it’s hard for Buckeye fans to feel confident in the quarterback room next season if they don’t bring anybody in via the transfer portal.
Devin Brown has struggled as a passer and shown very questionable pocket presence in a small sample size this season and the four series he was able to play in this game didn’t change that.
The offense also couldn’t establish rhythm with Lincoln Kienholz either who only managed to complete 6-of-17 pass attempts. It’s hard to put much blame on Kienholz, however, as he is very unexperienced as a true freshman and was under pressure on 11-of-19 dropbacks.
Running Backs
Starter: TreVeyon Henderson
PFF Grade | 66.9 (47 snaps)
Stats | 19 attempts for 72 Yards (3.8 avg.), 0 TD
Other: Dallan Hayden
PFF Grade | 60.0 (1 snap)
Stats | No rush attempts
What It Means
The Buckeyes failed to establish a consistent running game in this game. With Missouri stacking the box expecting the run, and the inconsistent run blocking from the Buckeye offensive line the Tigers were able to hold Henderson to under four yards per carry.
Wide Receivers
Starter: Emeka Egbuka
PFF Grade | 71.0 (54 snaps)
Stats | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 58 Yards, 0 TD
Starter: Carnell Tate
PFF Grade | 49.2 (53 snaps)
Stats | 4 targets, 1 reception, 4 Yards, 0 TD
Other: Xavier Johnson
PFF Grade | 65.4 (38 snaps)
Stats | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 35 Yards, 0 TD
Other: Brandon Inniss
PFF Grade | 56.9 (9 snaps)
Stats | 1 target, 0 receptions
Other: Jayden Ballard
PFF Grade | 57.1 (2 snaps)
Stats | 1 target, 0 receptions
What It Means
Emeka Egbuka was the leading receiver for the Buckeyes with 58 yards, a number that could have been a lot higher with stronger play from the rest of the offense.
Tight Ends
Starter: Gee Scott Jr.
PFF Grade | 50.2 (37 snaps)
Stats | 2 targets, 1 reception, 8 Yards, 0 TD
Other: Cade Stover
PFF Grade | 54.8 (34 snaps)
Stats | 0 targets
Other: Kayden McDonald
PFF Grade | 63.6 (3 snaps)
Stats | 0 targets
Other: Jelani Thurman
PFF Grade | 57.9 (2 snaps)
Stats | 0 targets
What It Means
The Buckeyes were unable to get the tight ends involved in the passing attack as Cade Stover was held without a catch and Gee Scott Jr. had just one catch.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle: Josh Simmons
PFF Grade | 62.0 (57 snaps)
Stats | 60.9 run block grade, 60.2 pass block grade, 1 sack and 3 pressures allowed on 28 pass block snaps
Left Guard: Donovan Jackson
PFF Grade | 61.4 (57 snaps)
Stats | 58.2 run block grade, 73.8 pass block grade, 0 pressures allowed on 28 pass block snaps
Center: Matthew Jones
PFF Grade | 61.6 (57 snaps)
Stats | 60.8 run block grade, 59.2 pass block grade, 2 pressures allowed on 28 pass block snaps
Right Guard: Enokk Vimahi
PFF Grade | 48.9 (57 snaps)
Stats | 49.0 run block grade, 36.6 pass block grade, 2 pressures allowed on 28 pass block snaps
Right Tackle: Josh Fryar
PFF Grade | 61.4 (57 snaps)
Stats | 64.6 run block grade, 64.5 pass block grade, 0 pressures allowed on 28 pass block snaps
Other: Tegra Tshabola
PFF Grade | 56.9 (5 snaps)
Stats | 56.4 run block grade, 67.4 pass block grade, 0 pressures allowed on 1 pass block snap
What It Means
There’s no sugar coating it the offensive line had one of its worst performances of the season in this game as they failed to run or pass block consistently.
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