COLUMBUS, Ohio — If you're of the belief that Ohio State's offensive woes could be fixed by the Buckeyes finally settling on a quarterback, Urban Meyer begs to differ.
The Ohio State head coach made that clear Monday, when he once again declined to fully commit to either Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett as his undisputed signal-caller.
"That might not be everyone's philosophy and that's OK," Meyer said as he explained that he's not worried about his starting quarterback—whomever it may be—looking over his shoulder. "Today, not one has beaten out the other, and they're not playing great. ... We just have to perform better."
Through the first three games of the season, that much has been clear, with neither Jones nor Barrett looking like the same players who helped lead the Buckeyes' run to the national championship a season ago. Jones—the starter in Ohio State's first three games this season—has now been benched in favor of Barrett in two consecutive weeks, but the reigning Big Ten Quarterback of the Year has failed to take advantage of his opportunities in relief.
It's not just the Buckeyes signal-callers who have been cause for concern through one-fourth of the regular season, however, as the Ohio State offensive line has struggled with "Odd" 3-4 defensive fronts and the running game, while productive, has been much less efficient than it was last January.
With eight starters returning from last year's title team, including multiple projected first-round picks, talent clearly isn't the issue on an offense that netted just 13 points and 298 yards against Northern Illinois on Saturday.
But if the Buckeyes' lack of identity on offense hasn't been due to the unsettled quarterback conundrum, as Meyer claims, then what's to blame for the highly touted Ohio State offense not living up to its billing through the first three games of the season?
According to Meyer, the answer may lie with an issue rooted deeper in the Buckeyes offense.
When Tom Herman left Ohio State to become the head coach at Houston last winter, the Buckeyes knew they were losing a talented offensive coordinator in the 2014 recipient of the Broyles Award, which is presented annually to college football's top assistant.
What Meyer may have underestimated, however, was the impact the transition on his staff would have on his team.
Rather than hire an outright replacement for Herman, Meyer opted to promote offensive line coach Ed Warinner to offensive coordinator before bringing in former Nebraska assistant Tim Beck as Ohio State's new quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator. That means more play-calling responsibilities for Warinner, who coaches from the field, unlike Herman, who coached from the press box—an adjustment Meyer admitted has taken some getting used to.
So much so, in fact, that Meyer has considered shifting more of the play-calling duties onto Beck's plate.
"We're looking into some of that," Meyer said. "It's not like it's a demotion or something like that. And Tim's been here long enough. The way it would work I would say, 'Tim or [former Florida offensive coordinator] Dan Mullen or Tom Herman, run this, run this,' and it's boom, and we're on the same page.
"We're not quite there yet."
It may not be a demotion according to Meyer, but it's not exactly a ringing endorsement either. After all, plenty of offensive coordinators do their work from the field, just as Lane Kiffin does at Alabama.
But through three weeks, Meyer has clearly seen something in the inner workings of his offensive staff that has required extra attention. Asked Monday if he was satisfied with Ohio State's play-calling when it came to getting the ball in the hands of the team's top playmakers, Meyer responded with a simple "No."
"And then a couple times we did [call plays], and it didn't get to them. So we'll get better."
Part of that process could involve an adjustment on his staff, whether it be moving Warinner to the press box for a better view of the field—which is especially important when the Buckeyes are in their "jet tempo" hurry-up offense—or shifting more play-calling duties to Beck. Meyer has always had the final call when it's come to what's called in his spread offense, but through three weeks, Ohio State has clearly missed the continuity it enjoyed with Herman in the past three years.
While its quarterback conundrum dominates the headlines and the offensive line searches for consistency, this Ohio State team is simply too talented to struggle against an opponent from the Mid-American Conference, as the Buckeyes did Saturday. Hosting Western Michigan this weekend, the Buckeyes find themselves facing one last chance to get back on the right track before Big Ten play begins.
And don't be surprised if Ohio State switches up its approach for its battle with the Broncos, even if its most notable changes come behind the scenes.
"I just think we're going to adapt and change some things," Meyer said. "I'm anxious to—I wish we were playing tomorrow."
Given the OSU offense's latest outing, he's not alone.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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