TU offense is trending in right direction
Against a Big Ten defense loaded with elite players, the Hurricane produced 501 yards and was within a touchdown in the fourth quarter of what ultimately was a 41-20 defeat.
“We made a big jump from Week 2 to Week 3,” quarterback Davis Brin said, “and we’re going to keep building on that.”
In his third start, Brin threw for 428 yards — the most passing yards for a TU quarterback since Dane Evans had 421 against Memphis in 2015. His 54 passes were the most attempted by a quarterback in the Philip Montgomery era.
With the Buckeyes loading the box and shutting down the run, Montgomery was forced to rely on the passing game, and for the most part it delivered. That is rapid growth from the opener when Brin’s totals equaled half what they were Saturday.
“Just the amount of work that they’ve put in and seeing them do it underneath the lights on big stages against really quality personnel, to see our guys operate at that level again it gives us faith in our passing game to continue to keep growing,” Montgomery said.
In addition to Brin settling into his role, the Hurricane receivers had a field day despite top target Keylon Stokes being sidelined. Josh Johnson was among four players with at least five catches, hauling in eight for a career-high 149 yards and a touchdown.
“I was really pleased with the way our receivers played the other day,” Montgomery said. “The way they performed, I thought they really stepped up in that situation and played at a high level as a group.”
Ezra Naylor II, a big-bodied transfer from Kansas, had five catches for 44 yards including one in the second quarter on third down that kept alive a drive that resulted in a field goal, trucking a defender to reach the line to gain.
“He’s a guy that hasn’t been here very long,” Montgomery said. “He’s still learning our offense. But man, did he step up in a lot of big ways. … I thought he played extremely well, for really the first time getting that amount of reps in a game. I think he obviously showed what he can do and what he’s capable of. But I think there’s a lot more in his tank that we can get out of it.”
TU’s veteran offensive line took some hits throughout the game and was left with two starters in the fourth quarter because of injuries. Redshirt freshman Dillon Wade made his career debut on the road against a top-10 opponent with the game on the line, and the Hurricane did its best not to flinch.
“I just attribute all of that to all of the hard work that the offensive line unit puts in day in and day out,” said Chris Paul, one of the offensive linemen who left the game with an injury. “I also attribute that to our coach, Zach Hanson, for constantly reminding us that things can change at any moment and when your number is called you have to be prepared and be able to rise to that occasion.”
Montgomery said he anticipates a majority of the injured players to return Saturday against Arkansas State, which ranks 129th out of 130 teams in total defense. For TU’s offense, the expectation is to make another leap in Week 4.
“It’s all about that consecutive progression and then continuing to climb the ladder and continuing to get better,” Paul said. “That’s our goal. That’s all we hope to see throughout the entirety of the season.”