Ohio State Must Find A Way To Support Freshman Luke Fahey

Ohio State is suddenly staring at a stretch of unfamiliar territory — one that hasn't been seen in Columbus since the fallout of "Tattoogate."

Following the Buckeyes' second regular-season loss of the season, a defeat at the hands of USC last week, Ryan Day's program has now dropped four of its last 10 games. Credit Lincoln Riley and the Trojans. Their backs were against the wall, and when there was a play to be made, USC seized the opportunity. 

The last time Ohio State went 6-4 over a 10-game stretch was in 2011, when the program was navigating the fallout from Jim Tressel's resignation. Led by interim head coach Luke Fickell, the Buckeyes finished 6-7 before ushering in a new era under my colleague, Urban Meyer. Meyer quickly restored Ohio State to national prominence, delivering a national championship and an undefeated record against "that team up North."

This season is far from over for Ohio State.

But if the Buckeyes hope to get back into the College Football Playoff conversation, they'll need to adapt their offense to support true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey.

If you looked only at the box score from Ohio State's loss to USC, you might wonder how the Buckeyes dominated nearly every statistical category yet still lost by two scores. But there was one area where they fell short — and it's one that I believe often gets overlooked: red-zone touchdown percentage.

The difference between settling for a field goal and punching it into the end zone can have a significant impact over the course of a game. Those missed opportunities can ultimately be the difference between a win and a loss. Ohio State reached the red zone four times against USC but came away with just one touchdown and 12 total points.

But wait, it gets worse. 

Ohio State had 11 offensive drives in the game, eight of which reached USC territory and into what we call the "fringe." That included drives that reached the USC 21-yard line (ending in a field goal), the 31 (ending in a fumble), the 22 (ending in a field goal) and the 36 (ending in a punt after a negative run and a five-yard penalty).

The part of the field where you aren't in the red zone, but are in field goal range, is an area most offensive coordinators often look to take shots at the end zone.

Red Zone defense changes for most defensive coordinators. Defenses can play more two-high, middle-of-the-field-open (MOFO) coverages (Cover 2, Cover 4 and variations of quarter-quarter-half) while still allowing defenders to also play more aggressively against the run without worrying as much about giving up a deep ball over their heads.

That approach also makes it more difficult to isolate a star receiver like Jeremiah Smith. Defenses can dedicate two defenders to him while still keeping enough support in the box to defend the run.

This is where Ohio State's offense struggled most. From USC's 40-yard line and in, Fahey completed just 7 of 20 passes, including a ball that should have been intercepted. He also took a costly sack on a play where he initially appeared to evade the rush, only to slow down and get caught from behind. The numbers become even more concerning when factoring in pressure. Fahey completed just three passes under duress in this critical area of the field.

The reality is, this is the most challenging area of the field for an inexperienced quarterback. Passing windows shrink, demanding greater precision and accuracy. Decision-making becomes paramount, too. The quarterback has less time to process what the defense is showing him, and when you are pressured, that time is even more scarce.

I experienced this in my first start at Notre Dame back in 2003. We were facing a Top 25-ranked Purdue team in West Lafayette. Little did I know that I'd attempt 59 passes that day, the second-most in Notre Dame history behind Terry Hanratty, who threw 63 times in a 1967 loss to, you guessed it, Purdue.

We fell behind early, failed