If an offensive line is the foundation of an offense — as Urban Meyer and most other coaches say — then Ohio State had reason to feel quite confident that the Buckeyes would dominate in 2015.
Four starters returned from Ed Warinner’s unit that became a machine late last season, including projected first-round NFL draft pick Taylor Decker at left tackle and all-Big Ten right guard Pat Elflein.
But the line has been inconsistent all season, and it caught up to the Buckeyes against Michigan State. Surely, the issues went beyond the five linemen; the failure to try to exploit the Spartans’ suspect secondary was a huge factor in the Buckeyes’ feeble performance.