The most significant offensive change from week 1 to week 2 was the return of the full 2020 RPO playbook which had been heavily curtailed in the opener, along with a few new additions that exploited structural vulnerabilities in Ohio St’s defense that were clear on tape.
The RPO requires a series of quick reads of the defense, and #13 QB A. Brown had a near-perfect outing in that regard - I only tallied one read error all day, and that play wound up being successful anyway. Here’s an example of a single RPO structure that was run several times, which can have three different outcomes depending on how the defense plays it, but the way Ohio St lines up essentially guarantees they’ll always give up something:
(Reminder - you can right-click or long-press any video to play it in ¼ or ½ speed)
- :00 - The key is #12 TE DJ Johnson lined up on the opposite side of the formation, who slices under it as the play develops.