Analyzing Ohio State's run game: What's working? What isn't?

The Buckeyes are running a lot, but not running well.

Running back C.J. Donaldson celebrates a touchdown in last week’s win against Illinois. (Photo courtesy of Ohio State athletics)

COLUMBUS — There was one play in Ohio State’s 34-16 win against Illinois last Saturday that encapsulates everything that’s plaguing the Buckeyes’ mediocre rushing attack.

Tight end Max Klare motioned into the box, then ran across the formation and whiffed on a kick-out block. There wasn’t a great push up front, a bit of a jumbled mess of bodies. Searching for an outlet, running back C.J. Donaldson ran into the backside of guard Tegra Tshabola and fell behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of a yard on first down.

What’s keeping Ohio State’s rushing offense from being better? Well, a little bit of everything.

Right now, the Buckeyes have what could generously be described as an average ground game. They’re 46th in the country and ninth in the Big Ten in yards per carry, all while running the ball at the third-highest rate of the Ryan Day era. The frequency of usage and the output aren’t syncing up. Is the rushing attack broken? Is Day’s offense merely feeling its way through what works best? Can it get better?

There aren’t many glaring questions about the No. 1 team in the country, but these are some of them.